In poker, folding means discarding your hand and giving up any claim to the pot. Once you fold, you take no further action in the hand and cannot win the pot.
Rule: When you fold, your hand is dead and your decision is final.
Etiquette rule: Fold face down and do not show your cards to other players, especially those still involved in the hand.
Why Folding Is a Core Poker Skill
Folding is one of the most profitable decisions in poker, even though it can feel passive. Most winning players fold far more often than they play. This is not a weakness—it is a requirement for long-term profitability.
Key principle: A correct fold has an EV of 0. An incorrect call is negative EV. Avoiding small negative EV calls is a major driver of long-term win rate.
Aggression (betting, raising, bluffing) creates upside, but folding controls losses. Over time, disciplined folds prevent compounding mistakes and protect your bankroll.
When in Poker Should You Be Folding Preflop?
Most hands should be folded preflop. Playing too many hands preflop creates difficult and often unprofitable post-flop situations.
A solid winning 6-max player typically plays only about 22% to 26% of hands (VPIP), which means folding roughly three out of every four hands.
Rule: If a hand is not profitable to open or continue with from your position, fold it.
Preflop mistakes carry forward into every street. When you start too wide, you are more likely to face tough decisions later with weak ranges.
Basic Starting Hands Selection Chart
For starting hand charts, the 888poker guide to starting hand charts can be found here.
From the chart, you can see which hands to fold preflop. In general, you should be folding everything outside your position’s recommended range and everything in the white boxes.
(Note that all hands from the position before should still be included in the range for the next player position.)
When facing an open raise, folding decisions depend on the full situation, including:
- Your position
- Your opponent’s position
- Starting stack sizes
- Size of the open
- Tendencies of other players in the hand (or left to act)
- Whether you’ll be in or out of position
- The strength and style of the opponent opening
Solver work can help build a baseline, but discipline is still the foundation. If a hand falls outside your profitable range for that spot, fold.
Getting Opponents to Fold: Being the Aggressor
In poker, fold equity is the value you gain when your opponent folds and you win the pot immediately.
Equity normally refers to your share of the pot based on your chance to win at showdown. Fold equity lets you win without reaching showdown.
Rule: When your opponent folds, you win 100% of the pot.
For a more complete breakdown, check out the 888poker article: How Poker Equity Can Make Your Game Invincible
Post-Flop Situations: Which Poker Hands to Fold
Common Folding Scenarios and Recommended Action
| Situation | Your Hand Strength | Key Factor | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facing large bet on coordinated board | Marginal made hand | Opponent range advantage | Fold |
| Facing small bet on dry board | Middle of range | Favorable pot odds | Continue selectively |
| River bet from tight opponent | Top pair / weak kicker | Low bluff frequency | Fold |
| Multi-way pot with pressure | One-pair hand | More value combos possible | Fold more often |
| Heads-up vs aggressive bluffer | Top of range | High bluff frequency | Call or raise |
Post-flop folding is not about single-hand labels—it is about ranges, board texture, and how your hand compares to the hands you can realistically have.
A strong baseline concept is Minimum Defense Frequency (MDF), which suggests how much of your range should continue based on the bet size you face relative to the pot.
Rule: The larger the bet, the fewer hands you should defend.
MDF is most useful against strong opponents. Against weaker opponents, exploitative folds are often more profitable than defending “correctly.”
Here’s a handy chart to use for MDF:
If you start too wide preflop, you will reach later streets with many weak combinations. That forces you into marginal or losing calls when facing pressure.
Post-Flop Situations: When to Fold Top Pair
Many players lose money by refusing to fold top pair. Top pair can be strong, but it can also become a clear fold when it sits near the bottom of your range in a specific spot.
Rule: If your hand is weaker than most of the hands you can realistically have in that line, it is often a fold—even if it looks strong.
For example, imagine opening with AKo in MP1 and getting called in the CO. The flop comes K-T-7 with two spades. You bet, Villain calls. The turn is an off-suit 8. You check, Villain bets 50% pot, and you call with top pair/top kicker. The river is an off-suit 9 (K-T-7-8-9, no flush completes). You check and Villain bets 50% pot again.
Using MDF, you are expected to continue with a stronger portion of your range. In this runout, many better candidates exist than AK (straights, two pairs, sets, and overpairs), while the number of worse hands that value-bet or bluff twice is often limited. In range terms, top pair/top kicker can become a losing call and should be folded.
From an exploitative angle, if Villain is unlikely to turn enough hands into bluffs (especially when they have showdown value), their betting range becomes weighted toward strength, which increases the EV of folding.
6 Considerations to Ask Yourself Before Folding
Use the following checklist to decide whether folding is the best option when facing a bet.
1) Villain’s Betting Range: Estimate which hands your opponent can have based on the line they took and the hands they would keep betting.
- What bluffs will my opponent bet here?
- Can my opponent be value-betting a worse hand than mine?
- How many value combos and bluff combos does my opponent have?
2) Pot Odds: Calculate what price you are getting versus the bet size.
Rule: Against a pot-size bet, you must win about 33% of the time to call profitably. Against a half-pot bet, you must win about 25% of the time.
Note: If you’re not familiar with pot odds, check out one of our guides on how to calculate them before relying on calls in close spots.
3) Opponent Type and Tendencies: Decide whether to play closer to GTO baselines or exploit obvious leaks.
- Over-bluffers: call wider
- Tight players: fold more
- Unknowns: default to sound, range-based decisions
4) Hand Strength (re Board): Board texture changes hand value. Coordinated, monotone, or paired boards increase the number of strong hands your opponent can represent and reduce your relative hand strength.
5) Hand Strength (re Range): Compare your hand to your full range. If you have many stronger hands available to call with, weaker hands should fold.
6) Tells/Other Factors: Use all available information—especially in live poker—without getting distracted after you fold.
- Multi-way pots and players left to act
- Your table image
- Opponent momentum (after a big win/loss)
- Any reliable physical or timing tells (live or online)
Frequently Asked Questions About Folding in Poker
Is folding always a bad outcome in poker?
No. Folding has an EV of 0 and is often the most profitable decision when calling or raising would be negative EV.
How often should you fold preflop?
Most winning players fold the majority of hands preflop, typically playing only around 22–26% of hands in 6-max games.
Should you ever fold top pair?
Yes. Top pair should be folded when it sits near the bottom of your range or when your opponent’s betting range is weighted toward stronger hands.
What is the biggest mistake players make when folding?
The biggest mistake is calling too often with marginal hands and ignoring range strength, pot odds, and opponent tendencies.
Rules Summary (Key Takeaways)
- Folding ends your claim to the pot immediately.
- Most hands should be folded preflop.
- Folding prevents small negative EV calls from compounding over time.
- Fold equity wins pots without showdown.
- MDF gives a baseline for defending vs bet sizes, especially vs strong opponents.
- Top pair is not automatically strong—range position matters.
- Use pot odds, board texture, opponent type, and range comparison before calling.
- If the call cannot be profitable, folding is the correct decision.
Final Thoughts
Good poker decisions come from choosing the highest expected value option in the long run. Folding always has an EV of 0, but calling or raising incorrectly often carries negative value.
Sometimes folding is correct. Other times, a raise (including a bluff raise) can be higher EV if it is justified by blockers, range advantage, and opponent tendencies.
Rule: Always choose the action with the best expected value—not the one that feels strongest in the moment.
