Limp

Also known as: limping, open-limp, flat the big blind, complete

Entering the pot for just the big blind instead of raising — open-limping first-in, or completing from the small blind.

A limp is calling the big blind preflop rather than raising. Open-limping first-in is generally a leak in most full-ring and 6-max spots: you forfeit the fold equity and initiative of an open raise, invite multiway pots, and play out of position with no betting lead. It's a classic fish marker — strong regs almost never open-limp at standard depth.

There are legitimate exceptions. Small-blind completing vs the big blind is a real solver strategy at certain stack depths, mixing limps and raises to defend equity cheaply. And in deep-stacked or very passive games, a limp-behind or even an open-limp range (often used by elite players in specific MTT and heads-up spots) can be balanced — but only when constructed with limp-call and limp-reraise components so you aren't pure-capped and exploitable by an isolation raise.

The practical rule: if you can't articulate why limping beats raising in the spot, raise. Against a habitual limper, the correct response is to isolate wide with position and a value-leaning range, attacking their capped, equity-realization-poor holdings.