There are times in poker when you have to take the middle route instead of the extremes. And to do this, you usually need to just call. Don’t fold, don’t raise, just call. Sometimes, it really is the best decision. But how can you determine whether or not calling is really the best option? As you probably know, making the wrong decision in poker may mean the difference between victory and defeat. Or, it can mean the difference between winning 1,000 chips to winning 10,000. Therefore, it is necessary that you know which situations merit a call and which don’t. 

 

In poker, the more players there are, the harder it is to win. But, let’s say that this time, you really do have the best hand, and you’re confident about it. All that you need now is a big, juicy pot. Raising aggressively might put your opponents off and cause them to fold early, minimizing their losses. If you scare them, they’ll back off. On the other hand, if you lie low for the early parts of the game and act as if you have a mediocre hand, that you’re not as strong as you really are, then they will be more likely to commit themselves to the betting. Call until the later part of the game, and raise when the others are in too deep to back out. You’ll be saving the action for much later on in the game, which is much better in increasing the pot size for your benefit. 

 

Remember, even if they initiate the betting early on, and you know that you have a very good hand, just keep on calling. You can surprise them at the river or at the turn, where you’ll be waiting for them with your epic hand. Lying low is sometimes the best thing you can do in a game of poker, especially if you’re simply playing for the pot money.

 

When your hand is not yet developed, and you’re still waiting to see whether or not you can hit that flush or that straight, then you can just keep on calling. Don’t raise or bet because this will cost you, especially if your hand does not develop at the very end. You’d do well to begin the action only when you’re sure that your hand is good. Of course, once you do complete your hand, you’ll have to catch up on the action and begin making more aggressive moves. 

 

Bluffers expect that people will either fold or raise. What they want is for you to fold, of course. But then, if you raise, they might back off. If you just call, and play passively against him, then he might just keep on bluffing and raising until the very end, in the hopes that you do back off. This way, you can get him to keep adding to the pot, making your reward juicier at the end.