For the experienced and inexperienced player, here's some advice from a poker forum that is originally authored by me. LIMPING
Limping is a great way to LEAK your chips. You'd be very surprised to see how many chips you'll throw away by limping with trash and completing the SB with trash.
Limping also depends on how many other limpers there are in the pot. BE WARNED, if you are deep in a tournament and there are say 3 other limpers and you decide to limp in position you may find yourself getting squeeze played by short stacks that are to act after you. When there is this many limps in a pot short stacks will be SERIOUSLY tempted to shove with such a massive range.
There are only a few hands and scenarios i limp with:
EARLY POSITION
Limping in early position is usually a leaky move to make (unless it's with AA but that'll get you in all sorts of trouble that i won't talk about here). Some of these hands can be limped with and then call a small raise; especially the pocket pairs.
AJs/o
KQs/o
22-88 (Might fold 22 or 33)
MID POSITION
Limping in mid position is less leaky. By now if there has been no raise, you are likely to see a flop. Here are the hands you want to see a flop with but without committing much of your money. AJ is a borderline raise here, im definately raising AJs but most of the time limping AJo.
AJo
KQs/o
MAYBE KJs/KTs
IF 2 or 3 limpers then:
Suited connectors 67s+
22-99
LATE POSITION
You can be sure to see a flop when you limp here unless BB is protecting or they have been lucky enough to pick up something that's worth raising OOP.
(Fine line between limping and raising, depends on action)
ATo
KQs/o
KJs/o
KTs
QTs
Suited connectors 45s+ only if value in pot.
22-66
RAISING
Ok, so say we're deep stacked with 30BBs as heavy suggested. And let's also say the blinds aren't big enough to start stealing yet. I'm raising here to build value in a pot so i can take down a monster.
One thing about raising i want to address first is stack sizes. ALWAYS be sure to check the stack sizes of the players behind you; if you have 2 people to act behind and they are both short stacked with 10BBs or less, if you're going to raise you should really just shove your chips in rather than letting them play a stop and go on you when you miss the flop (because if you raise 3BBs and then they shove 7BBs on the flop and you have air then they have fold equity).
EARLY POSITION
Raising in early position is seen as incredibly strong, and it usually is. Raising here with anything other than the top 8 hands is a bad move unless you want to represent something huge for a well constructed bluff which most of the time is a dumb thing to do.
AKs/o
AQs/o
99-AA
MID POSITION
Again, you want to build the pot. But the range is slightly bigger this time but only very slightly.
AKs/o
AQs/o
AJs maybe AJo and ATs
88-AA
LATE POSITION
AKs/o
AQs/o
AJs/o
ATs
KQs
77-AA
FOLDING
Well... everything you don't raise or limp with.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Aggression is what makes a truely great poker player. You won't win anything big these days by playing by the book.
Instructional videos will teach you a lot about this. I've seen deep stacked players raising UTG with any suited A etc.
Putting pressure on short stacks when raising in LP is best to do if raising. Don't raise small into a short stack because their range is so large that their shove ontop might make you fold the better hand. Bet an amount which says "if you shove, i have to call you" it's enough to basically act as putting them all in whilst still not committing a lot of your chips (so you can get away if a big stack reraises you).
- Remember to protect your big blind but don't raise it blindly.
- PUNISH limpers
- DON'T LEAK CHIPS
Keep it tight, but keep it aggressive.
Nick
