From No-Limit to Limit - Poker Tips from the Pros

From No-Limit to Limit
Richard Brodie
September 4, 2006

Poker Tips from the Pros

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Until a few years ago, players interested in learning poker would start out by
playing in fixed-limit games. Most casinos and card rooms only offered Limit
Hold 'em or Limit Stud, so players had to get used to the dynamics of
structured betting. But now, many players are jumping directly into No-Limit.
There's nothing wrong with this approach, but lately, I've seen a lot of
players at the Limit tables who are applying big-bet principles to fixed-limit
games. They're making big mistakes that reflect their inexperience with limit
betting.

In No-Limit, the biggest mistake you can make is putting money in a pot
when drawing dead or very slim. Usually, by the turn or river, you'll face large
bets that threaten your entire stack, so calling on a second-best hand is a
huge error. In Limit Hold 'em, however, the biggest mistake you can make is
folding the best hand on the river. By the river in Limit Hold 'em, you're often
getting odds of 9, 10, or 11 to 1 to make a call. Given these odds, it's often
proper to call on the river with some very modest holdings, even if there's
only a small chance that you can pick off a bluff and win the pot at showdown.

For example, say you're playing in a short-handed Limit Hold 'em game and
you raise on the button with As-7s. A very aggressive opponent in the big
blind calls. The flop comes Jd-8d-7c, giving you bottom pair. The big blind
checks, you bet, and are check-raised. On this board, there are a variety of
straight draws and flush draws. An aggressive opponent could be raising on
any number of hands, so you'd need to call this raise or even consider
three-betting.

If the turn brings a scary card, say the Td, you can fold, as there are very few
hands you can now beat. However, if the turn is a blank, like the 2c, you're
probably going to be in a position where you'd need to call your opponent
down. Third pair isn't much, but it will win at showdown enough of the time to
make the call worthwhile.

In No-Limit, you'd probably want to fold if you were check-raised while
holding bottom pair. It would cost too much to figure out whether or not you
were ahead. But in Limit, your total liability in the hand is only two more big
bets, making the call worthwhile.

The other major error I see from No-Limit players who move to Limit is that
they fail to play enough hands from the big blind. In a recent tip, Jennifer
Harman discussed big blind play in Limit Hold 'em in some detail. She
suggested playing a lot of hands from the big blind, including any two cards
that can make a straight. Jennifer's an expert player, and you might be better
off being a little more selective than she is. But still, you should be playing a
lot more hands from the blinds in Limit than you would in No-Limit.

Think of it in terms of odds. In a Limit game, you'll be getting 3.5 to 1 to call a
single raise from the big blind (two small bets from the raiser, your big blind,
and the small blind). Plus, in many games, you can count on the pre-flop
raiser to follow up with a bet on the flop, whether he hit or not. That gives
you odds of 4.5 to 1. If the raiser is an aggressive player in late position, you
can't give him credit for much of hand to start with, so, even a hand like 5-6
off-suit is often good enough to play from the big blind.

In No-Limit, you probably want to fold the same hand and wait for a better
spot. But this is the type of adaptation you'll need to make if you want to
master all forms of poker, including Limit and No-Limit. If you're moving from
No-Limit poker to Limit, keep in mind that you're going to be calling
opponents down more often and that you're going to want to play many
more hands from the big blind.

Richard Brodie

Poker Tips from the Pros
From No-Limit to Limit
Richard Brodie
September 4, 2006

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