10 great poker players thoughts on open limping(being the first person to limp)

TeUnit

TeUnit

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1. Daniel Negreanu

"Open-limping is a sign of weakness. You’re either raising or folding—there’s no in-between."
Why? Limping invites multi-way pots with weak hands, reducing your control over the pot.


2. Phil Ivey

"If you’re limping, you’re losing. Every time you just call, you’re giving away information that you don’t have a strong hand."
Why? Strong players exploit limpers by isolating them with raises.


3. Doyle Brunson

"In Super/System, I wrote: ‘Never limp unless you’re setting a trap with a monster.’ Even then, it’s usually better to raise."
Why? Trapping with premium hands (e.g., AA) works better against aggressive opponents.


4. Phil Hellmuth

"Limping is for amateurs. Pros raise to thin the field and define their hand’s strength."
Why? Limping encourages too many players to see flops, making postflop play harder.


5. Tom Dwan

"The only time I limp is when I’m playing a crazy meta-game against thinking players. For everyone else, just raise."
Why? Limping can be a situational exploit but is generally -EV.


6. Fedor Holz

"Open-limping destroys your win rate. You sacrifice initiative and fold equity."
Why? Raising builds pots when you’re strong and steals blinds when you’re not.


7. Jason Koon

"If you’re limping, you’re not playing to win. You’re playing to ‘see a flop’—and that’s a loser’s mindset."
Why? Passive play lets opponents dictate the action.


8. Doug Polk

"Limping is the worst play in poker. You’re either folding or raising. Period." (From Upswing Poker coaching)
Why? Polk’s game theory models show limping is unexploitable only in rare cases.


9. Jonathan Little

"In my books, I teach that limping is acceptable only in the small blind (and even then, sparingly). Everywhere else, it’s a leak."
Why? SB vs. BB has unique dynamics; open-limping elsewhere is -EV.


10. Ben Sulsky ("Ben86")

"Limping is a strategy for players who don’t understand preflop equity realization."
Why? Strong hands benefit from raising; weak hands should fold.


 
Marcwantstowin

Marcwantstowin

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There are many interesting views there T, I do like that none of them seem to think limping is a +EV play. Geesh, they should tell the folks on Replay Comm games or on 888 games.

Lots of limpers - and none of them are called Anders - football joke.
 
SPANKYSN

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I limp far too often…maybe that’s why I lose so much.
 
tagece

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Nice post!
Sometimes I don't resist to limp when there are more limpers before me and I have a speculative hand. There is no reason to raise, and I know it's -EV, but sometimes one need to gamble, lol.
 
R

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Indeed, now that you mention it, my betting method is a system that almost never involves open limping.
I had never thought about it like that before, so I was surprised to hear about it for the first time. At the same time, I was glad.
 
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