Playing Fewer Hands

[Houbi37]

Hi everyone,
Recently I started playing fewer hands and I noticed better results.
Playing too many hands often puts me in difficult situations after the flop.
Do you play tight or loose most of the time?

 

[Houbi37]

Not every hand needs to be played.
Sometimes the best move in poker is the most boring one: fold.
Discipline > Ego
What’s the hardest hand for you to fold?

 

[M6O6U6]

Ego is the phrase that defines who evolves in poker. Not every hand needs to be played, and the most annoying fold is often the one that saves your bankroll and your sanity.
The hardest hand for me (and for most grinders who convert) to give up is QQ (queens) — especially when created or 3-bet by a tight/aggressive reg.

Why does folding up with QQ hurt so much?

It's the third best starting hand — it seems "almost unbeatable".
Ego screamed: "I'm better than AK/AQ most of the time, folding is weak!".

But against a polarized range (AA/KK or heavy bluffs), QQ becomes a coin flip or worse. And when the villain 4-bets shoves or overbets the river, the heroic fold with an overpair hurts the soul.

Others that hit everyone's ego hard:

AK (especially suit) — "Dominator of everything!", but becomes dominated against AA/KK or a board that doesn't help.

JJ or TT deep stack — overpair on the flop, but sets and two pairs are destroyed.
Low set on a dry board vs. a nit that check-raises all-in — "My set is good, right?"... until seeing the straight or higher set.
Top pair top kicker (AK/AQ) on a scary river — station calls, but regular value heavy doesn't.

 

[Mig32]

Not every hand needs to be played.
Sometimes the best move in poker is the most boring one: fold.
Discipline > Ego
What’s the hardest hand for you to fold?

For me, one of the hardest hands to fold is top pair with a good kicker. It looks strong, and the instinct is to keep calling because “it might still be good.” But many times the board and the betting action clearly show that I’m behind. Learning to let that hand go has been an important discipline exercise.
Another difficult one is JJ pre-flop or on an overcard flop. It feels too strong to fold but often too weak to play a big pot. Over time I’ve realized that protecting my stack is more important than protecting my ego. Folding in the right spot is often the real winning play.

 

[KeyPatience]

Not every hand needs to be played.
Sometimes the best move in poker is the most boring one: fold.
Discipline > Ego
What’s the hardest hand for you to fold?

AK always if there’s no hit on the flop and the opponent keeps on dragging you inside!

 

[Houbi37]

One of the biggest mistakes new poker players make is playing too many hands. When you first start playing poker, it’s tempting to see every flop and get involved in many pots.
However, experienced players know that strong starting hand selection is extremely important. Playing fewer hands but playing them well can be much more profitable.
Another common mistake is chasing draws without the correct odds. Many beginners call too often hoping to hit their cards, which can be very costly in the long run.
Poker is a game of patience, discipline, and good decision-making. The sooner a player understands this, the faster they will improve.
What do you think is the biggest mistake beginners make in poker?

 

[austral]

The central mistake is not understanding that poker is a game of long-term decisions, not emotions or immediate luck.

 

[KLEBE7]

It’s definitely Bankroll Management (BRM). I see guys jump straight into $50NL$ with two buy-ins because they 'feel lucky.' Then they get coolered once, tilt, and they're busto by dinner

 

[Lauchita]

One of the most important skills in poker is not knowing when to bet, but knowing when to fold. Many beginners think that folding means losing, but in reality folding at the right time is what saves you the most chips in the long run. For example, imagine you have pocket tens and the flop comes Ace, King, and nine. Your opponent bets big, and then bets big again on the turn. A lot of players call here just because they already put chips in the pot, but that’s a very common mistake. In poker it doesn’t matter how many chips you already invested in the hand. What matters is whether your hand is still strong against what your opponent could have. If everything suggests your opponent has a stronger hand, the best play is often to fold. Professional players fold good hands all the time because they understand something important: every chip you save now is a chip you can use to win a bigger pot later. In poker, knowing when to walk away is also part of winning. 🃏

 

[Chunhong319]

When watching low and micro stakes games, I often feel that many players enter too many pots.

Do you think playing tighter is still the best strategy in these games?

 

[Hilux]

In many low-stakes games, yes. A tighter and more disciplined approach is still very profitable because many opponents play too many weak hands and make big mistakes after the flop. But it shouldn’t be too tight. The best strategy is usually tight-aggressive: play fewer hands, but play them aggressively and take advantage of loose players.

 

[Mario7]

The short answer is YES, there is a lot of players playing too many hands.
however
It is worth considering, that in some online games there are important conditions affecting ranges, like for eample HUGE antes in GG 9max cash games (1SB ante) or auto-straddle in WPT global cash games. Straddle or antes = more dead money = broader ranges.