The main difference: in BB vs BTN limp, there is only one opponent and 0.5 bb less of dead money in the pot.
Whereas in BB vs limp + limp, you’re up against two players, which makes postflop decisions more complex.
❌ Note: recreational players in the SB almost always call the Button's limp, which makes this situation (BB vs BTN limp) fairly rare.
2. BTN's range is rarely strong
When BTN limps 3-handed, it’s rarely with a premium hand.
📊 Why is a BTN limp a sign of weakness?
A player limping from the Button usually holds a mediocre or weak hand. The limp typically reflects a desire to see a flop for cheap.
In short, BTN would really love to see that flop for almost nothing.
As we saw in the BB vs limp + limp strategic guide, here is the recreational players' limp range from BTN:
Note: We can’t compare this to GTO, because GTO never limps from the Button in 3-max.
❓ How can you exploit this?
You have two main options:
Isolate (either shove or raise non-all-in)
Call, to see a cheap flop with middling or speculative hands.
3. Two ISO options: non all-in or shove
❓When to ISO non all-in?
This is best with premium pocket pairs (AA, KK...) and dominant broadways (KQ, QJ, KJ...).
These hands dominate BTN’s limp/call range and play decently well postflop—even if you're out of position.
👉 Also note that recreational players very rarely limp-shove (around 3% of the time), so the risk of getting trapped is very low.
ISO non all-in is a great way to punish a weak limp.
❓ When to ISO shove?
ISO shoving is very effective with:
All Ax, especially offsuit Ax under 20bb, since they’re harder to play postflop.
Small pocket pairs, which have solid equity versus BTN’s calling range.
Strong broadways (like KQ, KJ), especially once you get to 12bb or less.
Here’s our Exploitative Range for BB vs BTN limp at 18–20bb:
ISO shove allows you to:
Instantly scoop up the dead money
Avoid awkward postflop spots with fragile hands
Exploit weak BTN calls, such as K8o, Q9s, or A4o
⬇️ Because yes—just like you're starting to get used to—recreational players tend to call too wide when you decide to shove.
Here are the recreational players’ call percentages when facing a BB ISO shove after BTN limps:
Stack Size
Recreational's call % 🐟
20-25 bb
~ 21%
16-18 bb
~ 36%
12-14 bb
~ 32%
8-10 bb
~ 46%
As before, this can’t be compared to GTO directly (since GTO never limps BTN in 3-max). But based on experience, these call rates are clearly too high, especially given the weak hands involved.
4. At 12bb and below: an alternative strategy
Once you reach 12bb or less, you can consider a more aggressive approach than our standard ranges by widening your ISO shove range.
For many hands (like offsuit broadways), the EV difference between check and ISO shove is small.
By shoving, you lock in EV and avoid tough postflop decisions.
💵 On the other hand, checking can be more profitable if you play very well postflop… but it also opens the door to more mistakes, since playing out of position—even against a recreational player—is still difficult.
If you choose this wider ISO shove strategy, some "mid-strength" hands (like JTo, QJo, K9o…) can be ISO shoved rather than called.
Here are two examples of Exploitative Ranges based on this approach:
Exploitative ISO shove strategy BB vs BTN limp – 10–12bb
Exploitative ISO shove strategy BB vs BTN limp – 8–10bb
