My Biggest Poker Lesson: Sometimes it's Good to Know When to Fold

When I first started playing poker, I used to think having  strong hand meant I had to fight for the pot. If I had a good pair, two pairor even a set, folding was almost never something I wanted to consider.

But poker has taught me an important lessons which I won't forget and this particular hand changed how I look at the game.

I was holding K♠ Q♥. The flop came K♦ 8♣ 4♠, giving me top pair.

The turn brought 9♥. I bet again, and my opponent called.

When the river showed. I placed another bet, but this time  opponent raised aggressively.

My first instinct was to call. After all, I had top pair. But looking back, I should have paid more attention to my opponent's action.

I called and discovered that my opponent had two pair.

It wasn't the biggest pot I'd ever lost, but it made me realise something important.

I'm know I'm still learning, and I know I'll make more mistakes along the way.

But these days, I try to focus less on winning every pot and more on making the best decision.