Texas Holdem Poker

There are those that will tell you that it is impossible to bluff in limit poker, but all you need is the right opponent.  Jennifer Harman is one of the best limit players in the world and in her chapter on Limit Hold’em in Super System 2, she is very specific about the exact type of player that you can catch on a bluff in limit.

The player you are looking for is the “Genius” of the table.  It will take some time on the table to catch him and then you are going to need the perfect board in order to do so, but you can definitely take down some chips and stroke his ego at the same time allowing for another bluff later in the game.

“Mr. Genius” is going to pride himself in making big laydowns on the river and will make sure everyone knows that he is folding a big hand.  He will more than likely do this when an obvious straight or flush hits the board and regardless of his hand, he will let it go to prove how great of a poker player he is.  We love these kinds of guys as they almost take pride in losing money the ‘smart’ way.

In order to convince him you are on the draw, you will need to play the hand that way from the very beginning.  For this move, you should be acting behind him for the best effect.  When he makes his preflop raise, you are simply going to call him down.  If the flop hits and presents an open ended straight for flush draw, you have your bluffing hand.

More than likely, he will fire off a continuation bet and you need to come right over the top.  This is a pretty common move in limit and no limit as you are building the pot for when the big hand hits.  The key to the whole hand lies in the next card.  The best situation would be for the turn to come up blank.  He will more than likely respect your raise on the flop and check it down to you.  In order to get him in your sites, you are going to have to check it also.

The reason you do this is because of the raise on the flop.  When you are on a draw, you will raise in position to get the free card on the turn.  If the raiser is on a draw, they will check the turn if they don’t hit and get to see the river for free.  Playing the hand this way against the ‘Genius’ sets it up perfectly for the river bluff.

Your check is going to put him on alert that you are on a draw.  When that river card pops the draw, you can be assured that as long as he does not have the hand, you are going to be able to take this one down.  If he bets, you raise, if he checks, you bet.  Again, as long as he did not hit the hand, there should be some deliberation followed by a nice speech about how he figured you had it, but had to take a shot anyway or a shake of the head as he says he can’t believe you sucked out.  Tell him “nice fold” and take down your pot.

If there is one thing that is certain in poker, it is that television and Online Poker have changed the complexion of the game forever.  Going back as little as ten years ago, ABC poker players were very successful.  As TV started showing horrible river suck-outs time and time again, the younger generation of poker player learned the game thinking that this was the way to go.  If there is a draw, they feel as though they have to chase it down.

One thing that the televisions don’t show is the amount of money or chips that these players lose by not folding when they should.  There are always times to head in for the chase, but you cannot do it every time if you want to end up profitable at the end of the year.  By knowing the odds and the proper way to play them, you will increase your chances tenfold over the average player.

If you are a Limit Hold’em player, you are going to be making a lot of calls based on the odds.  In a multi-player hand, you are pretty much getting priced in on just about every draw that you will be chasing.  There are even times that you are going to call on the river because of the amount of money that is in the pot.  It may sound like you are going against everything you have been told about poker, but I assure you that this decision will pay off in the long run.

Say you are playing in a $10/$20 limit 6 handed game.  You get dealt QQ and pre-flop raise and have two callers with the SB folding.  You now have $65 in the pot.  The flop comes out with a board of 10s-6s-4h.  It gets checked to you and you bet again and both players call you, $95 are now in the pot.  The turn card is dealt and it is a Jh.  You bet out on the hand and are immediately raised; the third player folds and you call so there is now a total of $175 in the pot.  The other player could be on a draw, maybe he had 10J in his hand, or maybe he had AJ and caught on the turn.  Regardless, you still feel as though you are ahead in the hand and your call on the turn means you are absolutely going to call on the river regardless of the card.

Now the river card is dealt and it is a Ks.  You check and your opponent fired out another $20 bet and before you make the call, there is a total of $195 in the pot. If you think the move is to fold because you are afraid of the straight, high card or flush, you need to smack yourself in the head.  You are getting 10:1 odds to see what your opponent has at that point.  This means that all you have to do is catch him bluffing one out of ten times and this move pays you off.  If you can catch them twice, you are up a ton of money.

You cannot always assume that everyone hits their hand when they raise.  In this scenario, your opponent very well may have been chasing the flush, but he also could have just as easily gone it with AJ and hit the turn.  Just because he bet on the river does not mean that he chased down the flush.  Make that call every time and remember that you can lose 90% of your hands like this and you are still even.  Win 20% of them and you are on easy street!

Many players starting to play Texas Holdem since 2003 have begun their poker education with No Limit Holdem. For many players, this is the only type of Holdem that they have played. Whether it is due to bankroll considerations or due to wanting to improve their overall poker game, many players eventually take a look at playing Limit Holdem. For many, the transition from No Limit to Limit can be a difficult one. Let’s take a look at a few pointers to help make the transition smoother.

First, in Limit Holdem your objective is to win pots and bet, not stack. This concept is alone makes playing Limit a lot tougher than No Limit for some. In No Limit, one or two pots can erase a deficit and make you a winner for a session. The same is not true in Limit Holdem. Limit Holdem is more of a slow grind and building a profit is the end goal and not one that can be hit by sucking out on one big hand on the river.

Next, Limit Holdem is much more math driven than No Limit Holdem. You need to have a strong grasp on odds and statistics to become a successful Limit Holdem player. You don’t need to know the winning percentage of 10-9 vs. 7-8 for example but you do need to know what type of price the pot is laying to you and pot odds. There are many times that you will make a call in Limit Holdem based not on the fact that you are winning but due to the fact that a pot is laying huge odds. For example, if you hold bottom pair and the pot is laying 13 to 1 to you, you are likely going to call a bet on the river even if you know you are beat. About the only way you would fold here is if the player has flashed you his cards.

Bluffing is much more difficult to do in Limit Holdem. The main reason is that many players take the “oh it’s only one bet” mentality. Other times it is due to the fact that they are getting pot odds to call. One common complaint from No Limit players is that they “cannot push a person off a hand.” I am not saying that you cannot bluff in Limit Holdem, but I am saying that it will not work with nearly the same frequency as No Limit.

You will also draw more frequently in Limit Holdem than in No Limit due to the fact that you will have proper odds to draw. Again, the inability to push players off draws is another common complaint by No Limit players.

For those switching from No Limit to Limit, prepare for a bit of a challenge and prepare for a bit of frustration. Playing Limit takes a different skill set but it is a game that can be mastered with a bit of preparation and practice. Good luck to you at the tables.

Many of today’s poker players choose no limit holdem as the first brand of holdem to learn.  They want to play the game that ESPN has made famous and want the thrill of gambling for all their chips.  Before no limit holdem became fashionable, limit holdem was the primary game played in most cash games.   In fact, many higher stakes cash games are still primarily limit holdem.  For a player that wants to transition from no limit holdem to limit holdem, there are a few things they need to know.

First, pushing players out of a hand becomes much more difficult in limit as opposed to no limit holdem.  If a player has a middle or bottom pair, it becomes easy to make a call when the bet only represents 10% or less than their entire stack.  In fact, depending on pot size, it may be incorrect for them to fold their weak hand, even if they are beat.

Drawing to straights and flushes become more commonplace in limit holdem.  Again, this is due to the limited betting structure.  When a player is holding a flush draw or an open ended straight draw, there are very few instances where they are not getting the right price to chase down a draw.

Bluffing at lower limits becomes nearly a non-issue.  It is hard to make a player fold to one bet unless they have absolutely nothing in their hand.  Chances are that if they are in a hand until the river, they will not fold a hand unless they have a missed draw.  At higher limits when the bet sizes are significantly larger, then bluffing can be beneficial, but realize that even at higher limits that bluffing will not have the same power as it does in no limit.

One key skill that you will need to learn in limit holdem poker is the ability to extract extra bets and when to save bets.  Limit Holdem Poker is about winning bets, not taking stacks.  In no limit you can lose for four hours straight and then win a couple of large hands and finish a winner.  If you have four losing hours in limit holdem poker, two hands will not make back your losses.  The key in limit holdem poker is keeping people in and being able to extract extra bets from them when you are ahead.  Also, you need to find spots where you can save bets.  This may sound contrary to an earlier statement about staying in for pot odds.  It is not.  For instance, you have caught a flush on the river but there is four of your suit on board.  Unless you have the nuts, you probably want to check in this spot.  If your opponent bets, you will call and likely lose one bet.  However, if you bet and your opponent raises, then you will lose two bets to the better flush.  Learning to spots scenarios such as this will help keep your losses down and help improve your bottom line.

Not all limit holdem games play the same way, but the above tips should get you started in your transition to limit from no limit.  Good luck to you at the tables.

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No-Limit Texas Holdem Poker is the hottest game in the poker world at present. However, many people, especially at lower limits usually play a limit version of holdem. Although the rules of the game are the same for both limit and no-limit, the games actually play drastically different. This article will go over some basic tips for those just starting to play limit holdem.

First, let’s take a look at the betting structure in limit holdem. In limit holdem, betting preflop and on the flop are in the increments of the big blind. For a $2 – $4 limit holdem game, betting and raising occurs in $2 increments. Betting on the turn and river are done in $4 increments. In addition, there is a limit on the amount of raises that are allowed in limit games. In most casinos the maximum number of raises is three. As a result of the limits on betting, many players are allowed the luxury of playing looser than they may normally.

For players just starting, playing strong hands is just as important in limit as in no-limit holdem. Position is also an important consideration, but the range of starting hands differs for limit holdem. In early position you can pocket pairs from jacks through aces, ace-king suited and ace-queen suited. Other raising hands include ace jack suited, and both ace-king and ace-queen unsuited. From middle position, you can add both nines and tens to raising hands, as well as ace ten suited. King-queen suited and King-Jack suited are also decent middle position raising hands. Late position allows you to raise a wide array of hands. To your raising list, you can add all other remaining, king-ten suited, queen-jack suited, and both king-queen and king-jack offsuit.

In the event that you are facing a raise, while you are learning, you will want to pay close attention to what play you make. Until you gain more experience, use an earlier position play list to decide what to do. If you are in late position and face a raise, then use the hand recommendations for middle position to make a call. If you are in middle position, use the early position hand ranges. Early position is a little different. Most of the raising hands in early position are also ones you can reraise with when facing a raise. Personally, if facing a raise, I would reraise with most of the hands, but I would only call with ace-queen unsuited, and both ace-jack suited and unsuited.

A lot of lower stakes limit holdem games are very loose. By this, I mean that there are at least 4 players seeing the flop. In some cases, you will encounter games that will almost ignore a pre-flop raise. When you encounter these games, you will need to pay close attention to the players at the table and watch what types of hands that they show down. You will see players make plays that don’t make a lot of sense. Don’t let this discourage you. Some of these plays are due to players being experienced; while there is many times that someone just put the money in hoping to hit a hand and got very lucky. Don’t get in a habit of playing every hand just because there are multiple players in the pot.

It is important to watch the type of players in a limit holdem game. If you are in a soft game, you will want to pay attention to how players bet their hands to help determine if they are on a strong hand, a draw, or perhaps connected on the board in a substandard manner. Pay attention to the players that raise a lot. Are they raising with strong hands, or are they raising with garbage hands and just trying to build pots. Pay close attention to flop betting by players. Are they the type of player that will check-fold to a bet if they miss the flop? Do they check call with bottom pair or a pocket pair lower than the board? Do they slow play strong hands to try and induce bets? Watching the players at the table will help you save bets in certain spots and allow you to pick up pots in other spots.

Drawing to straights and flushes are much more common in limit poker. In many cases, if you flop a straight or a flush draw, you will want to stay in the pot to try and hit your draw, especially if multiple players are in the pot. Remember, if you flop an open ended straight draw, eight cards can come to complete your hand. If you flop a flush draw, you have 9 cards that can complete your hand. In both cases, you will want to stay in the hand unless there is a lot of action ahead of you. Personally, if I have a nut flush draw, I will stay in the hand even with a lot of action. Play gutshot straight draws carefully. If you can see the turn and or river for one bet or for free, then continue. Otherwise, the wise move likely is to fold.

Bluffing is virtually a non-issue in low limit texas holdem. It is hard to force a player to fold to just one bet. No-limit holdem can force players to play up to the entire amount of their stacks. For limit players, one bet will represent 10% or less of their chips. A lot of players will also try and “keep you honest.” Sometimes they do it to gain information, while other times they will call you down to keep from being embarrassed. With the betting being fixed, it is really best to play relatively straight forward poker while learning the game. Bluffing becomes more of an issue when you reach higher betting levels where a bet actually means more.

If you are serious about learning limit holdem, I suggest you start out by going to your favorite casino or online card room and sit in on a live game. In live casinos, you will want to start at either the $2-4 or the $3-$6 level. Most of those games can be bought in with $60 or less. Online card rooms have games that are as low as .01-.02 in some cases. Be warned, most low stakes limit holdem will be very loose and soft. Solid play is paramount at these levels. With the above tips, you should be able to hold your own and even beat many low stakes limit holdem games.

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