Calling
To call is to match a prior bet. Calling is different from checking because when you call you are putting chips into the pot. More than that, you are calling someone who has made a bet, you are perhaps even calling more than one player. A call signifies that you wish to remain in the hand but your are not prepared to raise the current bet.
A betting round ends when all active players have bet an equal amount meaning someone has to call, a betting round cannot end on a raise. If no opponents call a player’s bet or raise, the player wins the pot.
The second and subsequent calls of a particular bet amount are sometimes referred to as an overcall. So if four players end a betting round in which only one bet was made; then we had a bet, a call and two overcalls. There is no practical difference in a call and an overcall but their are implications to be drawn as more players call to remain in a hand.
A player calling a bet or a raise as their first action in a round is said to be cold calling. So if seat one checks and seat two bets, a call by seat three would be a cold call. A further call by seat one might also be called a cold call or a check-call. You will also hear “cold calling two bets” or “calls three bets cold.” This simply means that a player chooses only to call and not to raise.
Remember that a call is a call and you cannot raise after either saying “call” or putting the correct amount of chips to call into the pot. In many card rooms in the past you might say: “I see your bet” meaning that you are calling. Today, however, most card rooms expect only the word call or the correct amount of chips in your hand to signify you are matching the previous bet as opposed to folding or raising.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #78
