Kenny Rogers is no idiot. You really do have to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. One of the most common errors in Hold’em, much more so than in other games, is clinging to hands that look good, long after they’ve gone bad.

One of the clearest signs of a weak poker player is the inability to fold certain pocket pairs after the flop. Weaker players will often fold a K-J on an A-J-8 flop, but will bet all their money with a pair of queens on an A-10-9 flop.

When facing a bet, the difference in value between the two hands just mentioned is minuscule, but somehow the “prettier” pair of queens forces players to act like TV cowboys. As good-looking as the hand is, you don’t get any money for having pretty hands in poker.

What you do get is a chance to force certain situations in each round and better players will often beat weaker players for a lot of chips, even though the better player is holding worse cards than the weaker player. In a way, of course, this is the idea of poker, but what makes one player better than another, in essence, is the ability to transform what should be negative situations into positive ones.

The factors at work are the better player’s skills and the weaker player’s idea of a good hand. Another way to put it is this: giving a weak player a good starting hand is sometimes the best thing for a more experienced player. Just because something starts out fine doesn’t mean it will end that way. Starting hands are just that—a start.

Clinging to good starting hands for too long—specifically, putting in a bet in the bigger betting round on the turn—is an enormous hole in most players’ game. Players who rely on the most straightforward starting hands, particularly pocket pairs, will suffer the most.

Remember, just because it looks good doesn’t mean it is. Dump the cards that could get you in trouble.