the art of limping

many pros recommend you dont limp...but they are thinking in terms of much bigger games than most of us play. at less than 10$ buy ins, a lott players will gamble on just about anything, so limping can get u into a pot that can make a small tourney for you in one hand. here are card that i limp with, depending on position: small pockets...33..22..44 and such..

small connectors such as 56, 67, 79, and of course suited is better. high card rag is really low on my list of playable hands...ace 5, 4 3, or 2 when in late position is limpable. when youre in tourneys and u have decided to limp, limp early in the tourney because the blinds are a lot smaller. if you catch a set..go for it!

Just be aware that your A4 is dominated by someone with A9.

Lots of pros like to see cheap flops with all kinds of wild holdings, but the key is that they know how to outplay the other players on the flop and other streets. Limping connectors, Ace-rag and others will get you into a lot of situations where you subsequently throw away additional chips, or at the very least are faced with more difficult decisions than you would if you only played good cards.

Yes limping is ok with marginal hands but powerhouse hands if per-say you do limp, you are now letting others that would fold on a pre-flop raise, limp with such hands.

This really isn't true. Many recommend that you don't OPEN limp, however (most notably perhaps Phil Gordon).

phil is a wonderful guy, and i actually chatted with him on line. I am trying to get at what you mean by open limp V non limp..
and i cant even begin to describe how many hands i have taken down with 54, 53...89, and so on. and i do play them intelligently, and the nice thing is that when they dont hit, i know it immediately!

I think the phrase is even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes!

power house cards i very seldom limp with...perhaps if i am gettin a little short stacked and need to see the flop cheap...but even then i am prone to raise first, and the devil take the hindmost!

Correct, when players like AG open limp it makes me more wary then if they open raise.

Pssst!

Fred, don't tell anybody, it's a secret!

I will never play weak aces. If I'm in the SB I'll sometimes limp them and if I play them (in that situation or BB where I check) I may try a steal, but unless I hit 2 pair, straight or flush draw, faced with any resistance it's gone.

"Open limp" is limping in if you are the first one in the pot. Limping in behind other players who have already limped is usually acceptable, especially from late position with a hand that plays well in a multi-player pot.

I don't think there's anything wrong with limping. I'll limp with small pairs in middle or late position (I fold them in early position), or with hands like QJ, KJ, or KQ in middle position. As for ace rag, I usually fold those hands in all positions. With ace 8 or ace 9 I'll usually limp in MP.