Differences of No-Limit Hold’em vs. Limit

Josh H
by Josh H  |  Owner and Editor-in-Chief
When choosing between Limit and No Limit cash games, solid tight-aggressive players should always go with No Limit
When choosing between Limit and No Limit cash games, solid tight-aggressive players should always go with No Limit

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 oNo-Limity 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.

Basic differences between Limit and No Limit

First of all, let’s explain the fundamental differences between Limit and No-Limit.

  • In Limit Hold ’em, you can oNo-Limity raise the amount of the big blind and most cardrooms and oNo-Limitine poker rooms will cap the betting at 3 raises.
  • In No-Limit Hold ’em, the oNo-Limity 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 (No-Limit) well, but it will pay off for you if you play it right.

Betting in No Limit

To get you started, the standard raise in No-Limit 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.

If you’re holding a monster hand and want to get called, you also might consider making oNo-Limity a small bet. Or you could always check-raise in that situation.

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Also be aware that the value of drawing hands that play well in limit games like K-J suited goes way down in No-Limit play. Better hands to have are big pocket pairs or suited connectors.

If you pick up a big hand in No Limit, you can easily double (or more) your stack, which is impossible to do in Limit
If you pick up a big hand in No Limit, you can easily double (or more) your stack, which is impossible to do in Limit

Advantages of No Limit Hold’em

So, why is it better to play No-Limit? Simple: It’s much easier to make a lot more money. Playing No-Limit, you can afford to play oNo-Limity your strong hands. For example, in a two hour poker session you can play oNo-Limity 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.

Expected profit per hour

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 No-Limit 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.

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Charging the draws in No-Limit

Also, you can make your drawing opponents always go against the odds. In No-Limit, 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.

Playing No Limit, you can take control of the pots and charge your opponents, making them go against the odds to chase their draws
Playing No Limit, you can take control of the pots and charge your opponents, making them go against the odds to chase their draws

No-Limit requires a strong personality

It takes the right personality to play at No-Limit 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 No-Limit if and when the time is right.

As a Limit player who converted to No-Limit, 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 No-Limit, I never sat down at another Limit table.