Poker Articles

The most common type of limp I see is from early position with mid pocket pairs. I think players do this because they don't want to commit a lot of chips with a mediocre hand with so many unknown hands behind them. But think of what happens when you see an early position raise; you immediately put them on a strong hand, and rightly so. Poker is all about misperception, so if you raise with 66 in first position, a lot of players will fold hands like 88 and AJ because they think you have a stronger hand than them. Now if you limp, the same player with 88 or AJ might think of raising 4 times the big blind, which would let them take control of the hand with some weak, limper chips in the pot. So what are you going to do? Fold and give up an extra big blind? Or call, hope to hit a set, and if not, then check-fold? Neither are good decisions, so don't limp in the first place!

Now what happens if someone limps in front of you, and you hold a hand that is playable? Try asking yourself these two questions: how strong is the player that limped? Is it worth it to raise roughly 4 times the big blind with position? If you think the player is strong, and it's not worth the raise, then just be patient and fold. When I'm playing my best poker, you will never see me limp in a pot with 40x the big blind or less; the only time I would is with more than 40 big blinds, a small pocket pair or suited connector, and with 3-4 bad limpers in front of me.

Now on to calling bets... If your struggling and want to start over with your game, start with never calling any bet without getting at least 4-1 on your money. When I say never call a bet/raise, I mean when there is a button raise to 3 times the big blind, NEVER call from the blinds; either raise or fold. When there is a middle position minimum raise, NEVER call; raise or fold. When you start calling these bets, you're playing weak poker, and stronger players will start making squeeze plays and/or betting any flop that comes. This is going to leave you with the decision to either make a big bluff back at them or fold. Again, neither are good scenarios.

But what about slow playing? First of all, I would recommend never slow playing with more than 40 times the big blind. Too often a bad card will come, and there are too many chips left in your stack to commit your whole stack to the hand. With less than 40 times the big blind, slow playing can be effective in unique spots, especially against an aggressive player. Think of situations where you have recently had the opportunity to slow play a hand. If you are out of position, it should be because a loose/aggressive player called your preflop raise and you hit a set, two pair, straight, etc.

In this case, the biggest question you have to ask yourself is how concerned you are about the turn card. If you think that most cards won't hurt you, check-calling and letting him control the action is not a bad idea, and then check-raising the turn or betting out are both solid plays to follow up. If you are in position and you aren't worried about the turn, calling a lead out bet or checking a flop are passive plays that can be profitable. You really have to play your opponent in most cases and think about whether or not he is going to bet the turn if he sees weakness in a checked flop. Knowing when to slow play is a very important aspect in poker, and it is the only time I would ever recommend calling a bet.

Try following this base strategy for a month or so, and then slowly branch out and see how other moves can fit into your game. Keep in mind each scenario, and then use the ones that are successful as often as you feel comfortable. This should help you become a better poker player. I still keep "never limp, never call" in the back of my mind whenever I play, and it has helped me become a profitable player.