The term “bet” in poker means putting chips in the pot during the game. A bet may be placed by a player who wants to participate in the given hand or by a player who wants to increase the size of the current bet.

There are a few different types of bets which are important to know about:

Open bet: This is the first bet in a betting round. For example, in Texas hold ‘em, the player sitting to the left of the dealer places the open bet after being dealt two cards “under the gun” (pocket cards).

Raise: This increases the size of the current bet. By raising, a player adds more chips to the pot than the previous bet. The other players must either call (match the bet) or raise by placing a new, even bigger bet.

Call: This is an action whereby the player matches the current bet by adding the same number of chips to the pot as were bet by the previous player. Calling allows a player to remain in the game and see the next card on the table.

Check: Checking is an action in which a player does not bet but simply passes their turn to the next player in the circle without adding any additional chips to the pot. A player can check provided there have not yet been any bets placed in the round.