Limping is synonymous with passive poker and therefore often discarded as weakness. Serial limpers will often be dismissed as ’calling stations’ who play average start cards hoping to get lucky. Many of the game’s authors point out that simply calling is very often the worst of the plays one can make in many situations. The argument would be that you raise for strength and information or you fold because you’re in trouble. However, it is the weak appearance of the limp that is actually it’s greatest strength. I often try to implement what I call the ‘Columbo move’ in a heads-up scenario when the limp can really come into its own.
Columbo was of course a brilliant fictional detective who’s greatest asset was his shabby appearance and, seemingly slow-witted nature that always made him easy to under-estimate. Invariably the criminal would be lulled into a false sense of security before Columbo provided just enough rope for the perpetrator to hang himself. Cleverly limping the small blind in a heads-up poker contest, the right amount, at the right times, will often snare your victim for much the same reason.
The logic for this ploy has to be worked through from the start. Novice players will quickly discover that limping a lot in a head-up game with trash hands puts you on a hiding to nothing. Most opponents won’t stand for that if the blinds are high and they can push all-in to pick up the pots. A beginner realises this after several hands are treated the same way and begins to fold his weaker hands instead. Before he knows it he is folding the small blind a huge amount of the time giving the big blind ‘walk after walk‘. With blinds high any stack equality is quickly lost as the aggressor seizes the initiative. Our newcomer then realises that his opponent is pushing the majority of his small blinds all-in to avoid the same fate. Consequently the aggressor is taking the new boy to the cleaners by winning the vast majority of pots from both positions. The novice is then just praying for a massive hand to come along and save the day without which he is simply outplayed. Of course the most common approach is for our beginner to gain confidence and experience and fight fire with fire. Heads-up poker quickly descends into a small blind push-fest.
But your play doesn’t have to be quite so lacking in guile. When AA suddenly appears in the small blind the need for action suddenly jolts the newcomer into a tactical switch. He decides to suddenly revert to limping and wait for the big blind to push his way into trouble. Against another inexperienced player this out-of the-blue limp is indeed likely to set-up the trap successfully. However, the problem is that a wiser opponent will be put on high-alert by the sudden limp and slowdown his own play assuming he has run into a big gun. The obvious nature of the limp flags up the strength and makes a big pot win much less likely.
So what to do to trick a canny opponent? Easy. Limp a little more, with a range of hands. It’s imperative that a limp doesn’t always equate to AA, KK or QQ otherwise you won’t get pushed by the big blind. Let your opponent see that you will sometimes limp in with trash and other times with quality. Unpredictability is the key because it becomes very hard to second guess. I’d imagine a limp about once every 8-10 hands in the small blind after a combination of raises and folds will stand out and get respected, and therefore checked to see a flop. This then opens the door for winning the pot with one continuation bet with virtually anything on most flops. Your opponent may sit there smugly thinking they are folding to your big hand when you may in fact have nothing at all.
By about the third time you’ve limped in short order your opponent will think it increasingly unlikely that you are only playing monster hands in this fashion. If he’s never played you before he’s actually liable to under-estimate you in true Columbo-style because your frequent limp strategy resembles that of the novice we discussed earlier. The difference is that you’re knowingly setting up the bait by feigning weakness! He will start to play back at you more aggressively and riskily again from the big blind. This will cost you a few small pots but it’s all part of setting up the big moment when a great hand does arrive. And often there’s no need to wait for big start cards to arrive. Success is just as likely to come through sneaking a peak at a flop with something unglamorous. That flopped 2-pair with 10-7s will be very difficult to read!
So playing heads-up poker in the seemingly clumsy manner of a 1970s detective has its merits. Next week I’ll introduce the ‘Miss Marple Stop and Go’ tactic…Well, we’ll see.
Simon Ballou writes for Oddschecker Poker