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Playing Pot-Limit Tournaments
Rafe Furst
July 17, 2006
Poker Tips from the Pros
Rafe Furst
July 17, 2006
Poker Tips from the Pros
I had the good fortune of winning my first
World Series of Poker bracelet earlier this
month in a $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold 'em
event. It was an incredible thrill. For this tip, I
thought I'd share some points of strategy that
are specific to Pot-Limit Hold 'em tournaments.
If you're looking to play any Pot-Limit events,
either at the WSOP or elsewhere, you'll want
to keep these things in mind. Note that my
advice is specific to tournaments. In Pot-Limit
Hold 'em ring games, there are other
adjustments you'll want to make, but there
isn't enough room to cover them here.
There are two major differences between
Pot-Limit and No-Limit Hold 'em tournaments.
World Series of Poker bracelet earlier this
month in a $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold 'em
event. It was an incredible thrill. For this tip, I
thought I'd share some points of strategy that
are specific to Pot-Limit Hold 'em tournaments.
If you're looking to play any Pot-Limit events,
either at the WSOP or elsewhere, you'll want
to keep these things in mind. Note that my
advice is specific to tournaments. In Pot-Limit
Hold 'em ring games, there are other
adjustments you'll want to make, but there
isn't enough room to cover them here.
There are two major differences between
Pot-Limit and No-Limit Hold 'em tournaments.
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| Rafe Furst |
The first is that simply declaring "all-in" usually isn't an option. You can only
bet the amount that's in the pot. (For an open-raise, the pot size is seven
times the small blind.) In No-Limit tournaments, when a player is on a short
stack, he will often move all-in. This puts pressure on the other players; in
order to call, someone has to find a strong hand. However, in Pot-Limit
tournaments, unless you're on an extremely short stack, after you
open-raise, you'll still have chips in front of you. This gives other players a
chance to re-raise and move you off your hand.
In Pot-Limit tournaments, I prefer to be the player re-raising the open-raise.
Usually, this is enough to put anyone all-in, so it's the point where you can
apply the maximum pressure to your opponents.
The second major difference between Pot-Limit and No-Limit Hold 'em
tournaments is that, in Pot-Limit, there are never antes whereas, in No-Limit,
antes are added to the pot pretty early on (Level 5 of the WSOP structure).
To understand why this is so important, consider the math. In Level 12 of the
WSOP No-Limit Hold 'em structure, the blinds are $600 and $1,200 and the
ante is $200, making a total pot of $3,800 prior to any action (assuming a
10-handed table). If a player can steal a pot by open-raising to three times
the big blind, he'll be getting some nice value; the $3,600 bet can win him
$3,800. Stealing blinds and antes is so important in No-Limit that a player like
Phil Hellmuth, Jr. can attribute much of his success to his ability to steal pots
once the antes kick in.
In Pot-Limit, however, when the blinds are $600 and $1,200, the same
open-raise to $3,600 can claim only $1,800 in profit. The risk-reward ratio
isn't nearly as favorable. For this reason, I believe it's proper to play tighter
in Pot-Limit events than in No-Limit events. It also provides another reason
why you want to be the player re-raising rather than open-raising. The pot
that you'd win by open raising and stealing the blinds isn't nearly as valuable
as the one you can pick up by re-raising the open-raise.
In the WSOP event that I won, a few of my opponents didn't adjust to the
Pot-Limit structure especially well and opened too many pots. My strategy
was to let my opponents have many of these small pots. I was waiting for
occasions where I could come over the top of an open raise with a big
re-raise. I had crafted such a tight image that when I did re-raise, my
opponents had to give me credit for a pretty big hand. When I took down
these pots, I gathered a significant number of chips. This worked especially
well late in the tournament, when each decision could cost a player his
tournament life.
So, if you're heading to the WSOP, your favorite card room or online in order
to play a Pot-Limit event, remember to play tighter pre-flop and look for spots
to re-raise - that's where the best opportunities lie.
Rafe Furst
"Official WSOP Photos provided by IMPDI"
bet the amount that's in the pot. (For an open-raise, the pot size is seven
times the small blind.) In No-Limit tournaments, when a player is on a short
stack, he will often move all-in. This puts pressure on the other players; in
order to call, someone has to find a strong hand. However, in Pot-Limit
tournaments, unless you're on an extremely short stack, after you
open-raise, you'll still have chips in front of you. This gives other players a
chance to re-raise and move you off your hand.
In Pot-Limit tournaments, I prefer to be the player re-raising the open-raise.
Usually, this is enough to put anyone all-in, so it's the point where you can
apply the maximum pressure to your opponents.
The second major difference between Pot-Limit and No-Limit Hold 'em
tournaments is that, in Pot-Limit, there are never antes whereas, in No-Limit,
antes are added to the pot pretty early on (Level 5 of the WSOP structure).
To understand why this is so important, consider the math. In Level 12 of the
WSOP No-Limit Hold 'em structure, the blinds are $600 and $1,200 and the
ante is $200, making a total pot of $3,800 prior to any action (assuming a
10-handed table). If a player can steal a pot by open-raising to three times
the big blind, he'll be getting some nice value; the $3,600 bet can win him
$3,800. Stealing blinds and antes is so important in No-Limit that a player like
Phil Hellmuth, Jr. can attribute much of his success to his ability to steal pots
once the antes kick in.
In Pot-Limit, however, when the blinds are $600 and $1,200, the same
open-raise to $3,600 can claim only $1,800 in profit. The risk-reward ratio
isn't nearly as favorable. For this reason, I believe it's proper to play tighter
in Pot-Limit events than in No-Limit events. It also provides another reason
why you want to be the player re-raising rather than open-raising. The pot
that you'd win by open raising and stealing the blinds isn't nearly as valuable
as the one you can pick up by re-raising the open-raise.
In the WSOP event that I won, a few of my opponents didn't adjust to the
Pot-Limit structure especially well and opened too many pots. My strategy
was to let my opponents have many of these small pots. I was waiting for
occasions where I could come over the top of an open raise with a big
re-raise. I had crafted such a tight image that when I did re-raise, my
opponents had to give me credit for a pretty big hand. When I took down
these pots, I gathered a significant number of chips. This worked especially
well late in the tournament, when each decision could cost a player his
tournament life.
So, if you're heading to the WSOP, your favorite card room or online in order
to play a Pot-Limit event, remember to play tighter pre-flop and look for spots
to re-raise - that's where the best opportunities lie.
Rafe Furst
"Official WSOP Photos provided by IMPDI"
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