Why No-Limit Poker is Better Than Poker
by Joshua Heilpern
If you are a tight-aggressive player, you need
to consider playing No-Limit Hold 'em if you
aren't already. With proper play, not only can you
expect to increase your hourly win rate, but you
can make it much more difficult for your opponents
to draw out on you.
First of all, let's explain the fundamental
differences between Limit and No-Limit. In Limit
Hold 'em, you can only raise the amount of the big
blind and most cardrooms and online poker rooms
will cap the betting at 3 raises. In No-Limit Hold
'em, the only betting rule is that the minimum be
at least the size of the big blind. You can bet
your whole stack if you want to.
Sure, it takes more knowledge, experience, and
courage to play No-Limit (NL) well, but it will
pay off for you if you play it right.
To get you started, the standard raise in NL is
3-4 times the big blind. After the flop, a good
bet to make when you have a strong hand is about
the size of the pot. If you're looking for
information on the flop, you might consider a bet
of 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the pot. You also might
consider making only a small bet if you're holding
a monster hand and want to get called. Or you
could always check-raise in that situation. Also
be aware that the value of drawing hands that play
well in limit games like K-J suited goes way down
in NL play. Better hands to have are big pocket
pairs or suited connectors.
So, why is it better to play NL? Simple: It's
much easier to make a lot more money. Playing NL,
you can afford to play only your strong hands. For
example, in a two hour poker session you can play
only one good hand and still make good money. You
can more than double your stack on any given hand.
In Limit poker, you have to constantly be winning
pots to come out ahead. The blinds come around too
quickly to sit on your hands. You have to work
hard, play for a long time, and play your best
game at all times to make good money at Limit
poker.
Think about this: Most good poker authors will
tell you that a good Limit player can expect to
make about one big blind per hour. So, in other
words, you can expect to make $10 an hour at a
Limit $5/10 game if you play it right. On the
other hand, if you buy-in for $500 at a $5/10 NL
game, go all-in on your first hand with pocket
Aces, get called by one opponent with pocket Kings
and he doesn't improve, you've just won another
$500 without breaking a sweat. That's an average
of 50 hours of Limit gameplay.
Also, you can make your drawing opponents
always go against the odds. In NL, you control the
pot odds that your opponent is getting. If you see
two suited or connecting cards on the board,
betting the size of the pot into one opponent will
make them go against the odds to draw. Sure,
they're still going to hit their draws
occasionally, but at least you made it a bad play
for them to do so.
It takes the right personality to play at NL
games. You can't be timid, and you have to know
how much to bet at the right times. If you can't
do that, then stick to Limit poker for now and
come back to try NL if and when the time is right.
As a Limit player who converted to NL, I can
tell you that it isn't too difficult to adapt your
game. I can also tell you that after I learned to
play NL, I never sat down at another Limit table.
You can also tell you that after I learned to play
NL, I never sat down at another Limit table.
About the Author
Joshua Heilpern is a contributor for several
poker strategy websites. He also runs Online
Poker Room Reviews - an original poker
strategy and review site.
