The term “limping” is often thrown around in poker by seasoned players and professionals alike, and this is undoubtedly a term that you are going to be more than familiar with if you have been keeping up with poker for any reasonable length of time.
However, despite its frequent use, the actual meaning of limping is relatively unclear, and the majority of casual poker players have no clue as to what it means in practice. We intend to change this. Without further ado; here’s what limping is in poker.
A Tactic Employed By Passive/Less Skilled Players
To get straight to it; limping is a term that is used for someone who is afraid to raise their bet even when in possession of a good hand in poker. This is usually done by newer players in the hopes of playing it safe in the case that someone else has a better hand, therefore minimising the number of chips they would lose if such a situation was to occur.
Limping is almost always never a good thing. If you never raise your bet when in possession of a decent hand, good players are going to be able to recognise this tell straight away and take advantage, and you are almost never going to optimise your playstyle by playing this way.
This is simply down to the fact that experienced players will know what kind of hand you have right from the get-go. If you have a bad hand, you fold. If you have a good hand, you call. This is extremely easy to pick up on, and good players will begin making use of your tells right from the get-go.
You would be much better off just utilising some of the basic poker strategies if you are new to poker and are not too sure how to play – this will boost your chances of winning quite substantially.
Limping Can Lower Your Odds Drastically
If you are prone to limping, you may have noticed that you almost never come away from poker with more than you went in with. This is simply because limping can lower your odds of being successful in poker drastically.
The solution to this problem is just to know when you have a good hand. If you have a good hand, raising your bet is always the most logical thing to do, and the only reason why you wouldn’t do this is if you are not all too sure of what hands are good and what hands are bad.
This creates a middle zone where you play rather timidly, with you not wanting to fold in case you have a good hand but not wanting to raise to minimise the chances of you losing chips if you have a bad hand; e.g. limping.
If you find yourself struggling to know if you have a good set of cards, feel free to take a look at this useful guide about poker hands that will tell you everything you need to know in order to dominate the tables.
You Should Try To Avoid Limping At All Costs
Truth be told; limping is always a losing play. Anyone who has even a little knowledge about poker is going to know you are an amateur if you don’t know when to raise or fold, and you are going to get steamrolled at any table you play on unless you work on fixing this issue.
Do not feel bad if this sounds like you; limping while you are a beginner is perfectly natural. Only once you understand the game a little more will you be confident raising your bets, and it makes complete sense for you to want to minimise the number of chips you could lose at any given time.
However, you are almost always going to lose more often in the long run with limping, and any pro will be able to understand your tells within just a few turns.
We hope we have been able to give you a better insight into what limping is as well as why you should avoid limping at all costs. Limping is almost always regarded as a bad thing, and if from reading this article you have found out that you tend to limp during games, then this should be your wake-up call to set things right.
Something as simple as stopping yourself from limping when playing poker is going to make you a much better player, and you may even be able to blend in with the pros without a hitch going forward. Good luck.