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Don’t Make Limping a Habit

2,215 Views on 19/10/20

One of the most significant errors made by beginner poker players is playing too many hands

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One of the most significant errors made by beginner poker players is playing too many hands. It’s easy to see why this happens; there is the excitement of playing a new game and an eagerness to win. The new player wants to get involved in the action, and it seems sitting about waiting for the right spot is unnatural and perhaps a little boring.

As a result, you see many newbies calling way too many raises – you may have heard of the name they are given, “calling stations” – and then getting themselves into a world of trouble. Equally, you will see newbies limping in far too much. Limping is the polar opposite of aggressive four-betting.


What is Limping in Poker?

If you are the first player to act, or everyone else has folded, you are limping if you make the minimum bet (i.e. the cost of the big blind). A newbie sees this as a great way to get involved in a pot, seemingly unaware of all the things that can go wrong, more of which later.

Then there is over limping. Here, if someone has already limped ahead of you, you are over limping if you simply call. Generally, this is also a bad play.


Why is Limping Considered a Bad Thing?

Although poker is played in many different ways and many strategies can be profitable, you won’t find any that advocate limping. It’s well worth reading up about Texas Hold’em, and then you can test poker strategy for free at a play money site without risking your cash.

A good player will seize upon the weakness shown by limping players. And it is a weakness because they play way too many hands, meaning their range is wide open. They are likely to play rubbish poker hands like 10-6 offsuit and weak aces like A-4 offsuit. The skilled opponent will raise the limper, who is likely now exposed and isolated because everyone else will fold.

Let’s say you limp in with A-7 from an early position. A player in a later position re-raises you. When it comes back to you, you can either fold, in which case your opening limp bet goes down the drain, or call because you feel that you already have an interest in the pot, so a little more can’t hurt.

The new player pays to see a flop because they have a cavalier attitude. And because, well, they have an ace, so that must be good. But now what? If an ace hits on the flop, isn’t there a high chance the aggressor has a good ace like A-Q or even A-K? In which case, the limper is crushed but will blindly remain in the pot, at great expense, anyway.

The old poker adage that it’s always best to be the aggressor is spot on. Occasionally, the weak limper will fold in this spot. But the new player often has another curious habit, which is being overly aggressive if their limp-call hand actually hits big. Let’s say the flop in our example above came A-7-2. Now the limp-caller has two pair, and in his excitement will come out all guns blazing. A better player will recognize this behavior and get away from his own decent hand.


When is it Appropriate to Limp?

You must choose your spots wisely, but don’t ever get so predictable that others can spot what you are doing. If you have plenty of chips, and someone has limped, and others called ahead of you, it already makes sense to join them and over limp because it’s a small price to pay for what is already a growing pot.

If you whiff the flop, you will hopefully have the experience to fold and let others dig themselves into trouble. But if you hit the flop well, the chances are you can pick up a sizeable pot because the inexperienced limpers might find it hard to let go of their cards.

Limping is most popular when it is folded around to the small blind, who then “completes” by adding the necessary chips to match the big blind. This is fine occasionally, but it really depends on how you perceive the big blind to play. If he is a passive player, it is unlikely he will raise you, so you get to see the flop cheaply. But if he is in the habit of re-raising your limps, then fold. You might trap this player, of course, by limping with a monster hand in the expectation he will raise.

The same can be said of earlier positions around the table. If you are playing a loose-aggressive player behind you, then you might occasionally limp with a big hand so that you can shove when he re-raises you.

And the final time limping is acceptable is in the early stages of a large poker tournament or if you are deep stacked in a cash game. If you have the type of starting hand that can make a monster, such as a small pair becoming a set, or a suited connector making a straight or a flush, then you can disguise it after limping.

Your better opponents might well spot what you are up to, but the weaker guys will be limping regardless, and they become the easy target.

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At PokerVIP we pride ourselves in recruiting top poker talent from around the World to help our users improve their game. With over 350 original training videos from over 30 renowned poker coaches, PokerVIP is one of the best resources ... Read More

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