What is virtuous in the rest of our lives is often destructive, negative behavior at the poker table.  Take loyalty for example.  We want it in our friends and loved ones.  We demand it from our employees and teammates.  We learn it at the earliest age with the Pledge of Allegiance and with the clear admonition not to "rat" on our friends.  It is a centerpiece of a civil and strong society and polity.

But in poker it is deadly.

I’m talking about being loyal to your hand.

I know it may sound absurd, but many of us -- most of us, I would opine -- are unduly loyal to our starting hands.  If we believe that we have a decent hand we tend to stay with it even as circumstances change, even after we know, intellectually, that we should abandon ship and wait for the next hand.

Don't get married to a hand.

Here’s a perfect example.  Texas Holdem. I was on the button with AhKd.  Four people called the big blind of $30.  I had $1500 and wanted to knock out the completely random hand so I’d have a better idea of what I was up against on the flop.  So I raised to $100.  I got two callers.

The flop was 3d 7c 9d.  The other player checked.  I figured he had nothing and that I could pick up the pot with a decent bet.  I didn’t want to overly commit myself without a pair so I figured a small continuation bet was in order.  I bet $100.  One player folded, the other called.

The turn brought the Qd.  The other player checked.  I figured he had nothing and so I bet again -- $100.  He called.

The River was the meaningless 2s.  My opponent bet $400.  I didn’t really think very hard about what he was likely to have.  I just trusted in my AK, thought it a good starting hand, figured I had gone all the way to the River with it and nothing scary had hit on the River.  I figured he wouldn’t have called all this way with a pair of 2s.  And I pretty much stopped thinking then.

By God, I was loyal to my AK.  No River bet was going to have me fold these guys.

How absurd; especially for someone who knows something about this game.  And yet, looking back, it was what I was doing.  I was loyal to my hand.

And just so you don’t think it some quirky exception, a similar matter of loyalty over logic occurred an hour later in the tournament.  This time I was dealt Ah6h on the button.  The blinds were $25/$50.  I had about $1600.  No one raised; three had called.  I called.  The small blind called and the big blind checked.  Six of us saw the flop.

The flop was 2h6h5c.  It was checked to me.  I bet $100, hoping to win the hand and also having a small something to go with it.  I surely didn’t want anyone to see the Turn for free.  I got one caller.  The turn was the 5h.  It was checked to me.  I liked my two pair and four-flush -- especially since my opponent wasn’t betting.  I bet $200.  My opponent called.  The River brought another 2:  2h6h5cTc2d.  My opponent bet $400.  Deja vu!  Once again I concluded that he was just trying to knock out my perfectly fine hand.  I had grown to admire and enjoy that two pair with kicker.  I figured he had something less than me so I called.  He showed a pair of 5s for 5s full of 2s.

Loyalty is a hard pattern of behavior to jettison.  I thought that I was immune to it at the card table.  Recent lapses, though, have reminded me of my own frailty.  I hope my own painful self discovery will alert you to the possible weaknesses in your game as well.~~

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