Poker is a game of planning, consistency, and exploitation. Whenever you play, you must have a plan in your head for each round. A general idea of what you will do makes paying attention to the game and other players easier than making up your strategy on the go. While it does have an element of luck, poker, especially professionally, is all about consistency. The best players can make a steady income no matter what hands they are dealt, thanks to just their skill. Finally, poker is also about exploitation and adaptation. You don’t play a static game with one strategy; all poker games are unique. Poker rewards players with a solid strategy they can also change when needed.
Recognizing other players’ habits and exploiting them by changing your playstyle is a hallmark of a good poker player that most beginners do not think about. You will see many more mistakes when playing against more inexperienced opponents. Being able to identify these mistakes and take advantage of them will help you tremendously. This poker guide will look at a common mistake among beginners: Limping. It will break down what limping is, why it’s discouraged, and the best ways to beat limpers.
What is limping?
When facing a bet pre-flop, you have three options: Raising, folding, or calling. Limping is entering the pot by calling, which is one of the biggest poker mistakes, often referred to as a “cardinal sin” pre-flop. There are two types of limping, open and over-limping. Open-limping is when you call the first person to enter the pot, while over-limping is when you call after one or more people before you have called. We will focus on open-limping as it is much worse than over-limping, which can be acceptable in niche situations.
Why is limping bad?
Some new players may not understand why limping is terrible, which is fine. Many people limp because of flawed logic, thinking they will get to see the flop for a low price. Here are several reasons why limping is not a good idea:
How to beat limpers
Now that you know why limping is terrible, here are a few tips to help you win against limpers you may find in your games:
Where to train your poker skills
We hope this article helped you deal with limpers in your games. If you want to get better at poker, you should play on sites like GGPoker, the world’s largest poker room. Online poker allows you to play many games at once from the comfort of your own home, making poker significantly more convenient. It also lets you use poker tracking software, an essential tool for analyzing and improving your game.
