why NOT to limp preflop - 6max NL

[KRANTZ]

cero, if you read everything through you'll notice my examples were admittedly a bit flawed in that it could go either way. but i do account for scenarios in which limping may be more profitable than raising.

the player you describe in your 22 example is one which i account for- one where if you limp and call a raise you do have implied odds to play 22 because he will either bluff maniacally or pay you off with any piece/pair should you flop a set. you'll also get away much cheaper since it will be extremely difficult to play a raised pot vs him and push him off any piece of the board.

i don't think i say open limping is ALWAYS worse, but then again, i may have (this post is 6 months old). but the FACT remains that in 6-handed play, FOR THE MOST PART, raising is preferable. the point is to illustrate the reasons to build a preflop strategy around raising and why it's important to do that, as well as show that open raising is a means to an end that open limping will not often achieve IN 6max.

there are always exceptions. i often say that there are many in the online game, or on these forums, that have a handbook for how to play. and while they may carve out a decent winrate, your last paragraph rings true: "you won't dominate those games, or beat the toughest games, until your strategy is dynamic..." extremely, extremely important that players realize this and get better at this.

your examples are just as arbitrary as the ones that i gave, obviously. hopefully people can come away from our nitpicking and understand the idea behind that last paragraph.