So lately I've been making bad calls. I somehow know what the other hands are, but because my hand it so strong I can't bring myself to lay it down, despite being beat or an underdog to the best hand. 2 pair with 2 to go against 1 pair with a flush and straight draws.... Why can't I lay them down?
Anyone else face the same issues?
Hey Knwmr, let's assume that you do have perfect knowledge of spots you're playing. You've identified what is called a cognitive dissonance, and it's quite common with poker players, and really, in daily life.
On one hand, you have a "strong" hand, 2 pair or better. On the other hand, you feel like you're beaten. So now what?
One HUGE idea is to understand that in poker, hand strength is relative, not absolute. So if you told me that the bet was twice the pot and you called with 2 pair, I should have absolutely no idea if it's a good or a bad play. Loads of factors go into considering ranking hands, but let's end with a quick thought experiment to illustrate the point.
Is T:spade: 9:spade: generally a better hand on an A:spade:T:heart:9:heart:6:heart:K:heart: board or on a T:heart:9:club:3:spade:5:diamond:2:heart: board?
If you can answer that, then you're well on your way to making what you once thought were "big" lay downs. The concept of ranking your hand inside of all the specific hands that you can have for a spot and comparing that to the
odds that the pot is giving you when facing a bet of a particular size is what poker is all about, and separating absolute and relative hand strength is only the beginning.
Hope that helps!