Limp

Limping means entering a pot pre-flop by merely calling the big blind rather than raising. It is generally regarded as a weak, passive line because it does nothing to build the pot, fails to collect the dead money already posted in the blinds, and gives away no information about the strength of the limper's hand. Open-limping — being the first player to enter the pot with a call rather than a raise — is the most discouraged version. Worked example: in a 1/2 cash game you hold a speculative hand under the gun and simply call the 2 big blind. By limping you invite the players behind you to call cheaply with a wide range, and you allow the big blind to see the flop for free. You have created a multi-way pot with no initiative, meaning you will usually be checking and reacting to others rather than dictating the betting. Had you raised to, say, 6, you might have folded out marginal hands and either won the blinds immediately or taken the pot to the flop with the betting lead. Why it matters: aggression wins more pots than passivity, and entering with a raise gives two ways to win — opponents folding now, or your hand prevailing later. There is a legitimate advanced technique called limping behind or limp-reraising, but for most players open-limping leaks value. The common mistake is habitual limping with playable hands that should be raised, surrendering the initiative that makes those hands profitable. See also open raise, big blind and position.