A good fold is hard to beat

PartyPoker $1/2 NL: +$111

More and more, I find myself judging the quality my play both by how much I’m winning, and how I make good laydowns. I hope that’s a good sign, but it feels odd to be happy about giving up a strong hand.

Yesterday I had this hand, which really pissed me off –

I’m BB with Jh6h, 5 limpers around to me, I check. Flop is 8h-9s-3h. I open for half the pot, MP and button call. Turn is [8h-9s-3h]-4h. I bet half the pot with my flush. MP mini-raises, and button calls. There’s three flushes out there that beat mine. One of these dudes must have at least the Kx flush, if not the Ax flush. I’m guessing that button has the best hand based on his flat calls. Even though I’m getting 7 to 1 on my money, I muck. MP and button play to showdown – button has a set, and MP reveals 2-pair.

Fuck. What made it extra aggravating is that I didn’t fold to a big bet, I folded to with fabulous pot odds.

So then there’s this hand today –

Seat 8: SpeakEasy_ ( $337.92 )
Seat 5: R-- ( $155.30 )
Seat 6: m-- ( $47.70 )
R-- posts small blind [$1].
m-- posts big blind [$2].

Dealt to SpeakEasy_ [ Ac Ts ]
SpeakEasy_ raises [$6].
R-- calls [$5].
m-- calls [$4].

** Dealing Flop ** [ Qd, 4s, Ks ]
R-- checks.
m-- checks.
SpeakEasy_ checks.

** Dealing Turn ** [ Js ]
R-- bets [$27.72].
m-- is all-In [$41.70]
SpeakEasy_ folds.
R-- calls [$13.98].

** Dealing River ** [ Kc ]
R-- shows [ Qc, Qh ] a full house, Queens full of kings.
m-- doesn't show [ 2s, 6s ] a flush, king high.
R-- wins $98.40 from the main pot with a full house, Queens full of kings.

My read was that my straight was beat. I felt the flush, and the river boat was irrelevant to my decision. There was a time when I would never consider folding a straight.