Fold
To fold in poker is to give up your hand and forfeit any claim to the pot. Folding costs nothing extra and is often the most profitable play.
To fold means giving up your hand. You push your cards face down to the dealer (you muck them), and you lose any chips you already put into the pot, but you risk nothing more. Folding sounds like losing, yet it is the single most common action of every winning poker player. Most starting hands in Texas Hold'em are simply not worth playing.
When you can fold
You can fold whenever it is your turn and there is a bet to you. Technically you can also fold when you could check, but that is a pure mistake: checking is free and keeps you in the hand. Many rooms treat folding out of turn or folding when you could check as poor etiquette.
Once you fold, your hand is dead. You cannot get back in, even if the next card would have given you a flush.
Why folding wins money
Poker profit is the difference between the chips you win with good decisions and the chips you lose with bad ones. Every hand you play from a weak spot costs you a little on average, so cutting those hands out is one of the fastest ways to improve. A disciplined preflop strategy might mean folding most of your hands from early position, and that is completely normal.
Folding is also essential after the flop. If an opponent's bet means you need more equity than your hand has, folding is the profitable play, even if it hurts.
Example hand
You hold K♦ J♠ in middle position and call a raise. The flop is K♣ 8♥ 4♦, giving you top pair. You bet, get called, and the turn brings the 8♠. You check and your opponent bets big; you call. The river is the A♥ and your opponent shoves all-in for more than the pot.
Think about what calls twice and then shoves this river: hands like K-8, 8-x, pocket fours, or A-K and A-A that now crush you. Very few of the hands that bet this way are worse than your king with a jack kicker. Folding top pair here can save a whole stack. Good players learn to release hands that were strong on the flop once the action tells them they are beaten.
Common folding mistakes
- Folding too much: if you fold to every bet, opponents can bluff you with anything. Use minimum defense frequency as a guide to how often you need to continue.
- Not folding enough: calling "just to see" adds up to a huge leak over many hands.
- Folding when you can check: always take the free card instead.
- Showing or talking about your hand: exposing folded cards can give information to players still in the hand and is against the rules in many games.
The mindset
Every fold is a small investment in the hands you do play. Think of folding as protecting your stack for spots where you have an edge.
Frequently asked questions
Do you lose your chips when you fold?
You lose any chips you have already put into the pot, including blinds, but you do not have to put in any more.
Should you ever fold when you can check?
No. Checking costs nothing and keeps you in the hand, so folding when a check is available is always a mistake.
How many hands should a beginner fold preflop?
Most of them. A solid beginner strategy folds the majority of starting hands, playing more hands from late position and fewer from early position.
Related poker terms
- Muck — The muck is the pile of folded and discarded cards. To muck means to fold or throw away your hand without showing it, including at showdown.
- Check — A check in poker means passing the action without betting. You can only check when no one has bet yet in the current betting round.
- Call — To call in poker is to match the current bet so you stay in the hand. It's how you continue without raising when someone has already bet.
- Minimum Defense Frequency (MDF) — Minimum defense frequency (MDF) is how often you must continue against a bet so bluffing with any two cards cannot profit: pot ÷ (pot + bet).
- Pot Odds — Pot odds compare the cost of a call to the size of the pot you could win, telling you the minimum equity you need for a call to be profitable.