Folding

Knowing When You Are Beat

Dont be proud! When you know you are beat, get rid of the hand!

Say youre holding pocket cowboys . You raise, get called by a rock and the flop comes A-7-2, you bet into the pot and he raises!! Fold Fold Fold! You and I both know that he has an Ace and there are only two kings left in the deck, its not really gonna happen is it. Harsh, but clearly the best move. Dont chase after flushes and straights when the odds simply arent there. Folding will save your money for a better opportunity. Even AA is not unbeatable.

If theres an open ended straight flush on the board and players are raising like its going out of fashion, its hard to lay them down but you simply have to cut your losses and run. Folding is about saving you money and saving you chips. It is the most used move in a typical game of poker, so dont be afraid to do it.

A Tool In Your Box

Folding should be seen as another tool in your poker tool-box that is used to win. It is a move that is used to minimise your losses. Bear in mind that the player who wins is the one that loses the least chips.

Knowing How To Fold

Poker Strategy Tip

Hot Tip: Lots of players like to play ace, forgetting that: 1) They only have about an 18% chance of hitting another one. 2) Other people like to play aces as well, often with better kickers. Regularly playing ace-junk is a good way to lose.

If you do decide that the bet is too much to call or your cards are indeed rags, then gently slide them face down towards the center of the table and over the line if your table has one. There are many ways to fold cards, some people like to fold by tossing their cards high into the air in a spinning motion. Do not do this. Some players may see your cards if you toss them too high and gain information not only about the hands you play (or don’t play) but they will gain unfair information on the rest of the hand.

Also remember to wait your turn before folding. If you fold out of turn consistently you may get a warning or be penalised from the dealer. If you really must fold your hand because you need to leave the table, leave your cards where they are and just stand up and leave. When the action is on you, your cards will be mucked automaticaly by the dealer if you are not in your seat when the action is on you.

Some people fold by placing one card on top of the other face down and flicking them across the line with their index finger. Although this is fine, be careful you do not flick them too hard and expose your hand.

Pretty much any mothod of folding that involves too much force is a bad idea and this is why. If you toss your hand away and they land so as to touch another players’ cards who is still in the hand, then their legal hand will also be mucked unless it is protected by a card guard or a chip. Although this sounds like a great tactic for winding up other players at the table, you may not be welcome back to the club if you persist on folding in this way.

It’s not rocket science but you would be suprised by the number of players that still get this wrong from time to time.

Leave A Comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Top 10 Poker Tips

Enter your name and email to receive our FREE "Essential Poker Tips" newsletter PLUS get our TOP TEN TIPS on how you can instantly improve your No Limit Texas Holdem Poker game right now