What Does Call Mean in Poker Game?

In fact, calling a bet has nothing in common with dialling phone numbers, so what does call mean in poker? There are various situations when players should and should never call.   

Calling means putting the number of chips that correspond to the bet of another player into the pot. It works the following way: your opponent bets $30, and you should put your own $30 into the pot after saying “call”. You can’t change your mind after the moment when you move aloud. However, you should not announce your decision, because you can also put chips into the pot without saying anything. The call can not be taken back if you have already placed the chips into the pot.

What to Choose: Fold, Rise, or Call?

Players have only three ways after the opponent placed a bet: fold, raise, or call. You should choose one of the options in the following situations:

1. Fold: Your hand is dead —when you fold. It means you will not be able to win the pot in any way. 
2. Raise: if you raise — you double your bet according to the initial size of the opponent’s bet. For example, if your opponent bets $30, you should rise to at least $60.
3. Call: if you call — you put the necessary amount of chips ( that matches your opponent’s chips), and the hand goes on. If you opt for a call at showdown, the player with the best hand wins the pot.

There is one exception — you can forget about raising if your opponent puts you all in because you have no chips. In that case, your options are limited to fold or call. 

What Does Call Mean in Poker and When To I Call?

There is no certain situation to call. The hard decision of whether to fold, raise, or call, makes poker so intriguing.

Basically, you should better call if you have a good hand, but it is still not strong enough to raise. This advice works if you don’t turn the hand into a bluff. Players often face situations when they have a middle hand and are not sure whether the opponents can beat them or not. That’s when you should better turn your hand into a bluff and raise.

It is also better to call the bet if you have a great hand. The goal of the players in this case is to increase profits from the big hands. Calling a bet if the opponent bets into you is a smart move because if you rise, the opponent will understand that you have top hands. Accordingly, your opponent may fold, which will not lead to good results.

There are also situations where it is better never to call:

1. River: you shouldn’t call if you have nuts, it is always better to rise in this situation
2. Week hand: calling a bet is a terrible decision if you have a weak hand, and your opponent has a strong one. The tight player will simply get bored if you always call a bet.

There are some other situations like owning a premium hand or early position pre-flop. It is important to remember that you decrease your chances of winning if you constantly call, forgetting about raising.