Don't leave the door open

"Fit or fold" is the mantra of the book that got me started playing Hold-Em"

It suggested if you didn't have a hand worth raising, or holding onto if someone else does, you should fold it.

What I see is "Not leaving the door open" to being bluffed.

Bet AS IF you have better cards than you do. Trust me, you'll find out soon enough if someone else ACTUALLY does.

If they raise, you know you're in trouble. Fold quickly and cut your losses.

If they fold, hurray!

It's when you allow your opponent to call that you can't learn a darned thing about their hand. Do they have what you do? Do they have the cards you're pretending to have, and are slow-playing you? (Notice, again I'm saying opponent, not opponents. Trying to bluff an entire table of opponents is a suicide mission) Yes, there will be TIMES you have to work the crowd, like it or not...

Most players want to win far too badly.

Not me. I want to lose in a controlled fashion. In a fashion I CONTROL, and not my opponent. Using exploratory bets that either give me a go-ahead to an even larger win, or cut my losses.

In fact, I'd say "controlled losing" summarizes my current strategy of play.

The LAST thing I want to do is leave the door open for THEM to bluff me.

So if I plan on staying in a hand, I'll bet it, even if I've got garbage.

Who knows, maybe that's all they have too, and they'll fold.