Call in poker can simply mean matching a bet amount. It is not the act of making a call via telephone or communicating with friends as people may assume. Although it is a way of communicating at the poker table, the call is among other actions that players must ponder. These actions include bet, raise, fold, or call. Calling in poker involves putting chips into the pot that match the bet of another player. For example, if an opponent bets with $10 and you say call, then you must put exactly $10 onto the pot once you verbally shout “call”. On the other hand, you can make a call just by putting chips into the pot without saying it out loud but once the chips are in the pot, that’s already a call and cannot be reversed.
Playing poker involves taking risks but some people are scared of taking risks. Those who take on the humour of risks in poker usually bet while those who want to play safe and defensive, usually call in poker. It is upon the player to make the decision in poker, players who ascertain the risks have successful games whereas players who do not explore taking risks don’t get long-term benefits.
What is call in Poker?
The Call raises the amount by a player in the game. The aim is to sustain in the game and to play further hands. During the poker game, a betting round ends when the highest bet is matched by the equal amount of bets made by all players. In case nobody calls, then it means that the round is over and the uncalled player becomes the winner of that round. Consequently, if a player fails to match the bet he can fold the cards. The folded cards are then referred to as the MUCK or Dead cards and cannot be reused in a game, hence the cards are discarded into a pile of such cards.
Can Call be a poor play?
Sometimes a call can be a terrible idea that can cost you money. For instance,
- Never call on the river unless you are facing an all-in bet. Instead, you can raise since there is no risk involved for your hand cannot lose.
- Do not call when you have a weak hand and you are up against a tight player. Tight players hardly bluff and in most cases, they have a big hand when they are betting. In some instances, you can end up folding the best hand
- Do not call if you are in an early position pre-flop. Herein, just raise or fold if you have a weak hand. Calling at this point can allow too many other players to enter the pot and your chances of winning the hand decreases if five or six other players are in the hand.
- Also, do not call if you are in the blinds with premium hands such as pocket aces, pocket kings, pocket queens, or Ace kings. Herein, if another player raises before you could do so, it is better to re-raise instead of calling. A raise will help you to minimize how much you can win
Conclusion
The aim of the game is to maximize the amount of money you get during winning sessions. So the right time to call is when you have a decent hand. Nevertheless, one that is not strong enough to raise with unless you want to turn your hand into a bluff. Also, you can call when you are slow-playing a monster hand. If you have an opponent that bets into you then a call instead of a raise is the smart way to play