Playing against limpers

In this lesson

• Isolate weak limpers with a raise that grows for each limper.
• Choose a size that is likely to get the pot heads-up.
• Decide when limping behind beats both raising and folding.
• Play the big blind's option and limped pots after the flop.

Read first: Seats and opening ranges, 6-max and full ring · Advice, not a lock: every lesson opens.

Concepts used: Stealing the blinds, Multiway pots

Why limpers are worth attacking

A limper has called the big blind instead of raising. Most players raise their strong hands, so a limping range is usually capped: plenty of weak and medium hands, few big ones. Their 1 bb is dead money.

An isolation raise attacks that. It aims to win the pot at once or to play heads-up, in position, against a weaker range. The name says what it wants: to get the limper alone.

Rail's charts model a limper who can hold any hand, through a small built-in tremble that lets every hand limp now and then. Isolation is graded against that limper, who folds to it often. Real limpers' ranges differ from player to player, and the river drill's ranges rest on Rail's own narrowing model.

How big to isolate

Rail's charts isolate to 4 bb over one limper when you have position on him, add 1 bb for each extra limper, and add 1 bb more when you are out of position, as when a blind isolates. The button over an UTG limp goes to 4 bb; over two limpers to 5 bb; a blind over a button limp to 5 bb; the big blind over three limpers to 7 bb.

The button's 4 bb over one limper risks 4 bb to win 1 + 1.5 = 2.5 bb, so it needs 4 / 6.5 ≈ 61.5% folds as a pure steal. Over two limpers, 5 bb into 3.5 bb needs about 58.8%, but now three players have to fold.

Live limpers often call isolation raises, and many players go bigger still. The trade-off is the same as with opens: a bigger raise gets you heads-up more often but risks more when it does not.

With which hands

Isolate with hands that do well heads-up against a capped range: big cards that make top pair with a good kicker, pairs, and suited broadways. You will often be called, so these hands win by value, not only by folds.

Against a limper who calls everything, drop the bluffs and isolate for value. Against one who limps and folds to raises, widen. Against a limper who sometimes traps with strong hands, keep the range tight and be ready to fold to a re-raise.

Overlimping and the big blind

Overlimping, calling 1 bb behind a limper, is cheap: you pay 1 bb into 2.5 bb and need 1 / 3.5 ≈ 28.6%. The catch is that more players usually come along and your equity is split between them. Overlimp with hands that make strong hands, small pairs and suited connectors, not with offsuit hands that make one pair.

The big blind in a limped pot can check for free or isolate. Checking keeps every hand in a pot it has not paid more for; isolating takes the initiative but out of position, which is why the size is larger.

After the flop in limped pots

Every range in a limped pot is wide, and the stacks are deep compared with the pot. Big bluffs have little to win; value hands can build a pot over three streets.

• Bet your strong hands and draws; check your weak ones more than in raised pots.
• A pair that would be strong in a heads-up raised pot is only medium in a limped multiway pot.
• In a pot you isolated, the limper's range is still capped, so your strong hands get paid on more streets.

The river drill puts you in limped pots solved by Rail's engine, so you can see how these ranges play to the end.

Rules of thumb

• Isolate to 4 bb over one limper in position, plus 1 bb per extra limper, plus 1 bb out of position.
• Isolate with hands that win by value against a capped range; against calling stations, drop the bluffs.
• Overlimp with pairs and suited connectors, not with offsuit one-pair hands.
• Limped pots are deep: build pots with value, not with big bluffs.

When they break

• Against limpers who trap with strong hands, isolate tighter and respect the re-raise.
• In live games where limpers call almost every raise, size up further or isolate only for value.

Example hands

Practice

The lesson is mastered when every exercise below that Rail can grade is passed. Missed items come back later as review cards.