Dear Mark: What do you think is the most important decision recreational Texas Hold’em players have to make to be successful at the game? Is it what limit to play on, playing tight versus loose, something else? Andy I.

Poker is a unique game in that it allows you to use the laws of probability to maximize the value of your decisions. All Hold’em players begin each hand with this choice: With these two hole cards, should I stay, or should I fold?

You choose at this moment whether to invest money in your hand or not. If you fold, you lose nothing (unless you’re on the blind), but you also gain nothing if you fold unnecessarily. So, arguably (I await debate), I believe this is the most import decision you make in Texas Hold’em. You’ll find that players who make the correct decision here seem to win most of the money. It’s as simple, Jay, as Kenny Rogers sings, “You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.”

I just finished John Gollehon’s newest book, Strike the Casino with Winning Strategies (available in any bookstore), and he also sums it up pretty well: “In the casino (poker), you must have the ability to recognize an opportunity, the wisdom to know you can’t force it to happen, and the discipline to quit when it’s gone.”

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