The topic for last week’s columnwas by request, but writing it got my mind turning and led to a lot of other ideas. Some of those will pop up down the road, but I closed my previous column with my two-word strategy tip for beginners: “Don’t Limp.” There is a lot of value in that little tidbit, but in poker, you should always understand why you are doing something instead of taking certain actions because you read somewhere that was what you should do.

There are no hard and fast rules in a situational game like poker. Of all the little rules I have for myself when playing, though, this is probably the one I follow the most. And for me, not limping is defined precisely as this: “If I am the first player to voluntarily enter a pot, it will be for a raise.” If another player limps, I will sometimes limp along, but I can’t remember the last time I open-limped into a pot.

For beginners, I would suggest an even more extreme version of this strategy where pre-flop you never limp under any circumstances. If you want to enter the pot, raise. If you aren’t comfortable enough with your hand or the situation, fold. There are flaws in this approach, but for a beginning player, using this approach for a short period of time lays the groundwork for being aggressive and applying pressure, which are traits almost all winning players have.

While there are situations where calling would be a better play, most beginning players fall into the trap of limping and calling too often, and playing like this will prevent forming the habit of limping into pots. If combined with a tight hand selection early on, it can also limit a player’s exposure, as he is getting experience at the tables.

Playing this way, a lot of pots will be won pre-flop when everyone folds. Even if a player or two calls, you will be playing most of your hands heads-up where you still have a good chance at winning the pot.

Limping or even calling raises can lead to a waterfall effect where everyone at the table is in to see the flop. Winning these big multi-way pots can bring in a lot of chips, but it’s harder to win the hand since you are up against a larger number of opponents. For each player in the pot, the number of variables to consider when making decisions grows exponentially.

Once you get comfortable playing pots heads-up, there may be situations where you are willing to take on multi-way pots, but early on, it is better to limit your number of opponents and simplify your decisions.

A few years back, I was talking to a person who had started playing and asked me for some advice. We talked about a few things and I mentioned not limping. As we discussed it, he was very resistant and I knew I wasn’t getting through to him, so I took a different tactic and came across something that got through to him.

Any time you just limp in or just call a bet at any stage of the hand, you are only giving yourself one way to win: make the best hand. When you raise, you give yourself two ways to win. You can still make the best hand, but you can also get your opponent to fold. The player I was speaking with, at a very early stage in his poker life, couldn’t really grasp all the other things we had talked about, but he quickly latched onto the multiple ways to win reasoning.

That gave him enough confidence and understanding about not limping to try it out. He came back later and said he saw an immediate difference in his results. He also thanked me for helping kick-start his growth as a poker player.

The biggest mistake I see players making on a regular basis in cash games and tournaments is limping pre-flop. And once a player has done it for years, it becomes very hard for them to break the habit. There are times to call in poker. In fact, with a few of my regular opponents, check-calling has become my weapon of choice. But early on, the benefits of being the aggressor and putting in raises almost every time you put chips in the pot will help get you going in the right direction.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.