Definition of a cold call- It’s one of the most ominous thing you can see in a hand of hold’em. A player raises, another reraises, and then a third guy decides, "Eh, my hand’s so strong, I don’t even want to reraise; I’m just going to cold call this bet." The cold call is usually symbolic of massive strength in a hand, especially from an experienced player. To put it in perspective, look at how the hand has to be viewed from that players perspective. Okay, a guy raised in early position to 3x, then another guy popped it to 10x. I have a hand that I want to see a flop with, but don’t mind having the player who originally raised call or raise; I’m just going to call this. What kind of hands fit those criteria? If it’s a tight, solid player, it may only be AA or KK. If it’s a thinking, looser player, it may include Ax suited, 33, and other random junk that retains the scariness of the cold call. Understand what the cold call means from player to player is important in how you proceed against the cold caller.

Playing against the cold caller- Let’s look at a river example in no limit hold’em, determining what kind of hands we need to play against the cold caller. The board on the river is 3s8hAh7d2h, putting the flush draw on board on the river. You hold A8o for top two pair, and have been betting the entire way, with two player calling your flop and turn bets. You elect to fire a river bet. Your first opponent raises you, and your second opponent, a solid, tight player calls a bet and a raise cold. What sort of hand do you need to call this bet, and what sort of hand do you need to raise this bet? First of all, your two pair is essentially worthless due to the cold caller; the raiser is trying to tell you he made his flush, and the cold caller sees this and says, "Hey, I don’t care, my hand is STILL good enough to call with here." I would be folding sets and the 45 straight here against a solid player without any other information, and would only be inclined to call with flushes above the 9. The only hand I would ever consider a three bet with is the pure nuts, Kxh, as it’s just far too likely that one of your opponents is holding that precise hand, given the board. That’s how much power the cold call wields; be wary when you see it.

Cold calling: Your usage- You also may use the cold call as a play in your arsenal, but it needs to be used with caution. Many times, you may think a hand that you should fold can become a cold calling hand if you think your original opponent is weak; don’t make that mistake, because between the raiser and the cold caller, as a rule, someone will have some sort of hand that is represented on the board. If it’s three flush, I’m not cold calling without a weak flush. 8910xx? 67 becomes a cold call, as well as 1010, while 89 becomes a fold. Use it to plant a firm ground on the amount you’re willing to invest in the hand.