Fold
Giving up your hand and forfeiting any chips already invested in the pot.
iGaming Journalist & Crypto Casino Analyst
What Is Fold?
Folding is one of the three basic betting actions in poker, alongside calling and raising, and represents a voluntary surrender of any claim to the current pot. Once a player folds, their cards are removed from play for that hand and any chips they previously contributed remain in the pot for the remaining players to contest.
Examples
Facing a large river bet with a weak hand, a player folds rather than risking more chips on a likely losing hand.
A player folds a marginal hand preflop from early position to avoid difficult postflop decisions.
Strategy Tips
Don't be afraid to fold strong-looking hands like overpairs when the action and board strongly suggest you're beaten, since ego-driven calls are a common leak. Factor in pot odds and implied odds before folding a drawing hand, since sometimes a fold is incorrect even with a weak current holding. Avoid folding too often to aggression in spots where your range should include some bluff-catchers, since being overly tight can be exploited. Track your folding frequency in key spots like facing 3-bets or river bets to identify potential leaks in your overall strategy.