To fold is to give up a hand and drop out of the current deal, forfeiting any chips already put into the pot. It is mostly a poker term: when it is your turn and you face a bet, you can fold, call or raise. Once you fold, you wait for the next deal before you can act again.
Players fold weak hands to avoid putting more money behind them, or to escape a large raise or an all-in they doubt they can beat. Knowing when to fold is one of poker’s core skills: opponents bluff precisely to make you fold a better hand, and many spots can only be judged with experience. In casino poker games against the house, such as Caribbean Stud or Casino Hold’em, folding means losing the ante instead of placing the call bet.
Folding in the game maths
In house-banked poker, the return figures assume players fold some hands, so the rules screen should explain clearly when the ante is lost.