Isolating Limpers in Micro Stakes Games

No Limit Texas Hold’em has become a very popular game, and everyday new players are joining the micro stakes online tables to find action and have some fun, without realizing the big leaks in their game.

Amateur players are still learning the game and tend to be very weak tight, especially at low limit games. These players will play too many hands, limping into the pot with weak hands. If you see a player limp into a pot you can be pretty sure they are not a regular winning player.

New players don’t have the patience to wait for premium hands so they will be tempted to play junk hands like K6s or A8o, thinking that if they get lucky and make a big hand then they can win a big pot.

However, the chances of making a big hand with mediocre cards are very slim, and more often then not these weak players will just be throwing money away.

If a player limps in, the best way to exploit them is to raise him in an attempt to isolate the weaker player. What range of hands you should isolate raise with will be the same range that you would normally open raise from that position.

For example, a passive limper limps into the pot in early position, and you are dealt ATs in the CO in a 6 max game. You should raise the limper here. Doing this serves several goals.

Fist of all, you likely have the best hand, so you want to raise for value to invest more into the pot pre-flop. The limper is playing too many hands, so he could call your raise with a dominated hand like A6, and if an ace comes on the flop, you are making it easier for yourself to win his stack, because the pot size is bigger and every subsequent bet will be bigger.

Secondly, there is the chance that the passive limper will fold, and you get to take down the pot pre flop.

Thirdly, when you announce a raise you are telling the other players at the table that you have a strong hand, assuming that you have been playing tight up until this point. So in all likelihood the other players will fold especially if you have position in the hand, and you will get to play the hand heads up against the limper, usually in position.

By taking the initiative in the hand, you are increasing the chance of taking down the pot with a continuation bet on the flop, even when the limper happens to call your raise. Limpers and weak players tend to play a very straight forward poker style and if they miss the flop, which will happen 2/3 of the time, they will simply fold. So even if your ATo misses on the flop, if the board likely missed the limper as well, make sure to cbet if you expect a fold.

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