"Call, bet and raise" in poker: what is each action and when to use each of them

All-in, small blind, big-blind or bankroll are some of the terms you first learn in poker. However, as you can imagine, poker has a whole glossary of its own that only enriches this popular card game.

In today's article, we will focus on explaining the meaning of three very common poker terms, which share their relationship with the actions taken after a betting round: call, bet and raise.

Knowing these terms will not only increase your theoretical knowledge about poker, but it will also help you to know how to bet in poker and to manage better on the green carpet. Do you want to improve your game? Don't miss the information below.

What is "CALL" in online poker?

Call is one of the basic poker terms. As you may know, during a betting round, after one player has made its move, the next player can either check, call or raise.

In case the player decides to match a raise, the term call is used. Let's see an example: Imagine that your opponent has decided to place a bet of €5. If you call, you will put on the table exactly the same amount, €5.

What does it mean to call poker? At the moment the bets are matched, the continuity of the round is guaranteed. If you are already on the river, when you call your opponents' bets, you will face them in the showdown, that is, the final moment of the game when the cards are shown.

When to call in poker? The truth is that the most experienced players tend to avoid this move. It is usually justified based on your position, for example, if you are the small blind, calling the big blind usually pays off, since you have already had to put money on the table.

However, if in the preflop you have not had to invest any of your bankroll because of your position at the table, and you find yourself with a very unpromising hand, it is not advisable to match the big blind. If you do so, it is known as cold call.

At this point, it is also worth clarifying one of the most popular expressions related to this term: call station. In poker, when we talk about call station, we refer to a player who is characterized by playing many hands that tends to call, that is to say, he does not raise the bet and does not fold either.

Generally, this is a passive and weak type of player, that is to say, a fish. A very appreciated rival among those who have already mastered this card game because he is very predictable and tends to lose the vast majority of his hands.

"Bet and raise" in poker: what is each one?

Once we have clarified what it is call in poker, we now address the terms bet and raise, which, although similar, mean different things.

What means bet in poker?

In a betting round, bet is the action of waging our chips by placing them into the center of the table.

The term bet is generally used to describe a situation where we make the first wager on the current betting round, either because the player is located directly to the left of the dealer, so he is the first to speak, or because another player has checked, that is, has passed, and has left the course of the game in the hands of the next player.

However, just as you have to think very well when to call in poker, you also have to measure your bets very well. The truth is that you can find different bets in poker. One of the most famous types of bets and one that arouses more interest among players is what is known as a three-bet.

A three-bet poker happens when a player raises preflop and another player raises again. Here, we would be facing a 3-bet. In case of successive re-raises, we would be talking about 4-bet, 5-bet...

Another of the most famous bets is the so-called continuation bet. This type of bet corresponds to the one that takes place on the flop and aims to cow the opponents.

Imagine that you bet on the preflop hoping that the flop would be favorable to you. However, it has failed you. The smartest move would be to continue to pretend that you have a good hand, so you make a continuation bet, as a bluff, in order to push back your opponents.

What is raise in poker?

If you are familiar with online poker, you probably already know this term. If you raise in poker, basically, you are increasing the size of an existing bet in the same betting round. A player making the second (not counting the open) or subsequent raise of a betting round is said to re-raise.

When to raise in poker? As you can imagine, a good time to raise is when you have a good hand. However, this is not always the case. Many players raise poker as a bluff, i.e., to give the impression to their opponents that they have a strong hand.

Raising in poker is always risky, unless you have a combination of cards that really justifies increasing the bet. It is also interesting to raise if you have detected a fish at your table or if you are facing a passive tigh profile, i.e., a player who only bets if he has a good hand and, moreover, does it in small amounts.

Differences between call, bet and raise that you must know

Now that you know what these basic poker terms mean and when to make one or the other move, it is much easier to establish the differences between them.

Broadly speaking, we can conclude that bet is the first wager of a round, call is to match a raise and raise is to increase the size of an existing bet. Depending on factors such as your position at the table, the profiles of your opponents and, of course, the hand that accompanies you during the game, you will have to opt for one move or another.