Calling Is An Option

On numerous occasions I've written that calling is usually your worst or weakest option in poker. In fact, the home screen on my cell phone used to read, "Don't call... raise or fold!" Of course the whole "Bump it or dump it" philosophy is rooted in the mantra of limit hold 'em, which is selective aggression.

Today, let's tone down the testosterone a hair and examine a situation where calling just might be the best of options. You should always try to determine the optimum way to extract the maximum number of chips if you win and pay out the minimum amount of chips if you lose. Well, duh .... "Of course," you might be thinking, but now think hard and answer honestly... do you always think this way or do you just fire bet after bet?

If you attempt to analyze each course of action while at the tables, congratulations; you're way ahead of the herd. However, if you find yourself playing formulaic poker too often then read on and maybe pick up on a situation that might be a win-win alternative.

When the turn card lands on the board and you believe you hold the best hand against a lone opponent, you should usually get as much money as you can in the pot. However, you need to know how your opponent plays. If you've observed that he's aggressive and prone to bluffing, let him exercise his tendencies.

Let's imagine you raise with a suited A-J and you're first in on the button. Only the big blind calls. The flop comes down A-8-2 rainbow. Mr. Aggressive, the big blind, bets and you decide to just call and see the turn. A seemingly harmless five falls on the turn and Mr. Aggressive bets again. You now believe that you definitely hold the best hand with your A-J but you also believe that your opponent will fold if you raise. If you just call he'll probably fire another bet on the river.

The key here is that the board is not at all coordinated so draws are not a problem. Sure, he could be playing a set of eights or deuces, but that's poker. Trying for the extra bet on the river by just calling on the turn works best for two reasons: First, if you're beaten, you will lose less. Second, you will make an extra bet on the river when he bets again. You may opine that allowing him to possibly suck-out on you isn't wise, but that possibility is offset by the fact that he could already have you beaten, plus the board is not coordinated. No play works every time, but this one is worth considering instead of just blindly firing bets or raises without calculating how best to maximize your winnings.

Our goal for today is one we've had before, but it's one that's well worth repeating. That goal is to not play formula poker on autopilot but to analyze each situation based upon your opponents' tendencies, the texture of the board, your table image, and the 101 other variables that always exist before just reacting. Think about it! If this is a problem in your game start to put in the extra work and you'll begin to see the extra rewards.

See you next "TIME"

Tom "Time" Leonard has played poker in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and California for more than 30 years and written about the game since 1994. Contact Tom at thleonard@msn.com.