How to play against limpers in live cash games
A limp is a call of the big blind before the flop instead of a raise. Live £1/£2 and £2/£5 games are full of them, and most opening charts, including ours, assume nobody has entered the pot. This lesson covers your three options against limpers, how big to raise, which hands to play and what happens after the flop.
What a limp usually tells you
Most players limp with hands they want to see a flop with cheaply: small pairs, suited cards, weak aces and broadway hands they do not want to raise. Their strongest hands are usually raised, so a limping range is often wide and missing the very top. Players who do this are said to have a capped range.
Usually is the important word. Some players limp with aces hoping to re-raise, and some limp everything. Your notes on a player beat any general rule. If you keep notes on regulars, the player notes guide shows how to keep them about evidence rather than labels.
Your three options
Against one or more limpers you can:
- Raise, often called isolating. You charge the limpers to continue and aim for a pot against one of them, with the initiative and ideally position.
- Over-limp, which means calling the big blind behind them. You see a cheap multiway flop with a hand that wins big pots when it hits.
- Fold. Many hands that are fine opens become poor hands against several players who have already shown interest.
The choice depends on your hand, your seat, how many players limped and what they do after the flop.
How big to raise over limpers
A common starting point is your normal open plus one big blind for each limper. Many live games need more, because limpers who have already put money in call raises readily. Here is what each size offers a limper at £1/£2, starting from an £8 open, if nobody else acts:
| Limpers | Raise (+1 big blind each) | Limper must call | Equity the limper needs | Raise (+2 big blinds each) | Limper must call | Equity the limper needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £10 | £8 | 34.8% | £12 | £10 | 37.0% |
| 2 | £12 | £10 | 34.5% | £16 | £14 | 37.8% |
| 3 | £14 | £12 | 34.3% | £20 | £18 | 38.3% |
Even the bigger raise offers each limper a price of a bit over a third. Expect callers whatever you choose. What the size really changes is how much money goes in before the flop and how many players come along. A bigger raise gets fewer callers and makes a bigger pot relative to the stacks, which suits strong high-card hands. A smaller raise keeps the pot smaller when you are called by several players.
Try it: size a raise over limpers
Change the number of limpers and how much you add for each. See the price the limpers get and the stack-to-pot ratio you would play.
Pot after your raise £19. One caller makes a £29 pot; all 2 limpers calling makes £39.
Assumes the blinds fold, nobody else acts after the limper, and no rake.
Which hands to raise and which to over-limp
Raise hands that are strongest when they are ahead and play well against one or two opponents: big pairs, ace-king, ace-queen and strong suited broadway hands. From the cutoff and button you can also raise more hands, because you will have position after the flop.
Over-limp hands that win big pots when they hit and do not mind several opponents: small and middle pairs, suited connectors and suited aces. They are best in position and when the raise is unlikely to make the limpers fold. With a small pair, you flop a set or better 11.8% of the time, so a cheap multiway pot with deep stacks suits it well.
Fold offsuit hands that often make a second-best pair: king-ten, queen-jack and similar hands from early seats. Against several players, top pair with a weak kicker loses big pots.
After the flop
A raise over limpers changes the size of the pot compared with the stacks behind, known as the stack-to-pot ratio, or SPR. At £1/£2 with £200 stacks, raise to £12 over two limpers:
- One limper calls and the other folds: the pot is £29 and £188 remains, an SPR of about 6.5.
- Both limpers call: the pot is £39, an SPR of about 4.8.
The lower the SPR, the sooner a strong one-pair hand is committed. With an SPR under 5, top pair with a good kicker can often get all the money in. Above 6, you need to be more careful with one pair.
Multiway pots also shrink every hand’s equity. When two limpers call, bet less often on the flop with nothing, and value bet strong hands, because someone will often have a piece of the board. The equity lesson shows how quickly equity falls as players are added.
When a limper re-raises
A limp followed by a re-raise is called a limp-reraise. In many live games it is one of the strongest actions you will see, often a big pair. Unless your notes on that player say otherwise, fold the weaker part of your raising range and continue only with hands that can stand a strong range.
Common mistakes
- Using the no-limper chart when two players have already limped.
- Raising the same amount over four limpers as over one, then playing a five-way pot out of position.
- Isolating with weak offsuit hands that do well only when the limpers fold.
- Over-limping from early position, inviting a raise from the players behind.
- Ignoring a limp-reraise from a player who never bluffs.
Check yourself
At £1/£2, two players limp and you raise to £12. If one limper is deciding whether to call, what equity does that limper need?
The pot after your raise is £1 + £2 + £2 + £2 + £12 = £19. The limper calls £10 more, so needs £10 ÷ (£19 + £10) = 34.5%.
You raise to £12 over two limpers with £200 stacks. One calls, one folds. What is the stack-to-pot ratio on the flop?
The pot is £12 + £12 + £1 + £2 + £2 = £29, with £188 behind. 188 ÷ 29 is about 6.5.
Three players limp and you hold 5♣ 5♦ on the button. Raise or over-limp?
Usually over-limp. A raise rarely makes three limpers fold, and the pair wants a cheap multiway flop where it can win a big pot when it makes a set. Raise only if you know the limpers fold to raises often.
Key takeaways
- Against limpers you are not opening any more: raise, over-limp or fold with the hands suited to each.
- A raise over limpers rarely prices them out; size it for the pot you want to play.
- Watch the stack-to-pot ratio after the flop, and respect a limp-reraise.
Sources and method
Original Overshove writing. The prices assume nobody else acts after the limper, no rake, and stacks of £200 at £1/£2. The set figure is the exact chance of flopping three of a kind or better with a pocket pair, counted over every flop. Hand advice is an editorial starting point; adjust it to your notes on the players at your table.
Questions
What is limping in poker?
Limping means calling the big blind before the flop instead of raising. Limping in as the first player is an open-limp; calling behind players who have already limped is an over-limp.
Is limping ever good in poker?
Sometimes. Over-limping behind other limpers with small pairs or suited connectors, in position, can be a good way to see a cheap multiway flop. Limping in first is usually weaker than raising, because it gives up the chance to win the pot before the flop and invites a raise from the players behind.
Should you raise or limp behind limpers in live poker?
Raise with hands that are strongest against one or two opponents, such as big pairs and strong aces. Over-limp with small pairs and suited connectors that want a cheap multiway flop, especially in position. Fold weak offsuit hands that make second-best pairs.
How much should you raise over limpers?
A common starting point is your normal open plus one big blind for each limper, and many live games need more. No size you are likely to use stops limpers getting a price of about a third, so size for the pot you want to play rather than to make them fold.
What is an isolation raise in poker?
It is a raise over one or more limpers aimed at playing the pot against one of them, usually the weakest player, with the initiative and ideally position.
What does a limp-reraise mean?
A player who limps and then re-raises after someone else raises usually has a strong hand, often a big pair. Some players do it as a bluff, but treat it as strong unless your notes on that player say otherwise.