Limit Holdem is to poker what boxing is to combat based sports. It is competitive, but well regulated (at least boxing is well regulated in the ring, what happens behind closed doors is another issue altogether). Those who opt for No Limit Holdem are making the decision to play the Ultimate Fighting Championship of the poker world. Like anything else though, you can't go to the extreme until you know the basics, and those who want to play No Limit Holdem need to have a firm grasp on the Limit game before they enter that particularly bloody arena. The first question to answer is at what limit you want to start playing. This depends heavily on the player's risk tolerance and how much money they can actually invest in playing Texas Holdem. A good rule of thumb is that if losing your bankroll will cause you to back in with your parents and do your online poker from the safety of your childhood bedroom, than you are playing at a financial level that is above your head. A good bankroll should have about 250 bets equivalent to the Big Blind in it. With this established the math is simple. If you are playing at a table that is $0.5/$1, you should bring a bankroll of $250 to the table. This number may sound big to some folks, considering the fact that it is probably roughly equal to most people's car payments, but remember this bankroll represents a worst case scenario. If you can lose the whole thing without feeling a big hurt, you are playing at the proper limit. If using that amount recreationally is a financial strain, drop down to micro-limit tables. Remember, poker is something we do for fun, and going into debt is not fun. There is a benefit to playing the low limit games. These are the type of games that all the beginners hang out. If you have any experience at all, you should do fairly well in these games. This brings us to our next point. Always play a limit that is less than your ability. When involved in a game of poker, you are trying to win money, not see who the better player is at the table. If that is your intention, tournaments will be more your taste. The best way to win money is to take it from players who are not your equal in skill. If you are just starting out and are playing those low limit games, you will find that bluffing is not really an issue. The money is not really big enough to be debilitating, so seeing the next round is usually worth for most drawing hands. This means that there are a lot of bad beats in low limit Holdem, but if you stay with a tight, controlled game, you should do well in the long run. Once you have decided where to play, the question is what to play. What should you do if certain hole cards show up in your hand? Well I am gonna give you a little guide on what to do before the flop:
- If you are sitting in the Early Position, raise with the following cards: AA KK QQ AK
- If you are sitting in the Middle Position, raise with the following cards: AA KK QQ JJ TT AK AQ AJ KQ
- If your sitting in the Late Position, raise with the following cards: AA KK QQ JJ TT 99 88 AK AQ AJ AT A9 KQ KJ
This is merely a guide, and obviously situations can change the strategy. If you are in the late position and have a big hand like AA, do not raise if a number of players have already called. Your raise will change the pot odds and some folks who may otherwise be thinking of leaving the hand may stay in based on the now favorable odds. Also from the Middle Position a raise should be reconsidered if a few people have already called. This ensures that you will see the flop cheaply, and holds some money back in case you are raised from the late position. The best time to raise is when very few other players have called the bet. A number of people calling means you may be heading to a situation where there are a number of people competing for the pot, not just two or three. In a situation where you are playing against a number of people, the following are hands that stand the best chance:
- Small pairs, which are nearly dead in the water heads-up, work well in a multi-way pot. This is because attention is deflected to other players around the table, and there may be less raising. With luck your weak pair of 5s may catch another 5 on the flop, turn, or river. Now you have a power hand.
- Suited Connectors also find some room to grow in multi-way pots. Without the heads-up action where an opponent can try to raise you into submission, your suited connectors may draw to straight or a flush.
Once you have gotten your mind around how the Limit Holdem works, and you're feeling your oats, try moving up to No Limit Holdem. It will be more of a wild ride, but the rewards can be tremendous.
