A calling station limps under the gun. Do you raise king-jack?
Limping behind a weak player feels friendly and cheap. Raising is how you get heads-up with the better hand.
The hand
$1/$2 No-Limit Hold'em, 9-handed. You have $250, UTG has $300. UTG is a calling station: calls with almost any pair and hates to fold.
- You
- Hijack, K♠J♦
- Preflop
- UTG limps.
What do you do?
How to think about it
1. Know your options
The pot is $5. You can fold, call $2 or raise to $12.
2. Ask what this player limps with
The limper is a calling station: calls with almost any pair and hates to fold. A player like this limps a wide range: weak kings and jacks, small suited hands and offsuit hands that a better player would fold.
3. Ask what each option leads to
- Limping behind invites the cutoff, button and blinds in. King-jack does poorly in multiway pots.
- Raising aims to get heads-up with a player whose range king-jack often dominates, and who will keep calling with worse later in the hand.
See the engine's answer
LevelUp's poker engine works out exactly what this player holds here, how often each option wins, and its dollar value against this opponent type. Play spots like this at an animated table, explain your reasoning, and find out which of your instincts are costing you money.
The takeaway
Against players who limp wide and call too much, raise your good hands. Heads-up against a weaker range is where the money is.