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Playing Limit Holdem

May 21, 07:32 AM

The game of texas holdem is the most played version of poker, and within it are two entirely different ways to play it. You can choose to play extreme stakes and play no limit, or you can take a more conservative approach and play limit. Both games are incredibly exciting and both have their positives and negative. This article will focus on limit poker and the strategies and tactics behind it. Coming soon will be an article on no-limit, but until now enjoy, learn, and good luck with the great game of limit texas holdem.


Before the Flop
Your starting hands in any poker game are the most crucial part of your game. Your discipline is very important, and your ability to be patient and wait for the right hand to play is very important. Occasionally you will need to mix up your play, and play starting hands you normally wouldn't, but that is to be explained in the future. In limit holdem poker, it is important to play good hands because your chances of bluffing and stealing a pot are limited since you can't bet without a limit. With that said I will give you a brief list of the appropriate hands that I suggest you call, bet, or raise with.

Call

• Medium to high suited connectors


• Small pairs


• An Ace with any card above 7

Bet

• Two face cards (including Ace)


• Medium pocket pair


• High pocket pair


• Suited face cards


• AK, AQ, KQ

Raise

• High Pocket Pair


• Suited face cards


• AK, AQ


• High suited connector face cards

Flop
Once the flop has come, in a limit poker game, you can decide if you should stay in the hand and risk more money, or if you should get out. If you have a medium pair or higher from the flop you should bet or call, and after you do this you will get a feeling on what cards your opponents have. If a person calls/bets then you have to conclude that he/she has a hand, since players don't bluff as much in limit. If this was your situation then you have made a good play by betting, even if u get called by opponent who has you beat. It is better then you checking and giving him free card and you not having a clue on what he has. The next decision you have to make after this is based upon fourth street, which I will talk about next.


If you have flopped top pair then you have a couple of options. You can choose to slow play and check, or to bet or raise if someone has already bet. Slow playing has been described in other articles on this site, so if you have questions then refer back to that article. If you choose to bet or raise, and are called then you have to worry about one main thing that could happen; your opponent out drawing you. To avoid this from happening, make sure you make it as expensive for him/her as possible on the flop and 4th street so they can't receive any free cards. There are always situations where your opponent will hit trips, or some other monster hand on the flop and you will be beaten. If this occur just remember that you played the hand right, and try to avoid going on tilt.


The last situation that you can be in when the 3 cards are flopped, besides folding, is having a good draw. If you are four to a flush with a high kicker, or four to a high straight, you should call a bet, or check to see fourth street. I would suggest you not call a raise since you know you are beat if your cards don't come, unless your opponent is bluffing. Try to get as many free cards as you can so that you have cheap chances to get your draw. This situation brings up an interesting tactic that you can try to execute: the semi-bluff. If you feel like your opponent has a low to medium pair and your draw has a 35% or higher chance of coming, you could bet and try to take the pot. This is considered a semi-bluff because you don't have a hand yet, but you have a good chance of making one. Coming soon will be an article focusing specifically on semi-bluffing.


Fourth Street
Once fourth street has been turned, you should have a good idea on what you are going to do. If you were on a draw and your card came, you can attempt to check raise, or you can just bet. In both situations you have a very good chance of winning the pot if you played the draws that I listed above. If you had a medium pair and the next card gave you a better hand then the top pair, you should bet. Since you have assumed your opponent has top pair, you know you have him beat and you need to bet, since the right play for him is to call, and maybe even raise. Yet if fourth street didn't help you, then you should check, or fold if your opponent bets. Lastly, if you had top pair before the flop, and fourth street is below your pair you should bet or call. If the card is above your pair you can still bet, but watch out for a check-raise.


Fifth Street
In limit holdem, fifth street is a time where you try and get the most money from your opponent if you have a good hand, or save the most money if you are uncertain about your hand. You should have a pretty good feeling about what your opponents strength is, and from this you should determine if you should bet or not. Rarely you will find a player who is trying to bluff you, but remember to watch for it and try and catch their hands in the cookie jar.