The Importance of Folding

Folding is incredibly important to the game of poker yet it is also a tactical move often underused by amateurs.  There will always be hands that you're beaten, and you need to leave those down.  For example, I was playing in a 90 man tournament and on the first hand I was dealt AA.  Naturally, I was excited so I started raising.  I got called by two people and the flop came 9,9,2.  Both of the others checked so I raised the size of the pot.  I got re-raised and instead of laying my hand down--which would have been smart--I couldn't bring myself to lay down the bullets.  Instead, I went all in, both called, both had a 9 in their hand, and I was on my way out in 86th place.  This play is similar to a lot that I have seen other players make.  When the board looks dangerous, get out of the hand!!  As Doyle Brunson says, "There's no use throwing in good money after bad."  Remember that when you put that money in the pot, it is no longer yours and any claim that you had to it when it was in your stack is gone.  If your stack is 1000 and you raise 200, your stack is now 800.  There is no use throwing more money in when your opponent holds the nuts, as they WILL NOT FOLD IT!!!
Laying down hands also bolsters your table image in 2 ways.  First, it means that you're playing in more hands and getting in there gambling.  This makes the table much more exciting and also entices others to play a bit looser than they normally would.  Also, it makes you seem like a smarter player--which you are--as opponents see you laying down hands and ensuring that the money that they get from the pot is minimal, still garnering you respect even if you lost.
Remember, as soon as the money goes in, it's not yours anymore so don't be afraid to fold a bad hand.