5 Effective Strategies When Facing “Calling Station” Players

Have you ever encountered a player in card games like Poker, whose only action seems to be calling bets? Whether their hand is strong or weak, they either don’t bet or just call. It’s really hard to read these players, isn’t it? So, how do you deal with them effectively?

Decoding the “Calling Station” Playstyle

“Calling station” is a term used to describe players in card games whose primary action is to call bets, rarely taking the initiative to raise or fold. This is a common characteristic of a group of players who tend to be loose and passive.

This type of player is rarely the first to act in a betting round, and they also very rarely fold until they are sure they are losing. You will often encounter such players when participating in card games at home or on online platforms.

A loose and passive playstyle is a fairly typical type of player. “Calling stations” are usually easy to distinguish from professional players. Sometimes, this playstyle can confuse strong players at the table.

Many good players often express frustration that such calling is an ineffective playstyle because they don’t fold even when the situation clearly calls for it. Many experienced players even suggest avoiding games with this type of player.

Is this view accurate? The emphatic answer is NO! You should not avoid players who tend to be loose and passive. On the contrary, you should actively seek out tables where they are present and encourage them to join you.

Apply the principles below so you can win a lot of money when facing them.

5 Ways to Counter “Calling Station” Players

Sometimes, you’ll feel very annoyed when facing a “calling station” player, especially when multiple players adopt this playstyle in the same hand. They very rarely fold before the first three community cards, so they can unexpectedly hold very strong hands. You might feel frustrated losing a hand when you previously thought you had a sure win.

When facing this type of player, you might be surprised at the showdown because they sometimes hold strong hands from the start. You’ll need to bet strongly if you want to gain an advantage, because they tend not to bet themselves when holding strong hands. You might continuously bet throughout the hand until the last community card, only to discover that they’ve been ahead of you all along. They don’t have a sophisticated slow-playing strategy, but they inadvertently create a deceptive effect, making you think they have a weak hand. This can cause you to lose a significant amount of money in that hand.

Focus on Long-Term Profit

Although this playstyle can be frustrating initially, in the long run, it’s a very profitable situation if you know how to exploit it.

Realize that you will rarely get these players to fold simply by showing strength through aggressive betting actions. Unlike other opponents, loose-passive players won’t rely on your betting patterns to accurately deduce the strength of your hand. At least not enough to make them fold a weak hand.

Accordingly, their calling your bet doesn’t mean they have a strong hand. They often participate in subsequent betting rounds with a very wide range of hands. You need to maximize your hand strength advantage when facing this loose-passive playstyle.

Here are five strategies to deal with “calling station” players, all aimed at improving your profit-making opportunities:

Widen Your Value Betting Range

First, actively bet with hands that have relatively good or very strong strength when facing this type of player. For example, you’re playing at a $1/$2 blind table and are known as a tight-aggressive player. The “calling station” is sitting in the last position (Big Blind).

You are dealt pocket sevens (77). You decide to raise to $20, expecting other players with weaker hands to fold. The “calling station” in the big blind will tend to call with almost any hand. He’s already put in $2 for the big blind and is likely to call an additional $18. Sure, sometimes he’ll have a strong hand and go up against you, but most of the time, he’ll call with weaker hands. This helps you increase the value you get from each hand.

Don’t Employ Complex Tactics

When dealing with “calling station” players, you should simplify your strategy. No need for check-raising plans, trapping, slow-playing, or other “smart” moves to deceive this opponent. Why no complex tactics? Because “calling stations” won’t bet or fold in the usual way. Their actions depend mainly on what you do.

Therefore, you don’t need to create a complex scenario and expect them to fall into your trap. This player’s biggest mistake is that they call too much and rarely raise at the right time. Take full advantage of this mistake. You just need to play in a tight style but actively bet when you think you have the lead in the hand.

Be Cautious When They Suddenly Raise

When an opponent with a “calling station” playstyle suddenly makes an aggressive move (like raising), it very likely indicates they have a genuinely strong hand. Why would they deviate from their usual no-betting/calling routine? Even they recognize situations where they are almost certainly holding a great hand.

For example, if he raises pre-flop in Texas Hold’em after you’ve bet, and he’s holding an Ace, assume he has a strong hand (unless you’re holding an even stronger “monster” hand). The wise move in this hand is to fold.

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Don’t Hesitate to Bet on the River

When feeling uncertain on the final community card (the river), take the initiative to bet. It’s very difficult to accurately predict the hand strength of a “calling station” player because they enter the hand with so many different types of cards. Because of that wide range of hands, their hand is often not strong enough to win on the river.

Take this opportunity to bet and collect more winnings from the hand. Sometimes, an opponent might “suck out” on you when they accidentally get a winning card unexpectedly. But since they often call your bets with weaker hands, overall, the number of hands you win against them will outweigh the number of hands you lose. You should maximize your advantage when an opponent tends to call your bets and lose a large amount of money in the hands they lose.

Be Patient Playing with Them

Sometimes it’s easy to feel discouraged, frustrated, or negatively affected emotionally when you lose a hand in a “bad beat” fashion, especially when defeated by a “calling station” player. They often don’t fold even when in a disadvantageous position and sometimes luck out and beat you. That’s inevitable in card games. But if you give up and don’t continue playing, it’s truly a pity. You’re missing out on the opportunity to win in the long run against a player who, overall, will lose to you due to their playstyle.

Stay calm, control your emotions, and continue to apply the appropriate strategy. The most important thing is that you need to patiently play with these types of opponents to win in many subsequent hands. The rules of probability in card games do not change. Don’t let yourself be overly affected emotionally by just a few unfavorable hands, as that can lead to wrong decisions and further losses.

These are 5 strategies for dealing with “calling station” players that Jilipark wants to share. Please comment if anything is unclear when applying these 5 points. Personally, I always look for opponents with this playstyle when playing online card games to increase my income.

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