Poker calling is one of the core actions in poker and it's crucial to every player's strategy. Understanding when and why to call can definitely help boost your success.
We're going to drill down into the intricacies of poker calling, from basic concepts to advanced tactics. And with every insight you gain, you can start making even more informed decisions on the felt…
Poker calling is when you match the current bet in a poker hand. For example, if one of your opponents bets $10, you call when you match their bet of $10. It keeps you in the hand, without raising the stakes.
Call when you have a good chance of winning but, for one reason or another, you don't want to raise. If your hand is strong but you're not overly confident about it, poker calling is usually a safe move. It's also a good way to control the pot size and gather information without giving too much away…
It really all depends on the situation, like everything in poker. You'll probably opt for raising when you have a strong hand and want to build the pot. Or perhaps if you want to scare your opponents off. It's definitely a more aggressive move. On the other hand, poker calling is for when you want to stay in the hand without risking more chips. Mixing up your play keeps your opponents guessing.
Like we said before, poker calling is all about seeing more cards and/or gathering more information. However, folding means you give up any chance of winning the pot. That's not to say you should never fold, but calling keeps you in the game and can be quite a strategic move. It can be worth your while if you need to see what happens next…
Jeesh, this is something you really don't want to be known as. A calling station is, quite simply, someone who calls waaaay too often. They hardly ever raise or even fold, they just call, call, call until the cows come home (or their stack dwindles away). This can be a weakness as they don't put pressure on opponents and can often lose to stronger hands. So definitely don't become your table's next calling station. Not a good look.
It's really not that hard. They might even answer to Eric Prydz. Just like we said before, they don't fold often, they rarely raise, even with strong hands and, surprise surprise, they call almost every bet. They tend to be more on the passive side and chase draws.
Floating is poker calling when you have a weak hand, but plan to bluff later on. This is how it goes: you call on the flop or turn, then scare your opponents at a later phase in the game. It's risky, but can seriously pay off if you do it well (and have a bit of luck on your side).
One of the best times to float is when you think your opponent is bluffing or a bit on the weak side. It works best against aggressive players who tend to bet big frequently. But make sure you have a plan for later on in the hand. It's not very smart to float without a clear strategy.
It absolutely can. It's called a float bluff. You call with a weak hand, that you're pretending is stronger than it really is. Later, you should bet or raise to try and force your opponents to fold. It's a multi-step bluff and requires a good amount of forward thinking and good timing too.
To get more from your game, you need to practice these skills. We love playing online and lower stakes tables when we're trying something new, so we can really perfect it at our own pace. One of the best places to do that, in our opinion is somewhere like bet365. And if you're not signed up yet, use this bet365 bonus code when you do.
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