When playing popular poker variants like Texas Hold’em at online casinos, knowing when to fold a hand can be just as important as winning with a full house, as wise diligent decisions allow you to stay in the game and save your money for another pot.
In Texas Hold’em, you have a number of opportunities to fold a hand. You can do so when you get your two “hole” cards before the flop and then post-flop on the turn and on the river.
Deciding whether to fold your hand depends on the cards you have, the odds of completing a better hand with community cards, your position at the table, and your view of your opponent’s strength in terms of the cards they hold and what they could do.
Pre-flop
First, you need to get into a game. After navigating to one of the Best NJ Online Casinos, you will be able to click on live dealer or table games from an intuitive menu and then select a relevant poker game. You can play your favorite games across a range of devices, including desktop PCs and smartphones, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Knowing what to fold before the flop in poker is generally easier as you only have two cards. At this point, it is probably a good idea to fold any hand with a two, three, four, five, six, or seven unless you get a pair of these cards or an ace with them.
Your position at the table also is a factor. When you are in the small or big blind, it may be preferable to see the flop even if you don’t have a great hand. If you are left of the dealer and first to act, you should only meet the big blind or raise if you have a great hand, such as a pair of jacks or higher. This is because there are more players to act after you who could have better hands.
Post-flop
There are three rounds of betting after the flop depending on how the hand progresses. First, you need to decide whether to continue after the flop when the first three community cards are dealt. This should be based on whether your hand has improved and the likelihood of making a better hand on the turn and river.
If you saw the flop with an ace and a three, it may be best to check and then fold if you did not make at least a pair. At this point, high pairs and high suited cards such as kings and queens will give you the best chance of winning a hand – so proceed with caution if you don’t have these.
Playing your opponent and not your hand is a common mantra in poker, so also consider what hand they may have based on their betting patterns and behavior. By factoring in your own cards, your odds of making a better hand, your position and your opponent’s plays, you will get a better feel for when to fold and when to call or raise in poker.
