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Defying conventional wisdom - limping in pre

BigBlusterBigBluster Member Posts: 1,075
edited February 2012 in The Poker Clinic
What usually happens on internet forums is that anyone who goes against the grain gets slagged off. So here goes...

Of course I know what most people say - you should never limp. By the way, this is not a view shared by WSOP champion Dan Harrington, but nonetheless it's become standard thinking and the game has moved on since Dan's era.

But what exactly is wrong with limping in certain situations?
You're on the button with 44 - you could raise to win the blinds - big deal. Or you could limp, entice others in and potentially win their entire stack in a fit-or-fold situation.
The other argument is that by raising you 'take control' of the pot - take control of what exactly? An opportunity to make a c-bet into 3 overcards? Doesn't sound overly controlling to me.

I think that playing against the grain, against conventional norms, is going to be the way to go in the future. Everyone nowadays knows the standard way to play, someone will do a Fosbury flop and completely change the game, but this won't happen by following the herd.

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Comments

  • TWRAMYEPTWRAMYEP Member Posts: 351
    edited February 2012

    Unlikely limping is going to be the new strong play, any thinking player is going to exploit you to bits

  • rancidrancid Member Posts: 5,945
    edited February 2012
    Just limp your whole range
  • AcidMan27AcidMan27 Member Posts: 3,752
    edited February 2012
    By open limping in 44 on the button you're more than likely only going to win the hand by hitting your set.

  • Dudeskin8Dudeskin8 Member Posts: 6,228
    edited February 2012
    If you limp 44 otb then you'll have to do the same with other hands AK/AQ/AJ, big pairs SC's to balance your range, if you JUST do it with small pairs then most decent players will work it pot pretty quickly.

    Raising overall is just much better, IP with betting lead and decent hand, by limping your just relying on luck.

    However at NL4 etc this can be a good strategy.
  • AMYBRAMYBR Member Posts: 3,432
    edited February 2012
    In Response to Defying conventional wisdom - limping in pre:
    What usually happens on internet forums is that anyone who goes against the grain gets slagged off. So here goes... Of course I know what most people say - you should never limp. By the way, this is not a view shared by WSOP champion Dan Harrington, but nonetheless it's become standard thinking and the game has moved on since Dan's era. But what exactly is wrong with limping in certain situations? Nothing, in certain situations You're on the button with 44 - you could raise to win the blinds - big deal. Or you could limp, entice others in and potentially win their entire stack in a fit-or-fold situation. Yes, but raising pre allows you to win pot uncontested a portion of the time, while still getting whols stack when your bet sizing is right. The other argument is that by raising you 'take control' of the pot - take control of what exactly? An opportunity to make a c-bet into 3 overcards? Doesn't sound overly controlling to me. Totally respect your thoughts, but we are only allowing ourselves one way to win with our hand.  Making a habit of limping in to c/f is he definition of EV- I think that playing against the grain, against conventional norms, is going to be the way to go in the future. Everyone nowadays knows the standard way to play, someone will do a Fosbury flop and completely change the game, but this won't happen by following the herd.  No hand should be played in a vacuum.  Our opponents should have a feel for our style, making the way we play 44/AA 36o no difference.  What I mean is that the way we play any hand, should be in lign with our encompassing strategy and style, mixing it up being a gear within that OVERALL philosophy.
    Posted by BigBluster

    I agree with what you say (in part), have answered directly to a couple of bits, but mainly relating to the specific hand type you mention.

    Poker trends are cicular in nature, always have been.  People are shee-ple.  Watch any ME from 2006 back and you will see that for the main part the standard of play is HORRIFIC.

    Where, in the past, trends have indeed been cicular, we have something else entirely now.  The modern era of online poker has pulled the game apart so much and into such micromanagment, that the standard of play (in the main) has improved drastically.

    I totally agree that in some spots we do have to go against the grain to acheive a desired result.  But going against the grain in those specific spots (if you truly know what you are doing) is a result of the greater technical aptitude of the poker world, rather than people stepping outside of conventional lines imo.  It is just another gear within a persons overall game, that works alongside all the rest.



  • EvilPinguEvilPingu Member Posts: 3,462
    edited February 2012
    I don't mind limping in some situations, as long as you have a reason for limping. If you're limping with 95o to try and flop a straight, then that's bad. 

    I limp quite often with small pairs at NL4, simply because I can't raise with small pairs then c-bet when I miss and win the pot that way as I just get stationed by someone with bottom pair and no kicker. 

    In that situation, I'd rather limp and be in a pot against 4 or 5 players, so that when I hit my set, several of these stations pay me off, and I don't have to invest the standard 16-20p + 1bb/limper raise @ NL4 pre-flop as this'll often mean I'm just giving myself the wrong price to hit my set with effective stack sizes (most people don't even sit down with a full stack at NL4, with the exception of regs) and throwing 20p away every time I miss.

    I wouldn't recommend limping in most situations, but it's something which, if you have a good reason for it, then you can use occasionally.
  • huuuuumehuuuuume Member Posts: 569
    edited February 2012
    In Response to Defying conventional wisdom - limping in pre:
    What usually happens on internet forums is that anyone who goes against the grain gets slagged off. So here goes... Of course I know what most people say - you should never limp. By the way, this is not a view shared by WSOP champion Dan Harrington, but nonetheless it's become standard thinking and the game has moved on since Dan's era. But what exactly is wrong with limping in certain situations? You're on the button with 44 - you could raise to win the blinds - big deal. Or you could limp, entice others in and potentially win their entire stack in a fit-or-fold situation. The other argument is that by raising you 'take control' of the pot - take control of what exactly? An opportunity to make a c-bet into 3 overcards? Doesn't sound overly controlling to me. I think that playing against the grain, against conventional norms, is going to be the way to go in the future. Everyone nowadays knows the standard way to play, someone will do a Fosbury flop and completely change the game, but this won't happen by following the herd.
    Posted by BigBluster
    why would you want to get into a situation like this?  considering you will not hit your set most of the time you are just going to be entering pots and then losing time after time.....that doesnt sound fun to me
  • BigBlusterBigBluster Member Posts: 1,075
    edited February 2012
    Huuume
    The thinking is that if you're 100 BB deep, then limping to potentially take down 100 BB could be an option. Raising to win 1.5BB or limping to potentially win 100? The odds aren't good of hitting the set, but do the sums stack up? I don't know, but it's surely worth asking the question.


  • AMYBRAMYBR Member Posts: 3,432
    edited February 2012
    Yes, but for this too happen we are assuming opponent stacks off super light in limped pot.

    If we make our pf betsize right, we will likely be called in any case.

    A) Winning pots uncontested
    B) taking down maginally larger pots when we take down pot with c-bet
    C) stack opponent easier with inflated pot.
    D) Make our set when called by typical junk from the blinds (the player type that goes broke light in a limped pot is same player type that calls with junk :p)
    E) Gives opponent something to shhot at with inflated pot size
    F) Flop bet + turn cbet is going to be more difficult for decent players to station uber light, rather than scaled down c-bet
    G)
    H)
    I)
    J)
    K)

    (will edit in later when i get home :P)
  • huuuuumehuuuuume Member Posts: 569
    edited February 2012
    In Response to Re: Defying conventional wisdom - limping in pre:
    Huuume The thinking is that if you're 100 BB deep, then limping to potentially take down 100 BB could be an option. Raising to win 1.5BB or limping to potentially win 100? The odds aren't good of hitting the set, but do the sums stack up? I don't know, but it's surely worth asking the question.
    Posted by BigBluster
    you're not even close here.  a lot of your thinking seems to assume we win 100bb every time we flop a set...this simply does not happen
  • grantorinograntorino Member Posts: 4,710
    edited February 2012
    First of all this is going to repeat lots of what others, esp amybr have said. I would think raising is generally better and if you do want to openlimp sometimes I would not be doing it from the button without a very specific reason. However I dont think openlimping is always bad, especially if you are confident you can outplay people postflop. I dont ever do it myself for the following reasons, but these reasons might not apply to a better player than me

    1. Its hard to balance a limping range, and keep limping more profitable than raising with that range
    2. Its much harder to get people to stack off in limped pots when we do hit big
    3. We have to play fit or fold too much
    4. I find it much harder to handread in limped pots
    5. With marginal hands stealing the blinds and winning 1.5BB or sometimes more if we get called and take it down postflop is a good result
  • AMYBRAMYBR Member Posts: 3,432
    edited February 2012
    In Response to Re: Defying conventional wisdom - limping in pre:
    i tell u what is coming back in to the game the donk lead but with a strong hand instead of checking it to the preflop raiser i love this play the lil donk lead bet it confuses the **** out of the opponent 
    Posted by IDONKCALLU
    I could type a re-heee-lly re-heeee-lly long post on this.

    But I wont................
  • BigBlusterBigBluster Member Posts: 1,075
    edited February 2012
    In Response to Re: Defying conventional wisdom - limping in pre:
    i tell u what is coming back in to the game the donk lead but with a strong hand instead of checking it to the preflop raiser i love this play the lil donk lead bet it confuses the **** out of the opponent 
    Posted by IDONKCALLU
    This was called 'one of the strongest plays in poker' by Doyle Brunson, in the 80s! He has a whole section on getting in cheap with a small pair, flopping a set, then leading into the raiser, in the inimitable but grammatically awful Super/System.

    The 80s are coming back! Now where did I keep my flares....
  • pod1pod1 Member Posts: 4,377
    edited February 2012
    never say never!!!
  • AMYBRAMYBR Member Posts: 3,432
    edited February 2012
    I'll cut my own shhlong off before I ever min donk lead.

    I could type dozens of pages on how dumb it is. 
  • LOL_RAISELOL_RAISE Member Posts: 2,188
    edited February 2012
    how are you going to win 100bbs when the pot is 2.5bb / 3bb on the flop without just coolering your opponent
  • SJspanky1SJspanky1 Member Posts: 620
    edited February 2012
    I understand where you're coming from with this one and there's nothing wrong with ever challenging conventional thinking. Don't think the button is the place to limp a PP tho. Makes more sense to limp UTG/UTG+1 to make calling a 3 bet cheaper then praying you hit your set. Think I'd still at least min rse tho.

    Interesting thread.
  • rancidrancid Member Posts: 5,945
    edited February 2012
    In Response to Re: Defying conventional wisdom - limping in pre:
    how are you going to win 100bbs when the pot is 2.5bb / 3bb on the flop without just coolering your opponent
    Posted by LOL_RAISE

    just about sums it up

  • AMYBRAMYBR Member Posts: 3,432
    edited February 2012
    Have to say there is nothing wrong with questioning status quo tho.

    Will put my head on the block and say I have one too.  Caught a bit of James Hartigan discussing this overall theme T'other night, including Greensteins suspect BR advice, as well as someone saying "Range Merging is a simple justication for every time someone spews off" :) awesome.

    Mine surrounds Betting for Information, I do expect to be hounded for this.

    I am not adverse, in specific deep spots, of betting for info.  In vast mojority of hands I know why I am betting or checking, what my intents are facing certain actions.

    When we stone cold bluff we are have a purpose.  But we are, in part, betting for info, info being can opponent call us.

    When we probe, we are looking for info.

    When we block bet, we are looking for info in part.

    Betting for info solely is bad in majority of spots.

    Poker is a game of information, with every bet and call we accumulate information on opponents tendancies and ranges.

    I think sometimes people repeat "Betting for info is bad" by wrote.

    All am saying imo, is its not always wrong, if we know exactly why we are doing it.

    Attack comence :p
  • rancidrancid Member Posts: 5,945
    edited February 2012
    Betting to be told you behind is never good

    saying that....

    c/c never feels good either when your behind
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