Limit Texas Hold'em Poker Strategy Tips. Limit Texas hold ’em is deceptive. It appears easy to play, yet beneath that simple facade lies a game of extraordinary complexity. Many variables must be. In many games, when playing limit, it's often going to be the steady, consistent, by-the-book strategy that will win the money. Tend to play tight in the early betting round, but don't fold to a.
- The tight-aggressive approach is the backbone of a successful limit player’s strategy. The reason this approach is so successful is simple—the vast majority of the poker playing public are long term losers.
- Our poker strategy articles cover a diverse range of topics and poker-related issues, including advice for new players, tips for tournament and cash play, introductions to online gambling wallets.
Fixed Limit poker is a great starting point for the novice player. It allows players to get their feet wet with Texas Holdem at micro stakes or whatever stakes you feel comfortable with, and actually gain some experience and learn how to play without getting hurt too bad. In fixed limit poker, if the stakes were $1/3, the blinds are $1 and all bets are $3. So you are never put to a decision to call your entire stack and you won't experience any major swings in the game unless you're just running bad.
Pot Limit poker, also known as pot-limit or PL, is a type of game where the betting limit at the table is proportionate to the size of the pot at the time of a bet. So, for instance, if there are three players in a hand after the flop, all of whom paid a $20 blind and $5 ante to play, the pot size is $75. If you're first to act, the limit you can bet is $75. After that, a player who wants to raise can raise the new pot size, which would not be $150. If #3 folds, and you want to raise, you can bet a maximum of $600 now (call 3, raise 3), and so on. Of course, this is a relatively slow-paced brand of playing, and a strong, solid poker strategy is necessary for success.
Developing a Poker Strategy for Limit Poker
There are an infinite number of strategies and multiple variables you can implement based on the players at the table, your position relative to the button, the cards in your hand, the cards in play, and so on. The idea behind any good strategy is to build from a few solid principles. From there, it's mostly about practice and feel. For instance, a principle you learn about strategy A can be tweaked depending on the situation, your experience, and your read on the table. But it all starts with learning the basics.
Play an 80/20 Style of Poker
The 80/20 rule has been colloquially hijacked to mean '80% emotion, 20%' game. And if you're wondering what that means, so are we. You see, the 80/20 rule is really supposed to mean that a player should play an incredibly solid game, folding 80% of the time and only playing 20% of the pots, making sure starting hands are relatively strong. Starting hands considered strong enough for 80/20 include: A + any face, any pocket pair, suited connectors of 9 or better, two face cards, particularly suited, or anyplace you can get in for free or a very cheap limp. The benefit here is more than allowing yourself to get good cards. It also helps you with the long game. Players at the table notice you only come in strong. So, later in the game, the bluffing advantage is in your favor in a big way. A 8-5 off-suit can be played like a pair of Queens.
Play Steady Regardless of Position
In a no limit game, which we'll discuss later, you can act in position (on the button, in the blinds, etc) in a strong manner and show strength enough to scare some people. In limit, however, acting in this fashion pre-flop isn't going to scare anyone away. This is because the pot size is rarely going to be large enough for a fold. So while you might be trying to scare people away with pocket Jacks, that 7-8 suited might come along for the ride because he/she got in for a good price. If the flop comes out 9, 10, J, not only are you beat, but you'll never know it. You'll keep plugging away for value, while you're really digging a hole.
Only Commit with Odds
The thing to remember about limit is that a big chip stack, or a big chip push, doesn't scare anyone. It can do no damage. A player with 20 big blinds is just as dangerous as a player with 80 big blinds. Committing to a pot in limit means steadily betting the pot. The problem here isn't that you're risking anything; it's that other players get overly committed to pots, and that's when river outdraws tend to rear their head. A good rule of thumb is to only become committed to a pot when you have odds, never to bluff and never, ever to chase. But if you can read the board and assess that you have the better of the hands, then committing should be no issue. Be careful, though; read for draws and always watch the slow-play. Limit allows some crazier, rarer hands to be played than no-limit.
Remember, these strategy tips are basically just principles. They can be—and should be—expanded upon, tweaked during a game, and played by feel. The idea is to use these strategies as a starting point, but also playing in enough live games that you get used to implementing them with minor variations depending on the situation. The more you play, the better your feel will get. You will know when and when not to commit, which hands to come in with, where to break from your usual style, etc. It's all about repetition and feel with poker. We're simply trying to provide you with a basic template to use to mold your own unique strategy. When you are ready to start playing legal online poker, check out our poker site reviews which go into great detail on the poker room, what they offer new players and what games they offer.
Limit Poker StrategyIf limit is your preferred poker game, then congratulations! You're either an old fart who thinks no-limit hold'em is too fast paced or you're too lazy to do the math and prefer nice little increments to your betting actions. Of course, I'm only joking here (a little) as for many of the games most successful players consider limit poker their best game. There are many benefits as well as challenges that this version of the game presents. In this article we will talk about the pros and cons of limit poker when building your poker bankroll.
Slow And Steady Wins The Race
The likelihood of your poker bankroll growing 5X in one session isn't a reasonable expectation when playing limit. While limit lacks of the pop and sizzle of no-limit games, it's still the preferred game for many grinders. Why is that?
Just like having a full time job, it's easier for most players to predict their earnings (hours played x average win rate)
-Devastating swings are less likely in limit vs. no-limit
-Easier to multi-table because limit tends to be more of a 'mechanical' game
The reasons listed above are probably the top three that most players would give for choosing limit poker over no-limit. This version of the game requires a great deal of discipline to master and even more patience as you grind out lower limits. The benefits however, are pretty significant if poker is your sole income due to level of control you have over swings. Not to say that you can't have big negative swings in limit poker but again, they tend to me more manageable than the no-limit variety.
2BB Hour Win Rate Sucks - I Can't Do This Anymore
Slow down Cowboy, there are solutions to this particular problem. Before you jump up in limits you should consider multi-tabling poker. We've written a solid piece on the art of playing more than one poker table at a time. There are many advantages to multi-tabling versus jumping up in limits, not the least of which is bankroll mitigation (in other words, keeping it safe!). Bovada is our recommended poker site for multi tabling.
How To Play Limit Holdem
Screw Multi Tabling - I've Got ADHD
If you're worried about distractions or just don't feel that your 1997 Radio Shack monochrome monitor can't handle the load of playing two or more poker tables then let's talk about moving up in limits. We have written a three part series of managing your bankroll and moving up in limits so read up there as well. Other things to consider when moving up include: your mental state, your fiscal shape, and just how big your True Grinder balls really are.
3-6 Limit Poker Strategy
No Guts No Glory
No Limit Poker Strategy Cash Game
I know that No Limit poker is the sexier, prettier sister of old Limit poker but long before the Texas Hold'em craze swept television and the Internet, the limit version was the standard. In fact, many pro players thought their No Limit brethren were nuts for playing the game back in the day because of it's ability to decimate a bankroll. However, even as No-Limit sits and basks in the limelight today, you should seriously consider the limit variant as the foundation for your True Grinder quest.