When to use "call" button?

Why am I asking this? Because I RARELY call! Not because of super aggro "read dependent" style cause my game is only enough on $25NL tables .

My play is based mostly on "bet/raise/fold". Ok, sometimes I call, for example:
- when someone pushes AI at me and I have the nuts (obvious)
- when someone raises standard 4xBB before me acting, and I draw to trips with my pocket pair, or have playable raising hand that is rarely dominated (AK, AQ, KQ, TT-22) and have good pot odds to outflop the raiser
- when I put someone on river bluff (rarely happens)
- when some shortstack goes all in and I can't reraise due to raising rules
- when I complete the small blind with decent drawing hand (s00ted connectors, Axs-Kxs in multiway pot)
0 when only hand I have on the river is something like TPGK/TPTK and I can get a cheap showdown
- when I draw to the nuts and have proper pot odds/implied odds
- I slowplay royal flush

Rest of common situation is simple bet/raise/fold.The opponents do the calling (when they have weaker hands or slowplay something), I do the betting and fold when I sense I'm beat.

When to "call down" to the river? When "check call" (especially the potsized bets in isolated 1 on 1 situation) is correct play?

Don't slowplay your royal flushes. Pound them hard and hope someone has a crappy flush or a smaller straight flush.

you don't need advice on this. You know what you're doing. keep doing it. Others should read this and take note!

UNLESS YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC PLAN FOR CALLIN (LIKE SLOWPLAYING OR DRAWING WITH ODDS) THEN , "When you're calling, your falling." Most situations in poker are raise/fold situation. Calling only get you in trouble.


To reinterate (and i'm a NL player, so you limit guys may do things differently), I have see BAD players make GOOD MONEY by being blindly and hopelessly agressive. But I've never seen a bad player make money as a calling station, and i've seen good players piss away their bankroll though timid play.

Great post VRAX.