Call
Matching the current bet amount to stay in the hand. Calling is a passive action -- you're meeting the bet but not increasing it.
iGaming Journalist & Crypto Casino Analyst
What Is Call?
Calling is one of the three fundamental actions a player can take when facing a bet, alongside raising and folding, and it keeps a player in the hand without adding additional pressure. While often viewed as a passive play, calling can be a sophisticated strategic choice, such as calling with a strong hand to induce further bluffs or calling with a drawing hand based on favorable pot odds. Overreliance on calling rather than betting and raising is generally considered a weaker, more exploitable style of play.
Examples
A player calls a flop bet with a flush draw, getting favorable pot odds to see the turn card.
Facing a river bet with a strong but not the best possible hand, a player makes a hero call to catch a bluff.
Strategy Tips
Use pot odds calculations to determine whether calling with a drawing hand is profitable based on your chance of completing the draw. Avoid becoming a calling station by balancing your calls with appropriate folding and raising frequencies based on hand strength. Consider calling instead of raising with strong hands in certain spots to keep weaker hands in the pot and extract more value. Pay attention to bet sizing and opponent tendencies to make well-informed calling decisions rather than calling out of curiosity.