When the ‘Action is On You’
Let’s take a Hold’em hand in a fixed limit cash game for our first example. The blinds are 2/4 and it is your turn to act, two players in front of you have folded. You can either fold your hand, call the bet of 4. Since this is a limit game, if you wish to raise you would make it 8.
Same situation but another player in front of you has bet 4 or as we say: they have called the opening bet, which in this case is the big blind of 4. You now can fold, or call the 4 raise to 8. If the original bettor had raised to 8 already, then your options are fold, call the 8 or reraise to 12.
In a no-limit game the betting is different in that the amount you bet is only limited on the low size (if you are the opening raiser, you must raise at least the amount of the big blind); if there has been a raise in front of you and you wish to reraise then you must reraise at least as much as the previous raise. So if the big blind was 4 and the first bettor made it 12 that is a raise of 8. If you want to reraise you would have to make it at least 20 (12 + 8). Of course, in no-limit the high end of your bet is all the chips you have in front of you. If the big blind is 4 and a player acting before you makes it 12, you can fold, call the twelve or raise to 20 or 21 or 40 or 5,000; that’s why the game is called No Limit!
One thing to remember for beginning players, which is true for all players, if you verbalize your intentions: “I raise.” Or “I make it 30.” Then it does not matter if you fumble with your chips or put out the wrong amount. Chips can be confusing and house rules can be different in different rooms but a clear verbal declaration will get what you want done.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #26
