Kamikaze Corner
To limp or not to limp
By Davin Anderson

One of the biggest mistakes and most common errors I have observed over the years, while running tournaments and playing in cash games, is players limping when they should raise or fold. When playing Hold’em, the most overlooked and underrated decision is actually the first one.

Deciding what to do preflop with your two starting cards is monumental and effects everything else that happens during the remainder of the hand. For instance, if you decide to limp in (call the big blind) with a lower level or bad hand, and then flop a losing hand or a draw that misses, it all stems from the decision to play that hand in the first place.

In general I don’t believe in limping and very rarely limp myself, especially when playing Hold’em, whether in cash games or tournaments. My playing style of choice is one of aggression and I usually switch from tight aggressive to loose aggressive depending on my table image and the action at my table. But everyone plays differently, which is one of the beauties of the game of poker.

For those considering changing their game or looking for ways to improve their results I suggest starting with the first decision in any Hold’em game—to limp or not to limp. One of the most important things I tell players that ask about improving their game is, “Don’t limp when first to enter the pot voluntarily, especially from late position. You almost never want to allow the big blind to see the flop for free in any game or situation.”

Of course there are some situations when limping is far from a sin and is sometimes the best play. The following are guidelines on when to limp and when not to limp for both cash games and tournament play.

Middle suited or unsuited connectors (6-7, 7-8, 8-9 suited)
or one gappers (5-7, 6-8, 7-9)

These hands are often very popular gambling hands but usually require several players getting involved in the hand in order to be profitable in cash games. I’m sure everyone can remember a massive pot they won with one of these hands but most can’t remember all the money they have wasted playing these hands.

If you choose to limp in early position with these hands you will not have the benefit of knowing how many players will be in the pot and how much it might eventually cost you to play such a speculative hand. I almost never limp with them in early position (first three positions at a full table) especially in tournaments (where the chips are even more valuable) or wild and aggressive limit games. If I do choose to play these hands in middle or late position and I am first to enter the pot, I will still always raise with these hands.

Big suited and unsuited connectors or one gappers
(K-Q, Q-J, J-10, K-J, Q-10)

These are all second and third tier hands and very few people ever fold these hands even for a raise. Again, if I’m first in the pot with these hands I will always raise, but these hands don’t have to be raised in early position especially in games with lots of callers. In tournaments these hands are very good blind stealing hands but they lose value very quickly with callers.

I would caution against overplaying one of these hands beyond the flop with only top pair in both tournaments and cash games. You must remember that if you raised from early position you are supposed to have either A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K, or A-Q, so if the board has one of those cards and your opponent is calling or raising they will usually have you beat.

Small pairs
(2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6)

These hands are similar to connectors as they are really speculative hands. They are much more profitable in multi-way pots since you need an opponent to also have a big pair or big draw if you want action when you flop a set. These hands are usually considered unplayable for this reason in early position and they are much better from late position whether raising or calling a raise. The big advantage to small pocket pairs versus suited connectors is that they will either hit or miss the flop making them easier and usually cheaper to play postflop.

Middle pairs
(7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10)

These are hands that I will almost always raise with from any position except the blinds. I will also usually re-raise any middle or late position raiser with these hands (especially loose-aggressive types) with the intention of trying to isolate them and get the pot heads-up. You will also be able to better control the betting after the flop, and don’t forget to take a free card on the flop or turn if the flop is unfavorable to your hand.

In tournaments I will usually shy away from re-raising with these hands if I have a lot of chips since I would rather avoid racing for big pots. If I am a short stack I will, however, try for the isolation all-in re-raise, especially from a late position raiser (and possible blind stealer). I will caution you about re-raising an early position raiser with these hands because of the hand strength of the early position raiser’s hand. In this case I might fold and hope for a better opportunity to raise all-in with better fold equity.

I’ll cover more on when to limp and not to limp in the next issue of The Cardroom.