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Fixed-Limit Texas Holdem has been waning in popularity since poker exploded around the turn of the millennium. That being said, it was once the standard in casinos the world over, and to this day it is a very popular form of poker in both cash games and tournaments alike.
For players used to the wild and crazy game of chicken that is no-limit holdem, fixed-limit holdem is a game of patience and calculated risk. The winner is the player who is the most consistent over time, the most calculating, the least susceptible to tilt, and the most attentive to his opponent’s tendencies.
Limit was THE way to play Hold’em until the poker boom took off in the early to mid 2000s. Even until 2005, Limit Hold’em (abbreviated as LHE) was the cash game of choice because bad players don’t lose quickly and the game is lightning fast with big pots brewing. The fundamental difference with Fixed Limit Poker strategy is that you can only bet one amount at any one time, and can only reraise a set number of times, per street. This limits the number of decisions available to you, and as a result there is usually a more definitive answer of whether a particular play is right or wrong. Often offered by no-limit hold'em players, there is an element of truth to some of these claims. But low stakes, fixed-limit hold'em (defined here as $4/$8 and below) is still the game for some of.
These tips are meant to be an introduction to the game of limit holdem for players familiar with no-limit holdem.
Top 5 Tips for Fixed-Limit Holdem.
1. Play Premium Starting Hands
There are several important differences between no-limit and fixed limit holdem. Because there is a limit on how much you can raise pre-flop, it is more difficult to push players out of the pot. For this reason you will often play multi-way pots post flop in a fixed limit game as opposed to no-limit holdem which is usually heads up post flop.
Additionally, the bet sizes are fixed on the flop, turn, and river. This prevents you from easily forcing your opponents to make a real decision early in the hand. For this reason, play often continues all the way to a showdown.
Playing very strong starting hands will allow you to exploit these characteristics of fixed-limit holdem. You will be favored over the opposition throughout the hand if you are more selective with your starting hands.
Strong pairs, AK, AQ, and very strong suited connectors and suited broadway cards are good hands to start with. Open your range up slightly in late position and on the button.
2. Play Your Draws For Maximum Value
Since you cannot be forced out of the pot, and because pots are frequently played 3 and 4-handed, the value of a good draw goes up in limit holdem. You are usually being given favorable odds to draw to your open ended straight draw or flush draw.
In fact, if you have an open ended straight draw and a flush draw, your hand is so powerful that you can play it as if it were a made hand. Especially in multi-way pots, push your hand for value and raise your opponents as if you had already made your draw.
3. Learn the Power of the Check-Raise
Learn to check-raise both for value and as a bluff.
The timing of this play can be tricky, do you want to check-raise the flop, or wait for the turn or river. Another piece of the puzzle is learning who at the table will respect your show of strength and who is likely to play the Sherriff.
Check-raising is also a good way to try drive out players who may want to draw to the turn for a single bet. If you suspect the position player is likely to bet, you can check your made hand expecting the other players to check to the position player, who may bet and allow you to make it two bets to go. This extra money in the pot will make it difficult for the remaining players to play their draws profitably.
4. A Bet Saved is a Bet Won
Learning how not to chase weak flush draws and low straights, learning to fold medium strength hands when there is heavy action in front of you, and generally learning to save bets is a great way to improve your win rate in limit holdem.
It can be very tempting to chase a weak draw planning to bluff if you miss your card. This might be a justifiable line of play in very specific circumstances or against a specific opponent. Generally speaking however, aggressive lines of play like the one described aren’t advisable in fixed limit holdem.
On the other side of the coin, if you are value betting an overpair, and the worst possible card comes off on the river and you get raised, more often than not you should fold.
Learn to save bets and you will make more money.
5. Practice
Limit holdem is a grindy game that takes time to learn properly.
You can always watch videos and read articles to learn about the game. Getting advice from other more experienced players on a poker forum website is another great way to improve your game. But ultimately, time in the hot seat is the only way to really improve your limit holdem game.
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Muchos Poker ReviewAshley Adams
In yesterday's article I discussed how no-limit players face certain challenges when jumping into the increasingly popular fixed-limit games that are part of mixed-game and H.O.R.S.E. rotations. There I talked primarily about how implied odds work differently (and are less significant) in limit games as opposed to no-limit.
Because of that big difference, the way you play your hand in limit is going to be very different from how you'd play the same cards in no limit. Today I want to explore five more ways NL players have to adjust their thinking when playing in limit games.
1. Play Much More Selectively Preflop
Since limit doesn't have the huge implied odds that no-limit has, it's much more important to avoid situations with long drawing odds. Put simply, you should chase less in limit than in no-limit.
In limit, you are awarded far less when your long shots come in. So you don't want to play them. Low suited connectors should be less appealing to play if the hand is raised preflop. Same thing for low pairs. Unless nearly everyone is in preflop, you can't get the pot odds to justify set mining or to go for other long shot draws.
Poker Strategy Fixed Limit Rules
2. Press Your Advantages Early
Poker Strategy Fixed Limit Definition
Because the amount you can win in later streets is so much more limited in limit, you need to press your advantages when you have them. When you have a strong hand, you're looking to extract extra bets whenever you can. Accordingly, you will be more likely to raise preflop, especially in position, with medium pairs and with big cards like , , and .
3. Play Much More Selectively on the Flop
I'm not suggesting that you have to always play 'fit or fold' poker, but in limit games you certainly want to lean more in that direction than in no-limit. In no-limit you can justify getting out of line early since you can use bet sizing later to cause your opponent to make stack-sized errors. Not so with limit, when your ability to make money is so circumscribed.
Put another way, you can't get as creative with your line of play on the flop, because the play after the flop will tend to be much more straightforward, and the reward for fooling your opponent comparatively smaller.
4. Call More on the River
The bet on the river is likely to be a very small percentage of the size of the pot, which means you're getting much better pot odds for your call than is often the case with river bets in no-limit.
Looked at another way, a typical limit pot might be 10 times the size of that final-round 'big bet.' That means if you make a mistake by calling incorrectly on the river you're only losing a single bet, but if you fold incorrectly you've made a pot-sized mistake that is 10 times greater than your error of folding incorrectly. Unless you are nearly certain that you are beaten, you should call a bet on the river in limit hold'em.
5. Check-Raise More Frequently
There's check-raising in no-limit, of course, but it's a much more important and frequently used tool in limit games. You need to use it for two reasons chiefly.
First off, to gain an advantage in limit games you must pick up extra bets when you can, and check-raising is one means by which to get an extra bet in on a given round. Similarly, since the bet is limited, it carries much less clout when you are trying to force other players out of the pot. You must use the check-raise to increase the power of your betting action to get opponents to fold. In no-limit you can exert such pressure with the size of your bet — an option not available to you in limit.
Conclusion
In many games, when playing limit, it's often going to be the steady, consistent, by-the-book strategy that will win the money. Tend to play tight in the early betting round, but don't fold to a bet on the river unless you're sure you're beaten. Endeavor to win the extra bet whenever possible.
In limit it's important that you consistently press your advantages at every opportunity, and not try to fool your opponent into making stack-sized errors as is a goal in no-limit.
Ashley Adams has been playing poker for 50 years and writing about it since 2000. He is the author of hundreds of articles and two books, Winning 7-Card Stud (Kensington 2003) and Winning No-Limit Hold'em (Lighthouse 2012). He is also the host of poker radio show House of Cards. See www.houseofcardsradio.com for broadcast times, stations, and podcasts.
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