What is a Hero Call? Poker Terminology 101 and a Case Study from the SPL
From “the nuts” to “mucked,” there are plenty of weird terms in the great games of poker. Today, we’re going to talk about a hero call, which I was reminded of after a great move made in a recent tournament in the Steem Poker League.
What Is A Hero Call?
A hero call is “To call a bet on the final round of betting with a relatively weak holding after suspecting the betting player is bluffing, so described because the call is considered especially “heroic” or brave.”
Case Study in the Steem Poker League
In the April 13th 20 SBD, @ByzHash raised big before the flop, and @inthenow protected his big blind and called. After a weak flop (2,6,7), once again @ByzHash led out and bet. @inthenow called, and a second six came on the turn.
I think you can guess what happened next – another bet and after a while considering his options, @inthenow called. Finally, on the river, @ByzHash pushed all-in, and with a pair of twos (in addition to the board pair of sixes), @inthenow makes the hero call and wins the massive early pot.
How to Be A Hero
Making a hero call is extremely difficult, which is why it’s called a hero call and not just a good call. The players who force others to make this type of call are generally very good and extremely aggressive. To make a hero call, I recommend looking for the following signs that your opponent is bluffing and your low pair or even ace high is the winning hand:
- The player making the bet is ultra-aggressive.
- There is no logical reason to make that type of bet with the hand they are representing.
- The player made a pre-flop raise & the community cards are low (beware of trip miners).
- You are known to be a tight player, meaning the other player knows you can lay down a solid hand.
- Their betting pattern has changed. For example, in previous situations they bet small when completing their hand (flush, straight, full house), but now are raising all in.
Comment below with your thoughts, and good luck at the tables! Want to become a hero? Come and play in the SPL! Register at Lucksacks.com.
Most hero calls are just very bad calls. Usually at the end of a poorly played hand.
Bad players LOVE making hero calls.
Thanks for the shoutout, appreciate it! :-D Yeah, that was a good game. So everyone come over to the @spl and let's play! :-)
It was a great call!
Thanks Hoodish. How am I gonna bluff after that? :)
Haha, at least not against @inthenow :-)
It's called "getting lucky" :)