Poker: Texas Hold'em

Lesson 4: Calling

Position

Texas Hold’em is a position game. You need a stronger hand to call from an earlier betting position, such as being the first or second person to act, than you do in a later position, being one of the last two players to act.

The term “limping in” is used when you enter a pot by just calling the big blind bet. If you limp in from an early position, you take the risk that a player betting after you may raise the pot. If this happens, you either have to call, or match, the raise, fold, or re-raise.

When deciding whether or not to play a hand, you should ask yourself if you are willing to call the pot if it is raised. If you have a marginal hand, you may want to dump it by folding it instead of calling.

In later positions, you will have more information about your opponents and the possible strengths of their hands.

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