1 · LEARN THE TABLE · LESSON 5 OF 29 · 5 min
Check, bet, call, raise, fold
When no bet is facing you, check to stay in for free or bet to put chips in. Facing a bet, call to match it, raise to increase it, or fold to surrender the hand. A player can wager all their remaining chips, called an all-in.
The pot is 12 chips and another player bets 6. Calling costs 6. You cannot check because a bet is outstanding.
First find out whether you owe chips
When no bet is outstanding, you may check and remain in the hand for free. You may also bet, which asks the others to call, raise, or fold. Once someone bets, checking is no longer available to a player who still owes chips. Calling matches the amount required; raising increases it. Folding gives up your claim to the pot, including chips you already put in.
Imagine a 12-chip pot. Maya bets 6 and you have put nothing in on this street. A call costs 6, and a raise must put in more than a call. If you call, the pot becomes 24. If you have only 4 chips left, you may call all-in for 4. Heads-up, Maya's unmatched 2 chips are returned and you contest a 20-chip pot. A side pot can form if another player remains and matches more of Maya's bet. All-in changes the amount you can contest, not the order of action for players who still have chips.
Read the action as a sentence before deciding: 'Maya bet 6 into 12, and it costs me 6 to continue.' This makes a check, call, and bet feel like different choices instead of interchangeable buttons. On later streets, a fresh betting round begins, so a check may become available again.
In one trainer hand, say what you owe before every action. If the answer is zero, identify the two choices that keep you in the hand.
A check is not a call. If someone has bet, you must call, raise, or fold unless you are already all-in.
MAKE THE CALL
A player bets 6 and you have enough chips. Which action is unavailable?
Start with a prepared decision, then play the rest of the hand with practice chips. Turn on guidance to see the trainer's reasoning.