Using the Limp Reraise Pre-Flop in Texas Hold’em

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Building a big pre-flop pot is a skill that some poker players have trouble mastering but there is one move that players of all ability levels can use. The limp-reraise is a move in Texas Hold’em Poker can be used to either build a big pot or to put your opponent to the test.

This move does come with risk, so if you are a beginner you should not get overly creative with it. We will give you the basics of when you should use the limp-reraise in NL Hold’em poker.

Limp Reraise to Take Advantage of Loose Player

Many of us have played at a table with an opponent that is hyper-aggressive, especially pre-flop. If action if limped or folded to them, their only move is to come into the pot raising. There are times this player will even three-bet pre-flop just to build action.

If you want to take advantage of these players when they have position on you, limp into a pot with a big hand. They will proceed to put in their normal raise, and when the action comes back to you, you pounce. Unless you’re playing rock tight at the table, you will probably induce a call from the player, which can be the beginning of a massive pot for you.

Limp Reraise to Apply Pressure

If you’re in late position or playing against someone that comes in raising with a lot of hands, a limp-reraise can be used to help you apply pressure. For example, if you’re in late position and the big blind is known to defend with a large range, you can consider making a limp-reraise in this spot.

Your three-bet in this spot is going to scream strength to the opponent and make them decide whether or not they want to play the rest of the hand out of position. This is not a move you want to make out of position that often unless you have a great read on your opponent.

Limp Reraise to Try and Double-Up

One of my favorite times to try a limp-reraise is when I am looking for a spot to double-up in a poker tournament. For example, I was in an event at the now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal and was out of position against a player that was very active pre-flop. I looked down at pocket kings and decided to limp.

The player made what was his standard raise and I went ahead and shoved. He pretty much had to call because of pot odds and I ended up having pocket kings against Q-10. I doubled up and went on to finish third in the tournament.

You Want to Isolate With This Move

One big mistake that some players make with this move is they try this in a multi-way pot. If you limp into the pot, a player raises and another player calls or three-bets, then you only want to commit with the strongest hands.

The limp-reraise is an isolation move where you want to either build a heads-up pot, force a double-up scenario, or to push a weaker hand out of a pot. It is not intended to be a multi-way pot hand unless you have a top hand like aces, kings, or queens.

Also, this is not a move that you want to make against a tight player. For example, if you limp in with A-Q and a player that has only shown big pairs raises ahead of you, you may want to simply call rather than pumping the pot. They already have a hand and you may be raising your way to get stacked.

The limp-reraise is a simple skill that can help you build pots in the right scenarios but don’t overuse it. Overusing this move will lead to players slowing down when you’re in the pot, so use this move selectively.