No one ever talks about the lowly call, it seems. Sometimes weak, sometimes a trap, the call is often not chosen for strategic reasons, in my observation. Here's a list of my favorite reasons why people call a bet, particularly after the final card has been dealt.
The Scoreboard Call A classic from my old .10/.20 home game, this is a call made often by a shortstacked player. The pot is huge, the player's chipstack has dwindled, and his hand is marginal at best. He knows that he's gonna lose the pot...HOWEVER, he has a plan! Maaaaaybe the opponent is bluffing(he's not, but MAYBE!). Maaaaybe he'll win that big pot and have a big stack again. Even if he's wrong, though, our hero has an ace in the hole, so to speak. If he loses this pot, he can rebuy and he'll have a big chip stack again! The scoreboard looks good either way - big stack by winning, big stack by losing. Scoreboard call!
"I knew you had the ace!" Same general idea, but a different reaction. The last card has fallen, and our hero's hand is again marginal. The opponent makes a massive bet, causing the hero to grumble a bit before reluctantly calling. The opponent turns over the nut straight, which he had flopped. Mucking his top pair loser, the hero sulks and utters the immortal words, "I knew you had that."
Really? You did? Nice call, then.
The Friendly Call New situation! Our hero's finally made a monster hand. Not the absolute nuts, but close. He checks, looking to trap his opponent, who obliges with a river bet. Suddenly, the hero's nerve fails him. He should raise, he knows he should raise, he knows he has the best hand. But what IF his opponent has that gutshot straight? It's possible! The hero magnanimously announces, "All right, I'll be friendly, I'll just call." The opponent turns over top two pair, and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees just how big the hero's hand was. He would've called a rather big raise, but thank goodness our hero's playing a "friendly" game!
"I call, I have outs" This one is dedicated to its master, Joe Poker. Joe had a keen eye for how many outs, real or imagined, remained in the deck with his hand. He would raise the flop, only to get reraised all-in because he had misjudged the strength of his opponent's hand. Fortunately, he had his draw, and he'd built the pot large enough where he could call with his funky drawing hand. Invariably, he'd utter the famous line, "
