Is folding good hands preflop cowardly or wise?

[maxstell]

I am training my discipline and using a fairly strict preflop board. Sometimes I have to throw my hands like A-J offsuits or low pairs from bad positions, and it's hard for me, because I feel like I'm missing out on opportunities.
What do you think? Is folding decent hands preflop a sign of weakness or experience?
I want to hear real experiences: Have you ever regretted having played a hand “for pretty” and ending up losing a lot?

 

[Propane Goat]

The reason many poker resources recommend folding AT, AJ, small pairs from early positions is that it is easy to run into trouble post-flop if your hand reading skills are still developing. With the medium Aces in particular, it's so easy to lose all your chips when an Ace hits the board and you find out that someone has AQ or AK at showdown.

You will see poker pros playing these hands (and much worse) from early positions in televised games, but they are operating at a level where the exact cards they hold almost don't matter. This is because their ability to put other players on a range or even a specific hand, and understand what their own behavior and betting patterns look like to the other players is very strong.

Just like with everything else in poker, there is no one single answer that will apply to every situation.

 

[dreamer13]

In poker, cowardice and wisdom are not mutually exclusive concepts, but rather interrelated strategies depending on the situation. Wisdom in poker is demonstrated by the ability to analyze the situation, assess risks and make informed decisions, while cowardice, or caution, can be a part of this wisdom, especially in certain situations, such as when the probability of winning is low or when the opponent is clearly stronger.

 

[fundiver199]

Poker is not a manlyhood contest, and if continuing in a hand has a negative expected value, its always better to fold. That being said AJ is usually a open, if noone else have entered the pot yet. But in a non ante full ring cash game its so marginal from the first few seats, that it wont matter much to fold it and avoid tricky postflop spots.

 

[ROYALROAD]

Anyway, it depends on the situation at hand. It is important to be patient and learn little by little.