Recently, Citanul posted
this in which he discussed how ridiculous it was to fold now to preserve your image. When I first read it, I didn't agree with it. However, I didn't know why. As a result I have done a great deal of thinking about it, and have learned quite a bit from it in the process. I have finally gotten my thoughts organized enough to make this post, so here goes.
As a poker player, you are confronted with a vast range of decisions on any given session. To get the maximum value from your sessions, it is necessary to make decisions based upon what your goals are. Some people play poker to have fun, blow off some steam, and just plain gamble. Some players play to win, but are playing at a level that they can’t afford to lose at, therefore it is necessary for them to make decisions that will maximize profit, and minimize variance. Other players (and I’m guessing that this is the group that most of the posters here fit into) play to make the most profit regardless of variance. This post is directed to the players here who fall into this last category.
As someone who is looking to maximize their profit, it is your goal to make the decision that will either make you the most money, or lose you the least money over the long haul. This is the cornerstone of being a winning poker player, and is something that is very difficult to do due to the chaotic nature of that which is a poker game. In order to maximize your profit it is necessary to jump on every +EV spot, unless by doing so, you will reduce your EV in a near future situation. Many of you may know that if a player in the BB has a tight enough calling range, it is +EV to push any two depending upon the size of your stack, and his stack. The tightness of a BB’s calling range is directly correlated to your image, as, if you have been liberally pushing the last several orbits, your opponent will deduce that you have a very wide range of pushing standards (regardless of how good your cards actually have been.) Therefore, it is sometimes correct to pass on a slightly +EV push in order to preserve your image, and, by doing so, keep the calling range of an opponent tighter than it properly should be.