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Call - A matching of another player’s wager, for the right to continue in the hand.
Generally, when you are facing a bet you will have three options. First, you may call, which means you match the wager
you are facing. This gives you the right to continue on in the hand. Your second option is to
muck, which means you throw your hand
away without matching the wager. When you muck, you lose the right to continue on in the hand, but you are not required
to put any more chips into the pot. Your third option is to
raise. This means that you increase the
established wager. Raising forces your opponents to choose one of the three possible actions (call, muck, raise). If and
when the cap (bet limit) is reached,
raising is no longer an option. Players involved in a capped betting round or
pot are reduced to two options: calling or folding.
A call, by its very nature, is an optional bet. If a player is required to wager it cannot be construed as a call. There
are several types of forced bets
which players may be required to make, and they are not considered calls. These include blinds,
bring-ins, completions, and openers.
Players making these forced bets are not calling, but they are establishing the minimum wager that their opponents will
face. Players facing these forced bets will be required to call or raise in order to continue on in the hand. So, forced
bets themselves are not calls, but they do necessitate a call (or raise) from other players.
There are several different types of calls which differ depending upon their purpose or on the context in which they
were placed. Players may draw information based on how a call is made, which can differentiate it from other types of
calls. For instance, a “cold call” is a call which is made immediately, without any thought. This can imply a disbelief
in the bettors hand strength or can indicate a strong draw. A “smooth call” is a call which is made after the pot has
already been raised. A smooth call can indicate that the caller’s hand is strong enough to withstand a raise but may
not be strong enough to reraise.
Usage: Smooth Call, Cold Call, Made the Call, Value Call, Reluctant Call, Check Call, Call the Floorman, I Call, Called the Clock, Called
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