No Limit Texas Holdem: Limit vs No Limit Poker

Texas Hold’em is one of the most popular card games in the world and an online sensation. Since the early 2000s, Hold’em has taken on a life of its own, rising to become the poker game of choice for millions, thanks to its “simple to learn, hard to master” structure as well as its TV coverage and the iconic World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Before you jump in to play for yourself, here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know so that you can start stacking people.

How a Hand of Texas Hold'em Works

Texas Hold’em can be played as a Limit or No-Limit game, depending on the specific game rules. The term "limit" suggests whether a cap on betting exists. No-Limit Hold'em, with no cap on betting besides "all in", is the most popular way to play. 

Here’s a breakdown of how an actual hand plays out:

Starting a New Hand

The game starts with posting the blinds, which are two forced bets to get the pot started. The two players immediately to the left of the dealer must chip in a big blind and a small blind, respectively. The big blind is generally twice the small blind amount.

Because the dealer function rotates around all players at the table in a clockwise direction, every player in the game will eventually be required to pitch in for both blinds, ensuring everyone is subject to the same rules.

Once the blinds have been posted, each player is dealt two cards face down.

Pre-Flop

It’s now time for the first round of betting. The player to the direct left of the dealer is the first player to act and action continues clockwise from there. Generally, poker players can do one of four things when the action is on them:

Players will be somewhat more limited depending on the actions of the players in front of them.

Action will eventually go all the way around to the small blind and the big blind. If everyone has simply called, the small blind has the option of “completing,” which means he puts in half a big blind to take part in the hand. The small blind also has the option of folding and losing half as much as the big blind. The small blind also has the option of raising or calling a bet.

Meanwhile, the big blind is always forced to play so there’s no point folding unless there’s a bet in front of them. Conversely the big blind also has the option of betting.

When the first round of betting is complete, it’s time for the community cards to be dealt.

The Flop

Three cards are dealt face up, known as “The Flop.” These are what are called community cards and will be used by all the players in the hand to make a five-card poker hand.

This time around action begins on the player on the direct left of the dealer and continues clockwise until ending on the dealer. As with all betting rounds, players have the opportunity to check, call, bet, raise or fold on the flop.

The flop is one of the most important stages of a hand because it adds three cards to the mix and can drastically alter players’ starting hands.

The Turn

“The Turn” comes next, a fourth card dealt face up on its own, before another round of betting commences. Players are fairly committed at this point as there is only one more round of betting to come.

The River

Then “The River” completes the set, a fifth card dealt face up, revealing the complete board of community cards.

Players have the chance to bet for a final time before all those still in play need to show their cards. This is called the showdown. The person who can make the best five-card poker hand ultimately scoops the pot. On rare occasions, players will chop the pot if they have the same hand value.

Summary

Hold’em is a simple game in essence, but one that presents a challenging series of dilemmas for its players. While the rules are straightforward, especially after playing a couple of hands, strategy and tactics can take a lifetime to truly master.

Especially when there are no limits in play, the amount of money on the table can quickly get serious, and players with what are generally medium to strong hands often do fold early for fear of losing a bigger pot. It is in the interplay of understanding both the game and the betting side of Texas Hold’em that makes it such an engaging, tense, and altogether challenging way to play poker.

Of course, the first thing you need to do when learning the game of poker is to learn the hand rankings, which are as follows:

Tournament Poker vs Cash Game Poker

There are two major formats for Hold’em: tournaments and cash games. 

Finally, in online poker, there is something called a Sit and Go event, which is really just an extremely small tournament that begins when there are enough players. Sit & Go’s generally range from two to 45 players and take only a fraction of the time to complete.

Quick Guide to Poker Terms

Poker has a rich history in the backrooms of bars across America and the globe and it’s developed a diverse vocabulary of terms to describe the various actions at the table.

Fortunately, you don’t need to know the vast majority of those terms to be a good poker player. There are a few basic terms that you should be familiar with, however.

Outs for Specific Draws

Many times in No-Limit Hold'em, players must calculate their odds of winning with specific draws. Whether yuo have a flush draw, a straight draw, overcards, or some combination of the three, it pays to know exactly how many theoretically winning cards remain in the deck. In poker, the theoretical winning cards remaining in the deck are called "outs".

Here is a table listing the number of winning cards associated with the common draws you'll hold in poker. 

Texas Holdem Strategy Tips: Specific Hands in Flop Play

Whole books exist to give players Texas Hold'em strategy advice. Online poker training schools also exist for those who want advanced poker coaching. In this space, we focus on a few specific hands in flop play that new players find tricky. 

Texas Hold'em Strategy with Non-Vulnerable Monsters

Non-Vulnerable Monsters are premium hands that almost always win: a four-of-a-kind, nut full house, nut flush, and nut straight. 

Poker Strategy with Vulnerable Monsters 

Vulnerable monsters are hands that win most of the time but still hold some vulnerability. Often, these are big hands that can be beaten with equal hands with a higher card: a low full house, non-nut flush, and non-nut straight. 

Strategy Playing with Sets: Trips Using a Pocket Pair

Flopping a set when you hold a pocket pair can be tricky, especially if the board is highly coordinated with 2 to 3 cards that have flush or straight potential. 

Top Two Pair or Top & Bottom Pair

If you pair both hole cards, the strategy will be similar to flopping a set. You want to push players out of the pot if a board has a lot of draw possibilities and slow-play the hand if it doesn't.

Strategy when Flopping Bottom Two Pair

If you flop a pair of lower-ranked cards, the hand still has vulnerabilities. For instance, if you hold flop two pairs holding a 9-8 and the third card is a face card, many outs exist that could still beat your hand.