Cold Call or Bet
A cold bet or cold raise is made against the wagers of several players; a cold call calls several bets at once.
The simple explanation
A cold call is calling the bets of multiple players, such as a bet and a raise. A cold bet or cold raise is a raise made when facing the bets of more than one player. Remember the key idea: the cold caller has not put chips in yet, and faces more than one wager.
A closer look
The idea is that the player has not yet put chips in and now faces two or more wagers at once. For example, a player opens, a second player raises, and a third player cold four-bets. The terms help describe how much a player is facing before making a decision. The same idea extends to cold four-bets, five-bets and so on. In each case, the player's first action is a raise against several wagers.
A practical example
Fred opens for $20, Gary raises to $50, and Hank cold-calls the raise. If Hank had raised to $100, he would have made a cold four-bet.
Full explanation
A cold bet or cold raise is made against the wagers of several players; a cold call calls several bets at once.
A cold call is the calling of bets made by multiple players. For example, one player bets, another raises, and a third calls the total. The caller faces both wagers in one decision.
A cold bet or cold raise similarly refers to a raise made against multiple players’ wagers. In the example, Hank raises to $100 after Fred opened and Gary raised.
The word cold means the player had not put in any chips earlier in the round. It stresses that the player enters the betting late.
These plays are strong and unusual. A player who cold raises is representing a very strong hand or making a bold bluff.