Limping the BU vs LP Steal.

[MJBuddy]

In the last MTT I played, I had a fun hyper aggro big stack in the blinds to the left of me when I was on the button. Picking up hands like JT, QJ, etc in the button and raising with them and getting jammed into created two problems:

1. In small stakes, more times than not the jam isn't a resteal, it's just a hand.

2. I don't want to flip when I'm uncertain when I can outplay these guys on the flop (standard min-bet/minraise affrairs mostly).

So I began to open limp the button. Fun high variance things happened...flopping OESD that hit on turns that I called large blocking bets with because the aggro players would spew the implied odds on me, flopped flushes, etc.

Obviously these aren't standard, but I got the see flops in position in small multiway pots or HU with drawing hands, and overall it worked. I worked steals in from other LP, but limping the button has become a favorite of mine.


Any comments/ways to impliment this practice that either I'm oblivious to or I should consider?

[mflip]

If he reraises in the BB a lot, limp/shove as a steal. Just don't do it when he has AA (damn kurtkatt in the 4/180 challenge a couple weeks ago). It usually works surprisingly well.

[Pokerfarian]

If you have someone who likes to give you money every time you see a flop against him, then seeing flops by limp/(call) seems like a good & logic plan. It sounds like it worked for you, so that's good.
I went through a period of time where I liked to open limp the button when I had a stack size more suited to restealing (say ~15-20BBs), then decided it wasn't a great idea & stopped. <shrug>

[MJBuddy]

[ QUOTE ]
If he reraises in the BB a lot, limp/shove as a steal. Just don't do it when he has AA (damn kurtkatt in the 4/180 challenge a couple weeks ago). It usually works surprisingly well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, I will 9 times out of 10 limp Aces on the button.

Either because I haven't been aggressive *yet* and I don't want to show the strength of my hand or because CO limps and I don't want to show my strength - digusing my hand and keeping position I find way +EV than scaring off my fish.


Once blinds appear and people expect steals, I'll raise obviously.

[Sherman]

I open-limp on the button sometimes. Honestly, I am really exploitable because I almost never open-limp on the button with a big hand; usually something I'd like to see the flop with.

However, it often confuses the blinds enough that they just check or complete and I get to see the flop in position. Basically, I am limping because I want to play my hand in position and by raising, I risk losing my positional advantage by getting re-raised.

[All_In_Olly]

[ QUOTE ]
by raising, I risk losing my positional advantage by getting re-raised.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this because you believe they will put you on a steal and resteal?
In the lower stakes I find that resteals rarely happen and that a reraise is because of a strong hand.
Fact is that while limping gives you a chance to win post flop, raising gives you 2 ways of winning.

Against laggy blinds who tend to reraise, I find myself getting raised when I limp, so I just raise with good hands and shove over their reraise

[mflip]

I don't think that they "resteal" but there are definitely players in the micros that think "hmm he's been raising my blind everytime. He can't always have hand. QJ/A4/K8/22 must be ahead of the trash he has. ALL-IN!"

[MJBuddy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
by raising, I risk losing my positional advantage by getting re-raised.

[/ QUOTE ]
Fact is that while limping gives you a chance to win post flop, raising gives you 2 ways of winning.


[/ QUOTE ]

You also have two ways of losing. And when you lose, you lose a bunch more. Limping keeps the pot small, even though you're in position, but you can inflate the pot to your will because you are in control.

And honestly, if they check HU you can min-bet any flop and win 70% of them...same effectiveness of a steal risking less.

And resteals are simply more commonly done, but worsely executed. When I gear up my aggression, the blinds to my left get really touchy.

Two nights ago this happened and I put the BB on restealing *really* light. He jammed over my steal with J9o from the CU and the pot was 5500 with 3200 for me to call. I made the call - was instantly berated for how horrible it was...and my J9 held up over his lovely 52o.

They resteal badly; I don't want to risk my stack on it being rags every time.