What exactly is a cold call

[Benman]

I used to think it was only a cold call if you were the first person to call after a pre-flop raise. Sometimes people appear to use the term to mean any call after a pre-flop raise, even if there were intervening callers. Is there a standard definition? I didn't find on the forum guidelines.

I think it's pretty important because I try to never call a raise if I'm the first to act. Sometimes I'll call if several people have called between me and the initial raise.

[Peter Harris]

coldcalling is when a player calls a raise without having anything (a limp, or a blind) invested in the pot yet.

eg:

UTG raises, MP folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls

BB has not cold called as 1SB was already in the pot before UTG raises.

CO did cold call because CO had put 0SB in before the raise.

That cleared it up?

[Benman]

Not exactly, but I hope you can clear it up. Does it matter in your example if anyone else had called before CO did? Is CO cold-calling if there were intervening callers?
Thanks.

[Peter Harris]

yup still cold calling, as nothing invested. The act is still cold calling, regardless of players in between.

Say MP3 3-bets and CO calls, that is still a cold-call too. The fact nothing is invested before calling any raise value makes it a cold call, other players have nothing to do with it [except raising, of course [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]]

Of course, if you're gonna cold call, best do it when other players do. That's my glib generalisation for the day

[Benman]

Thanks!

Cold calling isn't always bad. SSH has examples where you'll cold call speculative hands with enough other cold callers. It's rare at 6-max.

I'll cold call somewhat more often from the SB given the extra help, especially in a 2/3 blind structure. Still, all that given, my cold call rate is something like 0.2% [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]