What is a Cold Call in Poker?

A cold call in poker is a call made when no money has been invested in the pot. It usually occurs when an opponent raises preflop and the player in position calls. This is often a good time to make a cold call because opponents will likely be trying to trap you. However, it is important to take your opponent’s behavior into account before making a cold call.

There are some hands that should never be cold called, even though this is a common strategy in poker. For example, a hand like KQ should always be raised, as it is a strong hand that can hold up to pressure from the rest of the table. However, other hands such as AK can be cold called on occasion. This is because it balances out your range and makes it harder for other players to put you on Big Slick.

If you are in early position and someone opens with a raise under the gun, a cold call would probably be a bad move. This is because the rest of the table has yet to act, and if one of them three bets behind you with a small stack then your hand will likely lose value. However, if your opponent is playing tight and you know that they only play weak hands preflop, then a cold call might be the right choice.

Sometimes, a player’s cold calling style can be exploited by another player’s squeeze strategy. This is especially true in low stakes cash games. If a player frequently cold calls and then raises the flop, they will be easily exploited by a player who is looking to squeeze them out of their hand.

In addition to the benefits of balancing your range by occasionally cold calling with strong hands, it is also important to consider the player’s tendencies and how they will perceive your moves. For example, if you always raise with ace-king then other players will quickly pick up on your game and it won’t be long before they start to fold when you have a strong hand.

There are some situations where a cold call is the best option, particularly in high-stakes cash games. This is because you’re often playing against players who aren’t deep thinkers and will assume that you only raise with strong hands. This way, you can catch them out on the flop when they’re overplaying weak hands. Alternatively, you can use the cold call to trap an opponent into raising on the flop or turn when they have no good options themselves. If they’re too loose from the preflop to the flop, they can get caught out on the turn by a big bet and you will have won a nice profit. Using this technique will help you beat your opponents in the long run.