Posts Tagged call
Options for the Small Blind and Big Blind
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 30th, 2008
Hello,
There are some things that have been bothering my mind for some time now. Hope you can help me out.
- Say in a $3/5 limit game, small blind puts in $1 and big blind puts in $3. Then the next to act is the person to the left of the big blind. What do you think, does he need to bet or check? By the way, the person being talked about here is in the “under the gun” position.
- How about if the person bets $3 and there are calls all the way around. Do you think the small blind has to call $3? Or else just have to call $2 for getting a credit for his $1 small blind ante? How about for the big blind? I guess it will be the same thing.
Thanks!
Michael James
Michael,
- The blinds are forced bets and therefore each player at the table must at least call the $3 big blind in order to stay in the pot. The under the gun player’s only options are to call or raise. They cannot check.
- The small blind only has to complete the big blind bet of $3. If the pot is not raised by the time action is back on the big blind, the big blind can either check or raise.
Betting Side of the Game
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 30th, 2008
Hi,
Your site has been a great help. Thanks!
I am a regular visitor of your site actually, but still, I have some questions in mind that up to now were not yet answered.
Can you explain to me the betting side of the game? What are the important things I need to know about it? It seems quite confusing to me.
Alexzander
Alexzander,
Before each hand, the two players to the left of the button put up forced bets known as blinds. The first player puts up a small blind, and the second player puts up a big blind. The small blind is half the size of the big blind. In a $1-$2 blind No Limit Holdem game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind $2.
The first player after the big blind is the under the gun position and has the option to either call, raise, or fold. If they raise, they must raise at least the size of the big blind. The same decision is faced by each person until the action returns around to the blind. If nobody has raised the pot, the small blind may either call the big blind, raise, or fold. If the small blind does not raise, the big blind then has the option to either raise or check.
When choosing to raise the pot, a standard raise is considered to be 3 and one half times the big blind. You do have the option of raising up to the total amount in your stack.
The Cards Before the Betting Round
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 30th, 2008
Hi there!
Once, in a no limit heads up game, I was playing and the other player was dealing. Eventually, after the river was dealt I went all in. Unexpectedly, the other player did not call or did some stuff instead just turned his cards over.
To my surprise, he thought he won everything that was in the pot. When I, certainly believe that it was the same amount from me that he has in the pot that he actually won over me. Any advice?
Thank you.
Jullian
Jullian,
If your opponent did not call your bet on the river, he did not win any part of the pot. In order for him to win the pot, he first must call your bet.
Raising Issue
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 30th, 2008
For example we have seen the flop and player A has $20, player B has $8, and player C has $20. Supposing that player A who is the first to act bets $5, and then player B follows by raising all-in $8.
What do you think, should the bet to player C be $8 or else $10?
Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks!
Andrew
Andrew,
Since player C is calling a raise, the amount that he needs to call is $8.
In a 10/20 Game
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 30th, 2008
Hello,
For an instance you are playing a 10/20 game. How much do you think a person in the small should pay? 5? Is it half of the smaller number or what?
How about the big blind, should he pay 10? Just equal to whatever the small or first number is? Then say the cards are dealt. Should the first person who is said to be “under the gun” call for at least 10 or else 20?
About the 2nd number what does it stands for? Any idea?
Thank you.
Mitchell
Mitchell,
What you are explaining is a Limit Holdem game with betting levels of 10 and 20. Preflop and on the flop, betting limits are $10, and betting on the turn and river is $20. In this game, the small blind is half of the small bet amount. In this case, the small blind is $5. The big blind is $10. The under the gun player must either call $10, raise to $20, or fold.
Making a Call and Revealing a 2 Pair
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 29th, 2008
Hello,
I have two questions. Hope you could find some time to answer them.
Let’s say for example, you have a 5 8 and the flop comes down A 5 6, eventually, the turn comes K and the river is a six. As a reaction, you call and your opponent calls pair of Aces. Then you call a pair of fives as well as sixes.
What do you think, is your opponent required to call the pair right to later on win?
Another thing, about a particular rule in a holdem tourney, call your own hand. Somewhere at the beginning, I went all in and after the river, me and my opponent showed cards. I got 2 pair, 7’s and 8’s and my opponent got 2 pair, 8’s and 4’s.
My opponent thought he won thinking that it was 7’s before 8’s. Well, on the flip side, I won. But though I won that instance, it was not a great experience because of the chaos and argument.
By the way, who wins that hand? And in your opinion, does the way you reveal your 2 pair vital? I guess it really matters.
Thanks,
Garret
Garret,
In most casinos, cards speak. What that means is that it is the responsibility of the dealer to determine the best hand and award the pot accordingly. It does not matter if the player miscalls their hand.
In some home games, you may run across a rule that requires you to call your hand upon showing it. When I teach people poker, I typically enforce this rule so that it gives them practice calling their hand and teaches them what they have.
As far as your tournament question, it does not matter how a hand is shown. When you have two pair, if the top pair is the same, the rank of the bottom pair determines the winner, not the order in which the cards are shown.
Re-raising in No limit Texas Holdem
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 29th, 2008
Hello,
Thanks for having a helpful site over here!
By the way, I drop by because of two questions. First, I would like to clarify something about re-raise. Let say for an instance, I’m the first one to act and eventually make a bid of $100. Then, the person to my left as a result throws out $500. What do you think, can I only see him with a bet of $400, or can I re-raise him at all means and cost? How about if one person goes all in, can re-raise still keep going?
Well, for my second question, I don’t know if you could still remember the 3 or 4 re-raise thing. Before, you’ve mentioned that 3 or 4 re-raises are allowed in tournament plays. I’m wondering now whether or not that includes the pre-flop? For an instance, the first person bets $100, the second $200, then so on and so forth. What’s your opinion, do you think the 5th and 6th person can only call or fold? Or they can raise? If in the event, we have nine people at the table, can there be just an initial bet then 8 re-raises? Any response will be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Rod
Rod,
For your first question, you can reraise as many times as you want up to the full amount of your stack. There aren’t any rules regarding the number of raises.
For your second question, the only tournaments that have a limit to the number of raises are limit holdem tournaments. In limit holdem tournament, there is typically a limit of 3 reraises which are in fixed limit amounts. In no limit, players can raise as much as they want until they are all in. If each player at the table has raised and each player still has money in front of them, they can keep raising. There aren’t any limits. That’s why its called “No Limit.”
Check and Re-raise?
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 29th, 2008
Hello,
I’ve got something in mind. Supposing, I’d be playing with a few of my friends soon. Then, during the bet, one of my friends would check, eventually the next person would raise, and after which would get back to him and then would actually re-raise. What do you think, is this something possible? I believe that once you check and someone puts in a bet, you can only call that bet and you cannot re-raise at all for you have already checked. Am I right?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Mark John
Mark,
Unfortunately, you are incorrect. Check-raising is a perfectly acceptable move in poker now. In the past this move was frowned upon, and even outlawed in casinos. Now the move is not only accepted, but a move that ever poker player needs to develop. Check-raising allows you to extract extra bets from people when you have big hands and to get free cards when you are drawing.
After the Side Pot was Made
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 29th, 2008
Hi there!
I have two questions for you. Hope you can find some time to answer them.
- When is the right time to make side pots? Is it actually at the end of the betting round before going for the flop or when there is finally someone all-in?
- Let’s say player 1 goes all in with $50, then player 2 calls $50, player 3 calls $50 and raises $50, and player 4 folds. Then, player 2 has to play. How much do you think he should call or raise and why? Do you think he should call 200$ or $100 or only $50?
- Similarly, with almost the same example, player 1 goes all in with $50, player 2 calls $50, player 3 calls $50 and raises $50, and then player 4 folds. Take note, we will have 2 main pots, $150 & side pot of $50. Now, player 2 has to play. What do you think, how much does he needs to call or raise and why? Do you think he should call 200$, $150, $100 or only $50?
Thanks in advance.
Vinz
Vinz,
- The only time that there is a side pot is when a player is all-in and there are two or more players in the pot that can continue betting. The side pot can occur anytime after the player goes all-in.
- The player can either call the $50 raise or reraise. Player 3 raised to $100 total and player 2 already has $50 in the pot. He can call the raise or reraise. Beyond that, without knowing what the player has, it is not possible to determine what amount he should raise or if he should flat call.
- The revised scenario is exactly the same as the prior one. Your first example was going to create a side pot of $50 as well. Nothing about the scenario has changed, so my answer above applies here as well.
Raising Issue
Posted by WSOP in Texas Holdem FAQ on September 29th, 2008
There was an incident in a game which I’m really concerned of. It’s something about the blinds that were 1600/3200. Considerably, the 3200 blind was called by three people. Eventually, the last person went all in with 4800 and the next player yearned to call and placed in 1600. By the way, he was already in the 3200 bet. Therefore because of this, dispute have occurred. It’s actually about that person’s obligation to cover the big blind and then pull out 1600 for a side pot. And along with this, if the next player wanted to go with him,both of them will have a side pot.
Things became worser when the player who wanted to call the all in bet directly said no and calls for a foul. Supposedly, he had to only call the 1600 and then raise it to 3200 if he wants.
Who do you think in that certain incident was correct?
Thanks!
Thomas G.
Thomas,
It appears from what you wrote that three players called 3,200 and then one wanted to raise after making the call. The person that objected was correct to do so. You cannot call a bet and then raise when nobody else has raised. When the player called the bet, action was closed to him unless someone raised.
This is actually an easy situation to solve. Just uphold the call of the three players and once the flop is dealt, the player that wanted to move all in can have the option to do so.