A player who calls too often is called Calling station. Usually he enters a hand based on the hope that he’s going to improve his combination but he does not succeed. That is why during the next bettings he folds. The calling station usually looses against tight players and has an advantage with too loose players. If your opponents always answer you bets, this is very favourable for you and you need to encourage their mistake. In order to do that, from time to time you have to enter the game with weak hands and to lose. Let them think you bluff very often and their actions are right.
Reasons to check
- You think that if you post a bet and your opponent calls, you are going to lose;
- Your cards are not strong enough to enter the hand and you hope that other players also are going to check and only one is going to call and then you can enter the hand;
- Your opponent is playing very aggressively and your hand is not very strong to raise;
- You play against a tight player who opened the game or answered your bet during previous betting;
- Your bet was raised by one or several players before and you think that these players are going to open the game or raise;
- If before the game was opened, the first bet was raised and the third player called, it will be better for you to play check no matter how strong your hand is;
- You have strong hand and you think that if you open the game, other plkayers most probably are going to fold but id you don’t open the game, some of the other players are is going to do it;
- You have very strong hand and you play slow because you don’t want to scare other players too early and you want to have the opportunity to bet or raise late;
- You play after the player who uses strategy check-raise and you believe that he is going to use this strategy now;
- You have played frequently check-raise and your opponent thinks that if you check it is more dangerous than if you open the game;
- You want to look like a passive player;
- You don’t want to bluff;
- You want to make your opponent bluff (steal ante) and then punish him;
- You have very strong hand but you think that another player has stronger. For example, in draw poker when you have a weak straight and your opponent also refuses a draw. In stud poker, when you already have a flush, you can see that another player has four cards of the same suit on the table and one of them is higher than your flush highest card;