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Poker glossary

Limp

What it means

Limping means entering a pot preflop by calling the big blind rather than raising. It’s the weakest aggressive action you can take when first entering a hand. The term comes from the passive nature of the play - you’re “limping” into the pot rather than entering with strength.

How it works at the table

When you limp, you match the big blind amount to see the flop. Say you’re in middle position at a $1/$2 game with 100bb stacks. Instead of raising to $6-8 with K♦ J♦, you call $2. The action continues around the table, often inviting multiple callers behind you. If someone raises after your limp, you must decide whether to call the additional amount, reraise, or fold. Open-limping happens when you’re first to enter the pot; overlimping means calling after someone else has already limped.

Strategic context

Limping has fallen out of favor in modern poker theory. Strong players rarely open-limp because it fails to build a pot with strong hands and doesn’t apply pressure with weaker ones. You can’t win preflop by limping. You invite multiway pots where your equity gets diluted. However, limping can work in specific situations: very passive low-stakes games where raises get little respect, or from the small blind in unopened pots. Some pros use a balanced limping strategy from early position with hands that play well multiway.

Common mistakes

Players limp too frequently with medium-strength hands like QJo or A9s that play better as raises or folds. They limp with small pairs hoping to hit sets cheaply, not realizing the poor implied odds in small pots. Many recreational players limp-call with dominated hands like KTo, then struggle postflop when they hit one pair. Another error is limping strong hands like AA to “trap” - this usually backfires by letting multiple opponents see cheap flops.

Understanding when limping might be acceptable requires solid knowledge of pot odds and implied odds. The poker rules guide covers betting actions including limping in detail. Position matters enormously - limping from early position invites punishment while limping the small blind can be reasonable. Most importantly, recognize that limping contradicts aggressive winning poker. If you’re unsure whether to limp or raise, raising is almost always better.