What is Fold in Poker? Fold in poker means to give up on the hand when facing a bet. When folding we no longer get to see if our hand wins at showdown, but we don’t have to invest any additional chips into the pot either. Folding is an extremely important part of the game.
Posted on November 4, 2013 by Poker Dictionary A term used in online poker to describe a straightforward opponent who has a tendency to always fold on the flop when they miss and call when they hit. These types of players will not normally bluff, and when they call on the flop they don’t fold turn but might fold to a big bet on the river.
Poker Terms - Common Phrases and Acronyms. In poker, there is practically a library of poker terms that are commonly used. For the uninitiated, these terms can sound like a completely different language, when a poker.
Muck - 1. To fold a hand. 2. The pile of discards and other dead cards in front of the dealer. In many poker games, once a card has been discarded, it can not be brought back into play for the remainder of the hand, except under extreme circumstances. This means that discards are considered “dead cards,” and must be treated as such. One of the jobs of the dealer is to collect the dead cards, and keep them in a separate pile, away from the cards in play. This pile of cards is called “the muck.” The “muck” typically consists of all discarded or fouled hands, plus any other dead cards, which typically result from dealer error (for instance, boxed cards, or cards burned and turned too soon.) The dealer keeps this pile of cards face down on the table, either in front of, or to the right of the box. The dealer is expected to do his best to physically protect the muck, to prevent live cards from entering the pile. This is important, because live cards entering, or even touching the muck, may be fouled. Sometimes a player will lose a hand he was going to win, because he has had his hand fouled by the muck. Typically, this happens when a player is not careful about the way he shows down at the end of a hand. In most poker rooms, a hand is not considered a valid shown hand until all cards are placed face up on the table so all can see. If a player turns his cards over incautiously, one or both of them may accidently touch or land in the muck. This can result in a fouled hand. In addition to preventing live cards from going into the muck, it is also the dealer’s responsibility to prevent dead cards from coming back out of the muck. This is called protecting the muck. Players may wish to remove cards from the muck in an attempt to cheat, either by peeking to see which cards are out of play, or more blatantly, by attempting to incorporate previously mucked cards into their live hands. Although rules vary from poker room to poker room, the muck is often considered a point of no return. In other words, a hand is generally considered live until it touches the muck, at which point it is considered dead. It is part of the dealer’s job to kill hands as they are discarded, by touching them to, then burying them in, the muck. For this reason, all players need to take responsibility for protecting their live hands from being fouled by the muck. The best way to do this is to be aware of where the dealer is keeping the muck, and stay away! It is also a good idea to protect your hand by placing a chip or other small object on top of it while the hand is in play. This will prevent the dealer from inadvertently grabbing a hand he thinks you have mucked, when you haven’t. Remember, the muck is toxic to your good hand. Depending upon house rules, management may reserve the right to retrieve an identifiable hand from the muck and allow it to play, even after it has been killed, if they feel it is in the best interest of the game. This rule is generally used as redress if a player has had their hand killed unjustly, or through no fault of their own. While touching the muck is capable of fouling an otherwise good hand, it is not the only danger. Poker hands may be fouled in many ways that do not involve touching the muck. For example, hands dropped on the floor may be fouled, or hands containing too few or too many cards may also be fouled. In addition to this, there are many other ways a hand can be fouled. It does not matter why or how the hand was fouled, once it is determined to be a fouled hand it is placed face down in the muck. The muck is essentially a graveyard for cards that have been taken out of play.
In some poker games, it is possible for cards to be brought back into play from the muck. This most commonly occurs in the later rounds of draw games, when the dealer does not have enough cards remaining in the stub to complete the draw for all players. In this case, the dealer will typically back shuffle the entire muck with the remaining stub before distributing any cards for that round. This gives all players an equal chance of receiving previously mucked cards. The deal is then continued as usual. In addition to being a physical place, the term “muck” is also commonly used as a verb, to describe the process of throwing your hand away. When it is your turn to act, you can either play, or “muck” your hand, which you do by discarding toward the muck. Usage: Mucked my hand, Tossed it in the Muck, Landed in the Muck, Muck the Cards, Muck it! Previous Poker Term: Move In
Poker Terminology Draw
Next Poker Term: No Limit
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. It's also known as lay down and muck.
The Right Way to Fold
When playing at a poker table, you should wait until it is your turn to act before you fold. While you may have been dealt poor cards and you would love to toss them in immediately, you need to be patient and wait for the other players ahead of you to fold, call, or raise. If you make your fold out of turn you will earn the disapproval of the others at the table as you are giving information to those who have the action before you. Those who had yet to act on the hand will know there is one less person to call and add to the pot or with the potential of raising the pot further. This can affect their decision to call, raise, or fold.
If you're playing online, you can often program the action in when you view your cards, but at a live table, you need to wait.
Place the cards face down and, out of courtesy to the dealer, slide them forward enough so the dealer can easily rake them into the muck pile. You may also say 'fold' or 'I fold' verbally before you discard your cards face down. Once you indicate a fold, you can't change your mind and re-enter the hand.
Poker Fold Meaning
You should not expose your cards to the other players when you fold. Don't get fancy with your tossing action and risk one flipping to be exposed. If you do this more than once you are likely to get a further admonishment from the dealer.
It also is unusual to fold rather than check if you have the option to check, such as after the flop, turn, or river. Usually, you would check and then fold if there is a raise.
Poker Terminology Fold Table
The Hero Fold
If you are folding on the final play of the hand, such as after the river cards have been dealt and your opponents have made all of the plays they can make, some players might expose one or both cards to show they have made a hero fold. For example, the river card has been dealt and you are in the hand with only one other opponent, who goes all-in. You decide it's time to fold 'em because you know they are a tight player and it's likely you will lose the hand. But you're holding a decent hand and you decide to turn over cards when you fold to show what you had. In this case, you won't get an admonishment from the dealer because you aren't giving information to any player who still has action in the hand.