Texas hold’em is played with different kinds of betting structures. There are three types of categories in cash game: fixed limit, pot limit and no limit.
Fixed limit
In limit, or fixed limit, the sizes of the bets are fixed. In a game with the limits 1-2 the amounts of the bets are consequently 1 and 2 units (dollars, euros and so on). Before the flop and the first betting round 1 unit in this case is the allowed bet size and in the next two coming rounds are 2 units the bet size. Beside this raises and re-raises of the same sizes can be done. There’s no limit of how many re-raises that can be done in one betting round.
What characterises limit from the other two categories is that limit games are more mathematical. This is for the simple reason that the sizes of the bets are fixed and therefore can be closely calculated. Pot odds are consequently very important here. You must be able to calculate the odds if you going to be successful in limit cash games. But everyone isn’t, so if you are an ambitious player and become well on the odds you can be profitable in limit games by mathematically outplay your opponents.
The other thing that differs from no limit is the values of starting hands. If you have read the chapters about shorthanded & longhanded you know that starting hands are presupposed by the situation.
In limit games the fixed bets give special conditions for which cards you should play. You can’t buy the opponents out from the pot when you get 8-8 for example, which you may prefer in a no limit game. In limit games the low and middle pairs become in some way speculative hands – you want to make a set. In other words play them if it’s not too costly and don’t automatically make raises with them, according to the fact that it’s cheap to call you.
I think you can tell me which starting hands getting better in these conditions … The connectors and suited hands as they can’t be bought out. But of course you don’t want to call three bets with a 5-6 off suited. Like always, play sound and solid.
No limit
In no limit you’re allowed to bet or raise in any size orders. If a player feels to bet all his chips before the flop this is possible. You are always allowed to call a bet even if the size of the previous bet is bigger than your total amount of chips.
If a limit game could be characterized by the influence of mathematics, no limit holds more psychological aspects. Pot odds are still critical knowledge, but the frequency of bluffing and often extravagant kind of bluffing take the game to new dimensions.
No limit is in a way more free than limit because you can choose exactly how much you want to bet all the time. This fact results in faster hands because the game is more often decided all ready before the flop or just after the flop. Consequently will starting hands that need few cards to develop into strong hands become more valuable. These cards are pocket pairs and hands that contain high cards.
Pot limit
In pot limit the highest allowed bet are always the same as all the chips in the pot. That means that the maximum bet will increase as the pot grows.
It can be said that the weaker player should choose pot limit instead of no limit because of the reason that he risk less money, at least in one hand. But it can also be argumented that he should choose no limit because here he can make big bets in fewer pots which brings more influence of luck to the game.
A last word
My advice is that you remember these distinctions when you play to adjust most properly to each structure and try out for your self which form you feel most comfortable with.
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