know when to fold'em?

Ok this is something that has been buggin me a little lately, tell me what you guys think. I was at a table where a guy called out a bad beat for himself when he went all in with ak, he called a bad beat and then the villain turns over a-q and spikes a queen. I then asked him why he went all in if he truly thought he was going to lose and he said "im supposed to". While I agree if you know your opponent has a-q you should go all in with a-k but I get gut feelings every once in a while and they are actually usually right. I have folded a-k to an all in and seen that a-q was the winning hand with a pair of queens and I would have lost.

My question to you guys is, do you trust your gut if it tells you to fold queens kings or ak? I can say I have folded the best hand PF because it didnt feel right and I would have lost with my kings to a-10 or a-j when an ace came. A lot of times do you find yourself saying "I wanted to fold that hand" when you lose an all in to a weaker hand? I know "book-smarts" say you can never fold those hands mathematically but my question has to be, if your not totally sold on it can you fold knowing you will get a time when you feel much better about it?

I never listen to my gut. But I should start

Cash games? Never!! Awwwwwww-in!!! Don't be result-oriented.

♠The Ten Commandments of Gambling - The Wizard of Odds

Rule #4.

No offense, but if you're folding kings because you think they're going to get outdrawn, then you shouldn't be playing poker.

ps there was a thread about this same topic; do a search and you'll see. Kind of an interesting read.

In a tournament, such a laydown can be good, but AFTER the flop, for example:
Blinds are 100/200, you have 25k in chips, opponent has 12k, you raise the usual 3bb in position with AK, he reraises to 10bb and you call. AKQ comes on the flop and he open pushes. An argument can be made in the favor of folding here.

In a cash game, folding the best hand preflop can mean two things:
a) You misread an opponent
b) You're playing scared and are giving up an edge in order to protect your money. Bad, bad, bad play anytime since you're the favorite.

You don't fold (QQ, KK, AK) when you're ahead but are afraid that villain will outdraw you.
You fold (QQ, KK, AK) when you think you think you're behind.

The REAL question is "Why would you push all in preflop in that situation?" You left out some info on the bets before he acts. If you're so sure that you're going to get drawn out on why not call (assuming there were bets and it wasn't a push or fold situation before him) to see a flop and fold to any bets if you think you're behind?

I would also like to say that I do not fold kings or aces or queens hands like that, cant do that and see I was ahead/winning the hand. But I do make some chasing calls if I just have a feeling ill get my cards lol. It works most of the time lol.

The other day, I caught every single draw I went for. I'm talking straight after straight after flush after straight after set after flush after straight.

Haven't caught one since.

I always go with my instincts. When I think that a fold is correct I'll usually make the fold.

This of course does not mean that I'll fold AK against AQ just because I "feel" a Queen coming. I'm not psychic, and chances are neither are you.

There are times, and we have all had these times else we would have totally given up the game, when the pokerstars align, and the poker gods dance just for each of us. Most of the time we don't recognize it. Newbies tend to seek those times out, expecting them to happen every time they sit to play.

In time we realize that most of the time we have to grind it out against others who are in the midst of those times, to find success. But when it come our time again, and with experience we learn to know that it is our time again, then, and seemingly only then, do I personally go with my gut feelings. The big problem is so often we don't realize that the cards are flowing for us, until the poker gods give up the dance and move to someone more willing.......

I always go with my gut. Trust your instincts, you have to in poker. And if you have AK and think your opponent has AQ or something like AJ, you don't fold and say well I have a bad feeling I'm going to lose. That's playing scared poker, and more importantly BAD poker.