Lesson overview
Iso-Raising
Punish limpers — but only with the right hand and the right sizing
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Inside the full lesson
A weak player limps UTG. You have 87s in MP. Why is iso-raising the textbook play here, and what size should you make it?
In the full lesson, you work through this scenario with interactive examples.
Limpers are usually weak players announcing they have a hand they don't want to fold but don't want to raise either. The iso-raise (isolation raise) builds a pot you can play heads-up against the weakest player at the table. But iso-raising the wrong hand or with bad sizing turns a free profit pattern into a leak.
What you’ll learn
- When iso-raising is +EV vs. when overlimping is better
- Sizing — why iso sizes are larger than standard opens
- Multiway considerations — the "OK if 3-way" hand filter
From the full lesson
When iso-raising is the right play
Referenced activities and other examples are available in the full lesson after sign-in.
Iso-raise when ALL of these hold:
- Limper is identifiable as weak. Recreational, loose-passive, plays too many hands without raising. Online, this means VPIP > 30% with PFR < 12%.
- You have position OR the iso isolates them HU. MP iso vs. UTG limp is fine if everyone else folds. CO iso is better. BTN iso is best.
- Your hand plays well heads-up vs. their range. This is the key filter that knocks out a lot of marginal hands.
From the full lesson
Sizing — bigger than your usual open
Referenced activities and other examples are available in the full lesson after sign-in.
Standard open: 2.5x. Iso-raise: 3.5-4x, plus 1x per additional limper.
Why sizing goes up:
- The limper has put money in voluntarily — they're going to defend their limp at some frequency. A 2.5x raise gives them too good a price.
- Multiple limpers compound the problem: each limper has 1x already in. A 2.5x raise into 2 limpers means the first limper calls 1.5x to win a 6bb pot — that's 20% pot odds. Way too good.
- Bigger size = isolation. A 4x iso vs. a single limper folds out the random hands behind you that would call a 2.5x.
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