What does ‘call’ mean in poker

There are many different moves you can perform in poker on your turn. A very common one is the ‘call’. To ‘call’ in poker is to match a bet or a raise. So, if someone bets 3 dollars then matching the bet would be a call, and you would have to put 3 dollars into the pot. If someone raises, then you call the raise and put in an equal amount to the raise.

Calling keeps you in the game, if you don’t match the bet or raise then you fold and are out. You only need to call if you are in the betting round, which means someone has to have raised or bet in some way. Like with the small and large blind. If the betting round is not in place then you just ‘check’. Which is the equivalent of calling the current bet of zero dollars.

The call can also be referred to as seeing. “I see your raise” would mean they are calling. “Bob saw the raise from Jill” would mean Jill raised and Bob called that raise. When you are out at poker night, remember that calling keeps you in the game without having to lose more money than you have to. This is likely to be used when you are still confident but don’t have the best hand in the world. If you have two pairs, but suspect someone on the table can do better than that, its good to keep calling as long as the raises don’t get too high. A very high raise means they are either bluffing that they have a good hand, or that they have a good hand.

So, a call is a very basic move and one you need to know when playing poker. It is simply seeing someone’s bet or putting in an equal amount to the bet or raise. Have fun and good luck playing poker.