Limit and no-limit poker defined
Before you play in a poker game you definitely need to know if it is a limit game or a no-limit game. These terms refer to the structure or lack of structure of the betting. In limit poker, the betting is said to be structured, which means that specific minimum and maximum bets are established. For example a 3-6
In a limit game, it is easier for you stick to your playing budget. More or less, you know how many hands or how much time a $100 buy in will give you to catch a good hand and win a pot. For this reason, you and other players can expect to hang out for a long time at a limit game. The small betting ranges allow you to spend very little as you determine your hand’s chances of beating your opponents. You can see the flop for a relatively low cost and possibly make a good hand. Essentially it is cheaper to participate in a hand even if you end up folding.
The relative affordability of participating in a hand of limit poker, however, can and does allow players to call and raise more often. Some players, who may not be overly concerned about their budget, will call and call all the time just to see what happens. This can be good for you or it might be bad. The point is that playing with people continually calling just because they can complicates your ability to assess your hand. Players who call just for fun might also fill up into a good hand just by luck even though they started with cards that should have been folded based on the odds.
Because limit poker allows the players to hang out, casinos and cardrooms prefer to offer limit games. The house gets to make more money from the drop because limit games tend to last longer. A longer game equals a longer period of time that drop money can be collected. Limit poker because of its smaller stakes also entails fewer hassles for the house management.
Although the house prefers limit poker, it is often a difficult situation for you to make money. When the bets are limited to a certain range, then the drop affects a higher percentage of the money that you put into action. With this very important factor to consider, you may be drawn to the no-limit poker game. No-limit
No-limit poker is exactly what it says it is. There is no structured limit on what you can bet as long as you have the money on the table in front of you, which is table stakes. You can bet $5 or $500 at any given point. This makes for a game with pots that can get quite big, easily into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You can see that the drop taken by the house is a much smaller factor in the no-limit game because more money is available to win. Now to slightly contradict myself, be aware that a no-limit game might have a buy-in cap so as to place some loose control on the amount of money flying around the table. This is not always the case, and I will expand upon the buy-in limit concept in the section on money management. Aside from possible buy-in limits and table stakes, no-limit poker allows for unlimited betting.
In many ways no-limit poker is a different animal than limit poker. Your betting and playing decisions can become much more complicated. You have to decide how much you want to bet as opposed to limit poker in which you mostly decide whether or not you will bet. Therefore with no-limit poker you must navigate a two-tiered decision making process. First, will you bet yes or no? If yes, then how much will you bet? Many factors will influence that decision and firm answers are rare because in poker almost every situation is borderline unique. Do you have a great pocket pair and want to come on strong with a high bet to spook other people into folding? Or do you want to make a modest bet and possibly entice more people to stay in the pot? Also, you will have to be careful about experimenting with marginally good hands just to see what happens. Such a pursuit could be expensive. Judging the motives of other players will be equally tough. Is that person bluffing? How much do you want to pay to find out? In a limit game you might have to spend an extra $10 or $12 dollars to call. In no-limit that price could be $200, $2,000 or whatever. Conceive of a limit game as walking on the sidewalk and a no-limit game as wandering onto a busy freeway wearing a blindfold.
The extremity of the action in no-limit
Basically, no-limit poker is not a relaxing sport. It is intense, and intimidation is an important element. The adversarial nature of poker is greatly heightened in a no-limit game, so some players simply may not wish to go there. That choice is absolutely fine, but to really play to win, the no-limit
The demand for no-limit games sometimes runs up against the casino or cardroom’s desire for limit games. As I mentioned, limit games provide a steadier and larger income stream to the house. They last longer and might be easier to put together because more people can afford to play. No-limit games can sometimes burn out quickly if one or two players at the table win or lose big and cause the game to break. A game that breaks means the house is not collecting the drop anymore, which is the underlying reason that businesses prefer the slow-and-steady limit games.
No-limit poker can also frazzle nerves quickly and cause tempers to flare like dry grass on the Fourth of July. Players can easily sink themselves for thousands of dollars and that displeasure can be radiated out at other players, the dealers, or the establishment, so check your guns at the door!
The intensity of the no-limit game does not mean that you will not find it pleasurable. Often stress and upset are the partners of excitement and achievement, and no-limit poker offers you the raw thrill of wagering your skills against opponents. To know the proverbial thrill of victory and avoid (usually) the agony of defeat, you must learn which hands to play.
Continue: Selecting winning hands
