To limp or not to limp, that is the question. I don’t think the Bard was ever faced with this query but if he had it would be interesting to hear his response. There are basically two schools of thought on this subject and we regularly see poker players take both approaches. So which is correct? To limp or not to limp – let’s take a look at both sides of this strategic course of action and maybe reach a conclusion.

Aug 23, 2016 Poker Strategy With Ed Miller: When Limping Is Good Miller Outlines The Scenarios When It Might Be Beneficial To Just Call Preflop: by Ed Miller Published: Aug 23, 2016. Limping can be part of an exploitative strategy, so the first part of determining whether limping should be part of your strategy is figuring out what sorts of players can exploited by limping. For example, if you have several players at the table who like to raise a lot in late position to punish limpers, it might make sense to limp in early.

Those who like to limp believe they may see some cheap flops when playing marginal hands and hopefully can be lucky enough to connect to a powerhouse hand and take down a big pot by felting another player. If the flop hits them they feel they are in the position to take an opponent’s whole stack. If the flop misses them completely, they can get away from their marginal holding for the price of the big blind. Of course, they may only get a small piece of the flop and if they don’t possess the discipline to get away from their hand it is their stack that becomes vulnerable. A myth associated with early limping is the assumption that you can get to see the flop cheaply – but this potentially savvy poker strategy doesn’t sound like such a bargain when another player puts in a large raise after you limp. You will not have seen the flop and it cost you the size of the big blind. This is why your position and knowledge of the other players’ tendencies is of paramount importance.

Let’s take a look at the flip side of the limping question and those who believe strongly that, when first entering a pot, one must bring it in for a raise. These players believe that their raise will discourage others who may be looking to get in cheaply and then possibly hit the flop. Their mantra is basically “bump it or dump it.” They believe that if your holding is not worthy of a raise it should be deposited in the muck and that limping with marginal hands is just asking for trouble. Both of these approaches seem to have their own merits but many poker players seem to embrace one or the other and never deviate.

So again, which approach is correct? Personally, I believe that there should be room in your poker arsenal for both approaches. Which one is employed at any given time is the real key. As an example, limping in early in tournament play when everyone may be playing ultra cautiously can get you a look at some extra flops that just may connect well with marginal holdings. The main aspect to consider is how the table is playing. It cannot be stressed too many times that you need to focus to your opponents’ tendencies to help guide your actions. If you’re in early position at a tournament table that you’ve assessed to be passive then limping might just hook you up with a monster on the flop. However, if one or more of your table mates is not allowing anyone to see cheap flops then that fact must alter your play because now you have a reasonable expectation that the flop will not be seen for just the price of the big blind. If that is the case, raising first is usually the optimum play. Another aspect of limping early comes into play when you feel certain that one or more of your aggressive opponents behind you will raise. Then limping with quality hands can garner you the opportunity to re-raise.

When I find myself at a table full of what I like to call “Fishermen”, who love limp fests, I enjoy punishing them. If I’m normally planning to enter a pot with a raise three or four times the big blind and the action is on me, after four limpers I will raise seven or eight times the big blind. How I arrive at that is to add one additional bet for each limper, in this case four, to my original
plan to bring it in for three or four times the big blind. You will normally take down a nice pot as the limpers are probably fishing to see a cheap flop with marginal hands and don’t wish to invest another six or seven bets. They will wait for a better spot. In fact, if the table is passive enough you can downright steal with any hand if you make it expensive enough. This tactic needs to be used with some prudence as someone may be limping as a trap and you will step right into it.

Whether or not to limp in no-limit is much like most aspects of poker where you are best advised not to play formula poker and just follow one line of reasoning. A good rule to follow when sorting through poker advice is to be very careful when the advice is preceded by the words never or always. Being a game of incomplete information makes the words never or always incorrect – always! This is why the use of the term “It Depends” is so ubiquitous in the poker literature. Assess your opponents’ tendencies and the texture of the game and you will soon develop a natural feel for whether you should be limping or bringing it in for a raise. Mixing up your play should serve you well as it will help to keep your opponents guessing. Never being predictable is one of the best reasons to limp some of the time and raise other times when entering a pot.

By Tom 'TIME' Leonard

Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.

1. The article is well written – very clear and concise. Nicely done!

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What is limping in poker?

In a situation where no one has raised preflop, and you have a playable hand, you have the choice to call or raise. Merely calling the big blind is also known as limping, and when you are the first limper, it is called open-limping.

Aggressive poker approach dictates raising, not limping. However, in some situations, limping has its merits. Let’s study both options to understand better when and how you can use limping in poker.

Raise

Let’s first analyze some of the reasons that favor raising.

Picking up the blinds

Probably the most significant advantage of raising versus limping is the added equity of winning the blinds when everyone folds. The value of picking up the blinds can vary, depending on the situation. If the players that are sitting after you are loose, and call often, or aggressive, and reraise to defend their blinds, the probability of winning the blinds decreases. On the other hand, if they are tight, winning or even “stealing” the blinds becomes very profitable. The extra presence of antes, like in the later stages of a tournament, also favors raising.

Narrowing the field

Another reason why you want to raise rather than limp is to narrow the field. Strong hands, like big pocket pairs or high-rank cards, tend to do well against a few opponents but can get you in trouble in multiplayer pots!

Giving less information

Limping Poker Strategy For Beginners

Some hands can play well against many opponents. This is the case with strong drawing hands, like suited or connectors, or even small pairs that can flop a set. With these types of starting hands, you have big implied odds against many opponents. If you make a strong hand on the flop, you can potentially extract a lot of money.

However, if you limp in every time the situation demands it, your opponents will catch up on your betting pattern. When they do, they will start raising you more when you limp, forcing you to fold your speculative hands. They will also be folding when you raise, as they will be able to put you on strong hands, and you will not be able to get much action with your premium hands. Mixing it up, and raising also with speculative hands, will keep your opponents guessing!

Extracting information and taking control of the hand

When you limp, many players, including the blinds, may limp behind you as the price is low. Hence, they will be calling with a wide range of hands, and you will have a hard time evaluating their strength after the flop. More importantly, by being the on to raise before the flop, you show strength and take control of the hand. By establishing this position, your opponents will often check to you after the flop. You will then have the option to make a continuation bet and try to win the pot.

Limp

Even if raising has many advantages, limping can be a valuable tool in your arsenal. Let’s take a look at some reasons why you should sometimes limp.

Keeping your opponents off balance

As for any betting pattern, raising every time you have a premium hand equals giving away information to your opponents! By limping in occasionally with monster hands, you put a doubt in your opponent’s heads and protect your weakest hands. This is a good defense against players that use their position to try to steal too often. If you feel that someone behind you tries to push you around by raising when you call, then limping with monsters is a good response. You do not have to overdo it. By having a powerful hand, strong enough to reraise a late position raise, about 25% of the times that you limp, your opponents, theoretically at least, lose interest in attempting to steal. Even more importantly, you create the impression that you are unpredictable, dangerous, and can not be pushed around.

Creating a favorable situation

If you are in a weak and passive table, limping in may induce many callers behind you and allow you to play a multiplayer pot post-flop. In such cases, if you limp with good drawing hands, like suited connectors or even small pairs, you may be able to induce many callers and play post-flop with a hand that can hit the flop hard.

Allowing someone to go crazy

Poker Strategy Free

Sometimes on the table, you have a read that if you limp, someone will make a move and raise or even go all-in. This is the case, for example, in the late stages of tournaments where antes kick-in, making preflop play more aggressive, and short stacks become desperate to make some move to stay afloat. In such cases, you can eventually try limping in with a premium hand. When the short stack goes all-in, you have the option of reraising to force out any other callers and isolate the small stack.

Luring someone in

At a table where your opponents are tight and weak, and you find yourself in late position with a monster hand, like AA, raising and winning the blinds may not be the best outcome for you. By limping, you allow the blinds to remain in the hand and possibly make mistakes post-flop.

What if other players have already limped in front of you?

When other players have already limped in front of you, most of the arguments presented above still apply. You now also have the choice to raise to make everyone fold or isolate one or two limpers that have demonstrated weakness. Raising in position several limpers is a powerful move many professional players deploy. There is a lot of money accumulated in the pot, and no one has demonstrated any real strength. However, you should not overdo this move with weak hands. Prefer to do it with your strong hands that can perform well against few opponents. With your drawing hands, you also have the option to limp and play your hand for a low price to try to hit your draw.

And from the small blind?

When you are in the small blind, the circumstances are quite different. Firstly, you will be playing out of position, even against the big blind. Secondly, it only costs you half a big blind to call, so you are getting great pot odds to see the flop. For example, if there are two more limpers, there are 3.5 big blinds already in the pot, so you are getting 7 to 1 to see a flop! Unless you know that the big blind is aggressive and will be raising too much, you can call with the majority of your cards. Even in this situation, avoid playing trash hands, like J5… Limp with playable hands and raise with your strongest hands to win the pot.

Some Examples

• You are in middle position in a weak, passive table. In front of you, two players have already limped in. In this spot, you can limp with some speculative hands, like suited aces, suited connectors and small pairs, like A5s, 98s, or 66. However, with strong pairs or high cards like JJ or AQ, it is better to raise to limit the field. Keep in mind that, if there are aggressive players behind you left to act, you must protect your limping hands by occasionally limping with strong hands. Bellow is a range of 10% raising and 20% limping that can be appropriate in this situation.

• You are on the button in a weak, passive table. In front of you, three players have already limped in. In this spot, you can limp with many speculative hands, like suited aces or kings, suited or unsuited connectors, one-gappers, and small pairs, like A3s, K6s, 98, 86s, or 55. However, with strong pairs or high cards like JJ or KQ, it is better to raise to limit the field. Bellow is a range of 10% raising and 35% limping that can be appropriate in this situation.

Poker Strategy Tsl

In a nutshell

Poker Strategy Starting Hands

When you are first in the pot, you generally want to be raising. However, selectively limping in can add value to your game. Occasionally limping with good drawing hands that profit from seeing cheap flops against multiple players can be profitable. In poker, you must mix your game to keep your opponents guessing. So consider also limping with some of your strong hands to keep your opponents off-balance!

Limping Poker Strategy For Dummies

This tutorial is part of the Advanced Poker Strategy Course. You can continue to the next tutorial on Pot Odds!