Limp re-raise pre in mid-high stakes limit holdem cash games

I came to discover this highly effective tactic when recently playing online -- and misclicking.

At first, it's a heartbreak. You mean to open raise with your KJ suited in middle position, and then you accidentally click "call". Oh no!

You picture people limping behind you with shit, perhaps the small blind completing with 74o -- and one of those hands beating you when they never should have been there in the first place.

Conventional wisdom for limit holdem says that you NEVER should open limp. This is because limit holdem is a game of both betting control and value betting. To do both, you need to have a good idea where you're at, and letting limpers in can make the situation much tougher to read.

However, for a long time, at middle and high stakes limit holdem games, limping is punished. Anyone who limps tends to get raised by aggressive or semi-aggressive players acting behind. This includes many times when these players have marginal holdings -- or ones they would have folded had you properly raised.

A few weeks ago, I accidentally open limped with 66 -- which is a complete disaster unless you flop a set. Fortunately, the next player behind raised me, thus clearing out the field, and coming back to me. Did I call? No, I re-raised!

Why?

Limp-reraises are not common in limit holdem. And when a competent player is seen executing one, it frequently means AA.

But I didn't have AA. I had 66. So why did I re-raise after the accidental limp?

Because I wanted to represent AA. The last thing I wanted with my 66 was for the opponent to attempt to call down and chase me, and then get there with one of his overcards.

The limp-reraise was superior to flop check-raising, because it represented a much stronger hand (AA) than whatever I would be trying to indicate by a flop check-raise, even if I commit to check-raising any board.

Also, the limp-reraise does one other thing -- it makes players afraid to raise you postflop unless they feel they can beat AA. This can keep things cheaper than a flop check-raise, where you will often get re-raised on the flop or raised on the turn.

Players are more likely to fold and give up when you've limp-reraised. Chasing A or K overcards isn't very attractive when you think AA has just roped you in preflop.

I have been experimenting with occasionally limp-reraising hands that I would otherwise open raise, with great results thus far. Obviously once you are caught doing this and have to show down a hand, you will need to stop with it until the next session -- or otherwise it will no longer be effective. Therefore, this play is something you can only throw in occasionally.

Should you also do it with AA? No. That's the one hand you SHOULDN'T limp re-raise, because it will accurately tell the story of what you really have! The only time you should do this is if you were previously caught limp-reraising a non-AA hand.