Padded Texas Hold'em Folding Poker Table Top w/ Cup Holders - Red Suited Speed Felt. $299.95 $ 119.95. Texas Hold'em Folding Table Top w/ Cup Holders - Blue. If you fold your hand in poker, you lay down your cards and stop playing the hand. A fold can happen at any point in the play when it is your turn to act. Folding in poker means you are out for that hand. You no longer will have any claim on the pot and you won't be required to put more money into the pot for that hand. Knowing when to fold in poker is about understanding expected value (EV). Over the long term, if calling or raising loses more money than folding does, then the correct play is to muck your hand. As you study and learn more and more about ranges you will know that making correct folds does not take clairvoyance. In poker, 'folding' occurs when you give up on the hand when it is your turn to act. Folding takes place when you toss your cards into the muck and/or verbally declare that you have folded your hand. Let's take a look at an example of 'folding' just to fully illustrate this term: You are sitting in a 6-max cash game at a local casino.
Introduction to Folding
Knowing what hands to fold in poker doesn't come easy to most players. If you're reading this article, you're probably concerned that you play too many hands, call too many raises speculatively or on the contrary, play too tight and need some guidance. We can't all play like Phil Ivey or Tom Dwan and expect play a wide range of hands profitably. This article will give a basic guide on what hands to fold in poker.
Playing Situations, not Just Cards
Before I get into the hand groups you should be folding. Let me preface it by saying that, as your experience, table awareness and proficiency in Texas Hold'em develops, you will look for profitable situations instead of just playing solid poker hands. This is something I always tell players I mentor. But this article is designed to help those of you who are having difficulty with pre flop hand selection and want some general advice on what hands to fold in poker.
Ace Rag
Ace rag is almost definitely the most overplayed and overrated hand in Texas Holdem. Even professionals will occasionally overplay the ace if they've been dealt junk for hours. The truth is, unless you are in position or shorthanded, these hands are unlikely to make you any money or help build your stack much.
They don't play particularly well post flop and you are unlikely to extract 3 streets of value if you make top pair. Sometimes when you think you will, you end up finding yourself beat by a bigger kicker.
Low Paint Cards
This may surprise you but the Queen Jack and King Jack hands are not as powerful as you think. Granted, you have two paint cards and have the opportunity to make straights. But, if you are calling raises with these hands, particularly against early position open raises, you are going to find yourself outkicked or against a higher pair.
If a strong player is opening from under the gun and you are tempted to play Queen Jack from the small blind, think again. The range of hands you are likely to be up against have Queen Jack in bad shape.
Fold Poker
To make this clearer, if you are against an Ace Jack, Ace Queen or King Queen, you are approx. 25% to win the hand in a showdown. Let's also not forget you do not have the pre flop lead.
Low Connectors
Gold Poker Chip Cookies
Hands like 4-5, 6-7 and 3-4 are hands to fold in poker. I make a distinction from suited as they play much better. The offsuit low connectors are unlikely to help your ROI. You may have seen some professionals call raises on High Stakes Poker with these hands. That doesn't mean they were right to and it doesn't mean you should. Unless you make a hand stronger than one pair, you are unlikely to feel secure with low connectors so just throw them away.
Fold Poker Definition
French roulette odds. If you enjoyed this article and want to contact us to see how we can help you, fill in the form below and we will be in touch soon.