Do not hope for the river
February 1, 2008
A lot of experts at poker will say that you should not hope in poker. If you have a flush draw and the river card is about to turn up, it would be very risky for you to hope on that last card. If you are hoping that you will make a flush on the river card or if you are hoping that you will make a straight on the river card then your poker strategy may be too aggressive. Sometimes you have to be conservative especially if the odds are against you.
The river card or the river of dreams card is the card that will make all your wishes come true or all your wishes go extinct. If you have been playing poker for quite some time, you should only bank on the river card in desperate situations. If you have two pairs already and you are hoping to make a full house on the river card then chances of you making it are very slim. If everyone is going all in but you are simply there on the side then you should be careful. Someone might have triplets already or a five card combo. Your two pair will rarely make the cut against these combo heavyweights.
The rule of thumb when it comes to poker is that you can bluff, you can fold, buy you can not hope. If you are always relying on hope to make you win a tournament or a poker match then you are not going to be a good poker player. Poker is not all about hope and luck. Poker is not all about what the cards will end up showing in the end. Poker is about making the rational decision at the right place at the right time. If you want to become a good poker player then you should know when to make the right calls. You should know when to fold your cards. You should know exactly when to hope.
Hope is a tricky topic in poker. So when should you actually hope for the river card to make your dreams come true? The only time when you should hope for the river card to fulfil your dreams is when there is no other option but to hope and believe that you will make the cut. If you have no other choice but to hope then this is your last resort. You should only hope for the river card when there is no other possible way for you to win a match. If you are low on chips, if there are a lot of bullies at the table, or if you should make a move to get in the game are the only instances where in you should actually hope.
In any other case, do not count on the river card to fulfill your dreams. Do not count on the river card to save you from poverty at the poker table. If you want to win in poker then hope is the last weapon you are going to use.