Call
Action Level · Beginner Aliases: calling, matching the bet, flat call
Calling means matching the current bet to stay in the hand.
What is Call
A call means putting in enough chips to bring your contribution on this street up to the highest amount bet, keeping you in the pot. You only cover the difference, not the whole of an opponent’s stack again. A call does not increase what anyone else has to pay, which is the core difference from a raise. If your remaining stack cannot cover a full call, you may call all-in for less, but you can only contest the main pot and side pots you have chips in. Whether to call still comes down to hand strength, ranges, pot odds and the streets to come — not to the fact that you already have chips invested.
On the felt
Table6-max cash game
PositionBTN vs BB
FlopJ♠7♦3♣
ActionCall 4BB facing a 4BB bet
Example
On a flop of J♠7♦3♣ with 10BB in the pot, the big blind bets 4BB. From the button you put in the same 4BB to see the turn. You matched the amount rather than increasing it, so the action is a call.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a call increases the amount at stake. Calling matches the current bet and never raises what an opponent must pay.
- Feeling committed to call because of chips already invested. Those are a sunk cost, and the current decision has to be judged on its own.
Related terms
All-in
Going all-in means putting every remaining chip you have into the pot.
Bluff
A bluff is a bet made with a weak hand, aiming to make better hands fold.
Check
Checking means passing the action without putting in chips when there is no bet to face.
Check-Raise
A check-raise means checking first, then raising after an opponent bets on the same street.
Continuation Bet
A continuation bet is a bet on the flop by the player who raised last before it.
Fold
Folding gives up your hand and any claim to the pot, ending your involvement in it.