Poker Dictionary (106) > Limp

Limping in - Dangers in Online Poker

A player is said to 'limp' into a pot in online poker and live games when he chooses not to fold or raise and only calls the big blind. This happens where no player raises the pot. 'Limping' in is seen as a weak play as it doesn't show any confidence in a players holding. It gives the appearance of a player wanting to see the next card on the cheap, which you wouldn't do if you had a made hand and you were trying to protect your hand. Of course this might not be the case.

You may have a made hand already and are intentionally trying to look weak. It does however throw your opponents off as to them, it looks weak. With every move that has such an appearance, it can be used to great effect as a deceptive play and is particularly effective where there are aggressive players left to act.

On an aggressive table, a player who is dealt AA, might choose to limp into the pot, fully expecting a player left to act to try to steal the pot by posting a raise. The problem with this is that when you re-pop, it looks mega strong and you are unlikely to get much more than the steal raise. It is more profitable to give a little rope in the hope of a few more profitable bets.

Remember that online, players are a lot looser than in live games so it is more likely that an aggressive player will try to take the pot in the face of passive play.

In Razz or Stud games, limping would also be calling the small bet.

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