Folding is a Discipline
People have generally thought that folding was a sign of weakness in online poker. It is assumed that poker players who fold do not know how to play online poker. However, the discipline of knowing when to fold poker cards will save a lot of money in the long run. A good poker player will fold far more poker hands than they play and will do so with the understanding that playing mediocre poker cards or cards out of position will only end up in lost bets. Any smart poker player will not only know what poker cards to fold, but also when to fold them. Surprisingly, some poker cards will be stronger in certain positions at the poker table, or certain points in the poker game.
Before the flop, a poker player should fold any poker cards that are obviously not going to have any winning potential. Also, the player should look at where they are positioned at the poker table when the particular poker cards are revealed. It is important to keep in mind, however, that each poker table and poker room will vary, so it will make a difference as to which poker cards will be stronger and what types of players are involved. This should only be done with the discipline to fold hands that do not improve on the Flop or in subsequent betting rounds.
Deciding whether or not to fold a poker hand on the Flop is one of the most important decisions in each poker hand. Most likely the flop will reveal whether a poker player has gotten the cards they needed or were hoping for before the flop. Expert online poker players suggest that a person proceed with a poker hand past the Flop if they have a pocket pair, have paired one of their two cards (preferably the highest), paired both of their cards and made two pair, flopped two cards to a straight or a flush, or have three of a kind. In every other situation, the person should fold their poker cards. Otherwise they will almost always lose the pot.
Poker players should know, especially beginners, that the decision to fold needs to be made Pre-Flop or on the Flop. If a poker player has any of the poker hands described above, they most likely do not want to fold on the Turn, since they probably either have the best poker hand or a very strong draw. One notable exception would be if the action were to become so intense or aggressive on the Turn and there is reason to believe that the poker hand is no longer best or they are not getting the correct odds to draw a straight or flush. On the River any poker player should fold any draws that they do not complete, but it is often incorrect to fold a made hand at this point even if it may not be best. This is because the pot is probably large enough to consider calling one bet as the possible return far outweighs the cost of one bet. Note that this does not apply to a No-Limit game where the bet could in fact be larger than the value of the total pot, making folding a much better decision.
