Overcall
Calling a bet after one or more players have already called it. Each caller in front of you makes the pot larger but also makes the field stronger, so an overcall needs a hand that plays well against several opponents rather than one.
Overcalling is where marginal hands quietly lose money. A hand like ace-ten can be a fine call against a single raiser and a poor overcall behind two callers, because the cards that make it a winner are exactly the ones somebody else is likely holding. Hands that gain are the ones with multiway equity: suited connectors, small pairs hunting a set, and suited aces.
The pot odds look tempting precisely when the hand selection should be tightest, which is the trap.
Related terms
Full glossaryFrequently asked questions
Is an overcall different from a cold call?
A cold call is calling a raise having put no money in yet; an overcall specifically means calling behind other callers.