In poker, isolation raising (or 'iso-raising' for short) serves as a strategy employed by players looking to enhance their chances against less skilled opponents by increasing the number of hands they engage in.
This technique entails making a raise in response to a preflop limper, intending to secure a heads-up confrontational pot.
Don't miss Kara Scott's interview with Martin Jacobson discussing the nuances of isolation raising:
Table of Contents
Why Limpers are Weak
It’s a simple fact that most strong poker Typically, players don’t open-limp, meaning they only call when it’s their turn to act first during the preflop betting round. This is especially common in the most widely played variant of poker. No Limit Holdem .
By opting to raise when it’s their turn to act preflop, players maximize their chances of winning the pot. blinds uncontested. Limping A preflop limper is compelled to see the flop at the minimum or to fold if faced with a raise, which prevents them from ‘cheaping in’ on the action.
When a player chooses to open-limp, it often signals that they are not especially skilled at poker.
Targeting Weak Opponents
We consistently aim to compete against weaker opponents whenever possible because this increases our likelihood of achieving a higher win rate. This is exactly where the iso-raise method becomes particularly useful.
By making a raise against players who limp preflop, our objective is twofold: to either win the pot outright before the flop or to isolate ourselves in a heads-up scenario against a less competent player. Simply calling their limp would allow others to enter the pot as well, which diminishes our chances of going heads-up with the weaker player. over-limping When determining our preflop range, we should take into account both the strength of our opponent and our positional advantage at the table. An opponent who enters the pot from an early position is likely to have a stronger hand compared to one who comes in from a late position.
.jpg)
Iso-Raising Range By Position
This consideration doesn't apply as much to players who open-limp since they tend to lack awareness of positional advantages. Therefore, when crafting our preflop ranges, the focus should primarily be on our own position rather than on that of our opponent. position Two critical factors should guide our decision on how broadly to define our standard iso-raising range:
1. How many players remain to act after us?
2. Will we hold position or be out of position if called?
- If there are several players yet to act behind us, particularly if we are positioned early, we should consider employing a tighter iso-raising range. Likewise, if we are likely to be out of position when called, tightening our range is advisable.
- Now, let’s see how these principles manifest in recommended default iso-raising ranges, assuming we are in a 6-handed game.
The Button (BTN) is generally one of the strongest positions for iso-raising at the table, allowing for somewhat wider range selections. With only two players remaining to act behind us, we are assured of having positional advantages if we are called. out-of-position A common standard for an in-position iso-raise is thought to be around 4 big blinds (bb).
Don't miss Kara Scott's interview with Martin Jacobson discussing the nuances of isolation raising:
It becomes immediately apparent that the iso-raising range recommended for the Cutoff (CO) is notably tighter than that from the BTN. Although we would retain positional advantage if the limper calls, we still have three remaining opponents, one of whom is in a position that has a tactical edge over us (BTN). cash game with 100bb effective stacks.
Iso-Raising from the BTN
It's important to note that iso-raising ranges typically lean toward valuations based on hand strength. Therefore, we might prefer iso-raising hands like K6 suited rather than 65 suited.
With four players still to act behind us, it is prudent to be more selective in our approach from this position. While we always aim to isolate weaker players whenever feasible, there are limits to how wide our range can be.
Iso-Raising from the CO
This caution isn't so much about the limper's hand range but rather reflects the number of players left to act behind us who could complicate matters.
One might think that the Small Blind (SB) should raise wider than the BTN, but a significant issue arises: the SB will always play out of position postflop, which presents a substantial disadvantage. equity Our iso-raising ranges must adjust to account for this by being somewhat tighter. A standard sizing for iso-raising from out-of-position is generally suggested to be around 5bb.
Iso-Raising from MP
Moreover, it’s crucial to remember that not every hand we choose not to iso-raise has to be discarded; in fact, we should consider playing as many as 70% of our holdings from the SB when facing an open-limp.
Many players have been conditioned to avoid completing a hand from the SB at all costs, but adept players recognize its potential as a viable strategy that can enhance win rates when applied correctly. We might contemplate completing the following range in the SB against an open-limp. cold-call or squeeze .
Iso-Raising from SB
Optimal iso-raising ranges from the
will differ based on whether the limper is stationed in the small blind or another position. If the limper resides in the
, the big blind iso-raiser will have a guaranteed positional advantage postflop.
In any other scenario, the big blind will find themselves out of position if called. Hence, it makes strategic sense to develop two distinct iso-raise approaches: one for in-position scenarios and another for out-of-position situations.
Iso-Raising from the Big Blind
To start, let’s examine the iso-raising range for the big blind. Keep in mind that it tends to be on the tighter side, similar to the range for the small blind iso-raise. There’s no need for aggressive iso-raising from this position for two key reasons. big blind 2. Even if we refrain from iso-raising, we will still have the opportunity to see the flop by checking. small blind Being in a BB versus SB situation presents a particularly advantageous opportunity for iso-raising. We are assured of having positional control in the postflop stage, and no players left to act can call with a raise or similar.
The ranges mentioned above serve merely as a framework. Depending on the specific behavior of the open-limper, we may choose to modify our ranges accordingly.
If our opponent frequently folds to isolation raises, we can afford to widen our iso-raising range.
1. We will be out-of-position postflop.
Conversely, if our opponent has a tendency to limp and then raise, we should tighten up our iso-raising range accordingly.
In situations where our opponent's stack is shallow, we might avoid iso-raising certain speculative hands. 3bet .
Adjustments to Default Ranges
If our opponent tends to fold frequently against continuation bets, we might widen our iso-raising range accordingly.
Here are some examples -
It’s also notable that the suggested iso-raises are intrinsically tied to the specific format being played, particularly in 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em cash games with effective stacks of 100bb.
- In different formats, the iso-raising ranges might require adjustments, while maintaining many of the fundamental principles.
- At times, an opponent might open-limp, followed by another player who also chooses to limp.
- How do we handle the situation when faced with two (or more) limpers?
Significant alterations to our iso-raising ranges are not a necessity for this scenario. However, it is reasonable to increase the sizing of our iso-raise slightly.
In-position formula: 4bb plus 1bb for each additional limper.
Adjusting to Multiple Limpers
Out-of-position formula: 5bb plus 1bb for each additional limper.
Therefore, our default sizing in-position against 2 limpers would be 5bb, while our default out-of-position sizing would be 6bb against the same two limpers.
It’s sensible to slightly tighten each of the ranges when contending with multiple limpers, although no drastic changes are needed.
Concise Insights on Continuation Betting
Research pertaining to average folding rates on the flop after a limp/call preflop reveals that players who limp/call tend to fold excessively when faced with a continuation bet. Consequently, as the iso-raiser, it generally makes sense to place continuation bets with a degree of aggression.
Our standard approach should be to make a continuation bet unless we have valid reasons not to proceed. Even less desirable hands can sometimes merit continuation bets, particularly when we are in a favorable positional context.
Statistics indicate that limp/calling players fold around 50% of the time when confronted with continuation bets while out of position.
As iso-raises are primarily directed at weaker players, we shouldn't feel the need to apply balanced bet sizing. For instance, when we believe we can afford to raise premium hands with larger bet sizes, we should confidently proceed with this tactic.
Certain unpredictable opponents have shown willingness to call iso-raises of 20bb or larger. If a player consistently opts to call such substantial raises post-limp, it’s illogical to iso-raise our AA to a mere 5bb.
Conversely, iso-raises made with speculative hands (especially against players with smaller stacks) usually perform better when the betting sizes are slightly below the default recommendations.
Flexibility in our strategy is crucial; we should be open to adjusting beyond rigid default iso-raising sizes.
Adjustments to Default Sizings
Timothy 'Ch0r0r0' Allin is a professional player, coach, and author who has successfully built his bankroll since 2006 without any initial deposits. After competing in some of the most challenging environments worldwide and achieving victories, he shares his expertise and strategies through the 888poker magazine.
888poker-EGR-logo-Mobile-Header-2021-white
888poker-EGR-logo-Mobile-Header-2022-white
Virtual Global Digital Services Limited and VDSL (International) Limited hold licenses from the Gibraltar Licensing Authority and are regulated by