Complete
To complete is to raise a forced or partial bet up to a full bet, mostly in limit games.
The simple explanation
Completing means increasing the minimum bet to a full-size bet. For example, in a stud game the first player has a small forced bet, the bring-in. If they raise it to the full bet size, they have completed. In hold'em, the small blind calling up to the big blind can also be called completing. In limit hold'em the small blind often completes because it only needs to add half a bet. That makes it the cheapest hand to play from that seat.
A closer look
The idea belongs mostly to limit games, where bet sizes are fixed. A player who completes the bring-in in stud makes the first real bet, and the others must call a full bet to continue. In hold'em, the small blind often completes with weaker hands because it already has part of the price paid, so it is cheaper to see a flop. In stud, completing the bring-in is also a way to show strength. If a player with a high door card completes, others may take it as a sign of a big pair.
A practical example
In a $5/$10 stud game, the bring-in is $2 and the full bet is $5. The bring-in player raises to $5. He has completed the bet.
Full explanation
To complete is to raise a forced or partial bet up to a full bet, mostly in limit games.
To complete is to raise a partial bet up to the full size of the bet. The term is used mostly in limit poker, where bet sizes are fixed for each round.
In seven-card stud, the player with the lowest card must bring in a small bet. A player who raises that to a full bet completes it. Others then need to put in the full amount to continue.
In hold’em, the small blind completes by calling the difference up to the big blind. That is cheaper than a full call, so many players complete with a wide range.
Completing is a limit-poker idea. In no-limit games, a player simply raises to any legal amount.