During this year's WSOP, I had the extreme pleasure and good fortune to sit in on a few strategy lectures that Barry Tanenbaum gave in the Poker Stars hospitality suite. I was so impressed, and learned so much from the brief sessions, I hired Barry for a two-hour private consultation to identify and plug a few holes I thought I had in my no-limit tournament game. They helped tremendously -- even though I didn't make it far in the Main Event (my own fault for getting a case of the stupids) I subsequently used Barry's advice at a Legends of Poker preliminary event and finished 40th out of 395, and in my first WWdN after returning home from the WSOP, where I final-tabled. In other words, Barry Tanenbaum is The Man, and when he speaks, people who want to improve their game should listen.
Every week, Barry posts a Thought of the Week at his blog, which provides insight into a specific poker strategy or concept, and every week I read it and get one step closer to growing a level in poker.
This week, Barry addresses open-limping in hold'em, and why you should never do it:
Today we will talk about a subject that comes up a lot in lessons: Why do I say that you should (almost) never open limp in limit hold'em? We will discuss the following reasons:
· Poker is a battle for the blinds. · Limping is guessing. · It keeps hand selection down and forces tighter play. · Limpers can be victimized. · Raising helps create dead money.
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