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Calling Station

Calling Stations - Loose Poker Players

by Jesse Knight
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Calling Station
Calling Station - A player who does not throw many hands away, or who usually only calls (rather than betting or raising) when it is their turn to act.


A calling station is a player who tends to call if they have any chance to win the pot, regardless of whether or not they have pot odds. This type  of player tends to enjoy playing hands and often does not care very much if they win or lose. Their default play is usually to call, and they will rarely raise or muck their hand.

A calling station is a great player to have in the game. They are almost always losing players. Whenever you are betting the best hand they are likely to call and pay you off. They also tend not to raise unless they have completed a very strong hand, so they are relatively easy to read.

You will often see other players get mad when a calling station beats their very good hand with a very bad one. This is both rude and illogical. The more bad plays a player makes, the more profit you are likely to receive from that player in the long run. Bad plays should never be criticized or discouraged, even when they cause you to lose the hand. So long as you have a proper bankroll, capable of withstanding short term swings, you need only be concerned with your profit over the long run, and your short term ups and downs become irrelevant. Learning to accept bad beats is essential to maintaining inner peace and achieving “Poker Zen.” Being at peace with everything that happens in a poker game will also make you a better player. This is because you are making a choice to reject anger and self pity, both of which can cause you to make poor decisions. This is not an easy thing to do, and some players are never able to make any progress here. You really have to train yourself to recognize destructive emotions when they arise and consciously reject them.

Usage: Don't try to bluff a calling station, That player is a calling station

Previous Poker Term: Call
Next Poker Term: Call the Clock

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