If you can call you can raise.

Amanda A

Amanda A

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I've often heard "If you can call you can raise" in poker. Is this true? Sure it can give you another way to win if everyone folds to your raise, but is always better to raise or is calling sometime a powerful move? When? What do people think?
 
MKaizer07

MKaizer07

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Yes it is true about “if you can call you can raise”. It is a powerful move to raise if you have been playing tight. One method of calling is to trap your opponent Into betting so that you can maximize your profit. People will think of certain things if you have been playing tight or loose
 
AizenFalck

AizenFalck

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It is not true, it really depends on to many factors and circunstances. But I heard a long time ago that if you have a great hand, dont call, raise. I dont know if that is correct haha :D
 
This Fish Chums

This Fish Chums

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Analyzing the "Good enough to call, good enough to raise" quote

I believe this saying gets misused a lot in poker. Let's really think of this in a logical way. If a table of players followed this rule, then the only things people would be doing is raising and folding. So, either every hand would get it all-in preflop (the result of always raising and never calling), or there would never be a flop as the only other option is to fold and not call. So, clearly, this "rule" is either getting misused or misunderstood.
So, the question is where did the rule come from. Well, I did a Google search and found a reference to it in the movie Rounders. I also found a book titled "The Everything poker strategy Book" by John Wenzel that used it in reference to Tight Aggressive players deciding if they are going to enter a hand pre-flop. On an 888 how to page it specifically uses the phrase in relation to opening the pre-flop betting. Which would make sense preflop, if the bet to you is low and the pot is low, then yeah, throw a bet out instead of calling if you are playing TAG.
Granted all that is is a quick Google search, but I think we can rule out using this as a rule for every situation. Things like someone post-flop betting half the pot at you when you're on a monster draw would require a call for a chance to see the remaining cards.
 
Gohaku94

Gohaku94

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No it is not true, you can have marginal hands with showdown value or bluff catching potential and you should call not raise.
Also you can have good bluffing cards but not really good showdown value so you should raise and never call (in this situation you cant call but you can raise).
Maybe that saying is from 20 years ago when people sere calling with 2nl nuts lol.
 
Lorpugo

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this is a preflop strategy But in GTO theory there is a call so this rule is not true. Think of fold call raise as tools. Why use two tools /not into account different raise sizings/ when you can use three
 
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hochido

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Call and Raise

NO generalizations do not work most of the the time they may or may not be helpful70% of the time, everytime
 
SteaknEggz

SteaknEggz

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sounds like something you say rudely during a hand to tilt someone. ive played live poker with worse things said during hands.
 
Robmrjet

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I've often heard "If you can call you can raise" in poker. Is this true? Sure it can give you another way to win if everyone folds to your raise, but is always better to raise or is calling sometime a powerful move? When? What do people think?

here is.....

WHAT I THINK......
...If you can call, you can raise.
If you can raise, you can fold.
If you can call, you can fold.
If you can win, you can lose.
If you can lose, you can win.
If you play, you have got options.
If you'have options, ...........ask yourself....."do I really have the absolute best hand?"
If you really have the absolute best hand, you have options.
If you don't have the absolute best hand, you have options.
Options can make weak minds crazy.
Options can make weak minds stronger.
Strong minds are good.
Crazy minds are dangerous.
Good is good.
Dangerous is dangerous.
Humans can make people read a lot of stuff that they don't really need to read.:burnout:


here is a Final Table link....
( 60 seconds long, that's 1 minute of your life )

(you have the options to watch it or not)
:D

a raise, a call, a raise, a fold, a call, an outcome from options........ what options would you have chosen?:damnmate:
 
XYZ2123

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No its not always true. Like everything in poker what you choose to do is situation dependent and will differ depending on the many factors involved in the specific hand, e.g. number of opponents and their behaviors/ranges, stack sizes, position, etc. etc.
 
E

Ero2407

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it depends on the situation, for example, why raise if you have a full house after the flop, just call to not give out your hand
 
leshausa03

leshausa03

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I find it difficult to play poker at all, withstanding one strategy. The river can always ruin any hand.
 
J

Jimboskie

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There are definitely situations where it is better to raise or fold. There are also some situations where it is better to call than raise or fold. These are up to the player to decide. There is no hard and fast rule. It is very situational dependent from what I understand...
 
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CallmeFloppy

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I don't think that this "rule" is true but I do think you need to think about why you are calling. What is the end result you looking to accomplish, and based on your image, opponent, board, stack, etc. . . what gives you the chance to accomplish that goal.

Too many players (myself included for sure) call when they should either be raising or folding. People will call as a way of not making a commitment to playing their hand without realizing what that call is costing them. Take a minute and think what you want to do and not just take what is often the "easy" play.
 
nopainnogain

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What if after raise you recieve all in? So I prefer just call than raise.
 
Peppinotom

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BET, raise, call, re/raise, check/raise, bluff, these are all known as poker moves, so they should all be used in poker.I raise always and the next card turns the board and I bite my ass for betting.
THESE FISHES WILL NOT GO AWAY WHEN THEY HOLD AN ACE or two other cards!!!!!They want THEIR CHIPS back, that they just paid into the pot.
So calling is at least a necessary instrument for pot/control.
 
The_Times

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Depends on so many factors. Generally speaking if you have a strong hand I think you should raise only if you are sure that you will be called. Or the opposite, if you have a weak hand you may raise to make your opponents fold.
 
D

danielcai

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Sometimes calling in flop/turn can induce the opponent to bluff in the coming streets, while raising might cause them to fold so you can't extract value.
 
Ragequit

Ragequit

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Definitely true. Raising is very Powerful because it forces them to really consider if they have a strong hand or not. Their reaction to the raise also gives you a lot of information.


R
 
Empress

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Sure, I suppose technically if you have the chips you can, but I've done this when I thought the other player was just fishing and got re-raised x10. I had a good hand but it wasn't made yet and it wasn't worth calling the re-raise.
 
J

JordieChloe

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No. If you have 8 outs after the flop you are a 2 to 1 dog to hit. If pot odds give you better than this, call. Because most of the time you will lose. By raising you will drive some out, so the pot odds may no longer be there on subsequent streets.
 
Ragequit

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If you can call, you can raise. Maybe. But that doesn't mean that you should. At all times in a hand you need to be asking yourself. How can I extract the maximum number of chips here? Sometimes raising will create a bigger pot when you have the nuts and you win more when they call, and call another bet afterwards. Sometimes they fold and you don't gain anything further. In that case, calling would have made you more money as you could have picked up another bet later. Knowing your opponent and what they are likely to do is critical.


Another reason not to raise sometimes even when you can... is that it severely narrows your range of hands they can put you on. This is only a good thing when you WANT them to fold. But it's not good when you're trying to extract value. Weaker hands will fold and stronger hands will come over the top. Either situation is not very profitable for you. Finally Raising can be good if the board is getting dangerous and you're raising to protect your hand. That's a good reason to raise because just calling could allow a nightmare card to arrive. Have a reason to raise, a reason to call, and a reason to fold. Always.

R
 
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PaxMundi

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Yes it's true that if a hand is profitable to play it's profitable to raise and has an added of advantage of raising and that's taking advantage of preflop fold equity.And winning the blinds in an uncontested pot.There might be times you would limp or over call a limp though such as short stacks in the pot or blind vs blind vs aggressive opponents.
 
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freestocks

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Raising is an aggressive poker play. Calling is passive. I call a raise if many players call. Then connecting with the flop can be very profitable.
 
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