Calling Raises on the Turn
Calling raises can fetch you a big amount of money – especially on the turn or river. However, if miscalculated, it can be just a blunder and ruin you. How would you calculate your risks involved in the game while betting the turn?
Think about your opponents. A shy player would not really go for semi-bluffs on the turn. Few others would like to wait the turn before raising when they have a fairly good hand. In such cases, you would do good to fold when raised.
There are other occasions where you need to fold a raise. For instance, if you opponent does not necessarily raise on the turn or has raised after two opponents before him have called and you still want to go ahead and call, you should at least have a top pair with a kicker.
In tight-aggressive games however, the scenario is not always predictable like the aforesaid ones. Here, it is difficult to read the players, especially in a heads-up game. Depending on the type of hand you read, you can either fold or re-raise. Remember, there might be occasions where you have to call with bottom pairs as well.
Tight-aggressive games are not so prevalent nowadays. You would find loose games where opponents – if not maniacs – with a strong hand who would raise. Such situations are heads-up situations where you need to call even with a not-so-good hand.
The final tip on calling raises is when you need to call a raise cold. The original bettor would surely have a very strong hand and if you raise, he would re-raise. The best option would be to call a raise cold only when you have an equally strong hand or would like to draw the game. In this case, the pot would need to be very large to give you good reason for such an action.
