In order to succeed in poker, you need to minimize your losses with bad hands and maximize your wins with good hands. A key part of minimizing these losses is knowing when to fold in poker, which is also known as “mucking” your hand.  This is the least enjoyable part of the game because it means your chips in the pot are gone and there’s no way of getting them back. But it’s often the right thing to do. 

Learning to fold at the right time can make all the difference to your potential profits in cash games as well as poker tournaments, even if you’re playing a variant such as fast-fold poker. Read on for essential tips on folding that you can apply to both live table games and online poker.

What is folding in poker?

Folding simply means that you quit playing a particular hand in poker, thereby giving up your chance of competing for the pot until the next hand. To fold, all you have to do is place your cards face down on the table and slide them towards the dealer, who will then place them in the “muck,” that is, the pile of cards that are out of play for that hand, face down so that no further information is given about what cards remain in play. Do not toss them to the dealer. This is not only considered bad poker etiquette, but you could accidentally reveal what cards you had if any of them land face up.

Always fold these hands at the start of the game

Knowing what hands to fold in poker preflop will help to improve your win rate in the long run, even if it hurts in the short term. This is because there are certain hands that are so statistically bad that it’s a generally accepted principle that you should always fold them. These are hands that include a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. 

However, there are exceptions to the above rule. The hands that you shouldn’t fold are:

• A pair of 2s or an ace/2 “suited” (an ace and a 2 in the same suit)
• A pair of 3s or an ace/3 suited
• A pair of 4s or an ace/4 suited
• A pair of 5s or an ace/5 suited
• A pair of 6s or an ace/6 suited
• A pair of 7s, an ace/7 suited or a 7/8 suited
• A pair of 8s, an ace/8 suited, a 7/8 suited, an 8/9 suited or an 8/10 suited
• A pair of 9s, an ace/9 suited, an 8/9 suited, a 9/10 suited, a 9/jack suited, a 9/queen suited or a 9/king suited.

Now that we know which hands are the riskiest, let’s take a look at some general advice on how to flop at each stage of the game.

Folding before the flop

As we’ve already mentioned, some hands are so bad that it’s almost always a good idea to fold them before the flop, that is, when the first three community cards are revealed in a Texas Hold’em online or offline poker game. If you’re a beginner, it’s a safe bet to pull the plug on these hands because they won’t give you any long-term advantage. Effectively you have nothing to lose, even if you fold them in the blinds (the forced bets made by the two players immediately clockwise from the dealer button.)

Folding on the flop

If you have mediocre hole cards (the two cards you start off with) which may have some potential, such as a weak straight or three of a kind, and you are willing to take the risk to see the flop, you can check, that is, keep your cards and pass the action to the next player. You never know, you might luck out and “flop a solid hand” or even “flop the nut flush.” Poker is a game of chance and the community cards dealt might go strongly with your hand or might even be the best possible combination under the circumstances. 

Once the three community cards are on the table and you’ve seen five out of the seven cards you’ll use to build your hand, you’re in a good place to make a decision. Are you going to fight or fold?

To decide whether to fight or fold, you need to be able to read the situation and assess if you have any potential opportunities. Imagine you’re playing a Texas Hold’em poker game and your hole cards are ace and king. The flop is jack, 10 and 3.

You could win the pot with a straight if a queen shows up at the turn or the river, which is the final round when the fifth community card is revealed. Another choice would be to pair your ace or king.

But if you do, the villain (your opponent) could be able to play a straight, if they have the right cards. How much will you lose if that happens? It might be better to fold and wait for a better situation.

On the turn

In poker circles, it’s often said that if you do a good job of choosing your starting hand and make the best possible decisions on the flop, the rest of the hand plays itself. But if you see the turn and realize that you should have folded on the flop, it’s time to call it quits. You’ll only be making a bad situation worse if you have a bad draw (an incomplete hand that needs further cards to become valuable) and you chase it to the river.

At the river

If you’ve played well enough to get to the river, it’s rarely the best decision to fold unless you’ve missed your draw completely and have no chance to win. If your hand has any potential at this stage of the game, it’s best to call and see what your opponent reveals.

Tournament poker strategy

When it comes to tournament play, deciding when to fold requires a different thought process. You start off with a limited number of chips and you have to grow them. The only way you can do that is by taking calculated risks. In other words, tournament poker strategy is about risking your stack in situations where you’re assessed that you’re the favorite to win. If you don’t, your chips will keep going to other players until you get knocked out of the tournament. 

But what if you have a big hand, but your opponent’s hand is stronger? Sometimes you need to fold a big hand such as a set, a small straight or a flush. This is where knowing your opponent is important. For example, an opponent who is aggressive pre-flop, checks on the flop, and raises on the turn could have a monster hand, so it’s advisable to proceed with caution.

Once again, when it comes to learning the art of protecting your chips until the final table, there’s no substitute for experience. Online poker tournaments are an excellent way to improve your skills. If you’re thinking about joining one, be sure to look at the betting levels and work out a budget.

Better strategy with live poker

A great way to gain the experience you need so that you know when to fold is to play live poker. You’ll get to play with a real-life dealer and real cards, but you won’t have to travel to a land-based casino, so you can play poker online in your own time. All the best online poker sites offer live poker. Set your betting limits to suit your budget and you’ll soon start to hone your poker strategy.

Get your poker game on at Borgata Online

Looking to put this advice to the test so that you can improve your poker skills? Register with us at Borgata Online and discover the best way to play poker online. Work on your Texas Hold’em poker game with one of our live dealers or enter one of our exciting online poker tournaments. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, you’ll find a game to suit your skill level, betting style and budget. Join us and put your offline and online poker tips to work.