Know When to Walk Away and When to Run

No matter how good you are at poker, there’s always going to be times when you hit up against some tough competition. Maybe you’re playing against a really aggressive guy and you can’t ever figure out when he’s bluffing. Or perhaps he just gets under your skin and always seems to know what you’ve got.

Even though there are some techniques for playing against superior opponents that you can use to combat these sharks, there will come a time when its just better to run away.

Sure, if your main goal is to always improve, the best way to do that is to play against better players and to learn from them.

On the other hand, if you’re looking out for your bottom line, staying away from the best players at the table will save you a lot of chips.

Avoid Their Pots

You’ve got to know when to walk away.

The easiest way to stay out of their way is to avoid the pots that they raise. Even if you’ve got a good hand and you’re in position, it still might be best to just lay down your hand to their bet.

It’s also good to think about what to do when you’re out of position against them. If you’ve got a marginal hand like T9s or 55, and the good player is going to act after you do, you really want to get involved? If they raise you, what are you going to do? If they call, what are you going to do?

There are times when you might decide to play the hand, but it’s more important than ever to think through these possibilities before you put your chips in the pot.

Leave the Table

And you’ve got to know when to run.

Seriously, if you just can’t manage this player and they’re draining all your chips, there’s no shame in running away. Table selection is as much of a poker decision is choosing whether or not to bet.

Some games will have enough soft players to make it worthwhile to stay out of the way of the good players. However, if there’s too many good players or if they’re giving you a really hard time, just stand up and run.

There are greener pastures out there. Put your ego aside and go find a soft game.