Betting actions
Call in poker
Definition
To match the current bet and stay in the hand.
A call costs the amount of the last bet or raise that you have not yet matched. Whether a call is profitable depends on your chances to win compared with the price you pay, which is what pot odds measure.
Calling is often seen as the passive action, but a call can set a trap or keep weaker hands in the pot.
Example
Your opponent bets 50 into a pot of 100: you call by putting in 50 to compete for 150.
Related terms
- RaiseTo increase the size of the current bet, forcing the other players to put in more to stay in the hand.
- FoldTo give up your hand and the chips you already put in the pot rather than call a bet.
- Pot oddsThe ratio between the size of the pot and the cost of a call; it gives the equity you need for a call to break even.
- LimpTo enter the pot before the flop by calling the big blind instead of raising.