Know the 'No' Rules

If you had asked me a few years ago where poker would be in 2005, I would have said, in my usual sarcastic tone, "Right where it is today." Boy, would I have been wrong. As we all clearly can see, poker has exploded, and with that explosion has come an explosion in the game of no-limit hold'em. Having been in poker since 1977 (I am much older than I look), I have seen changes in the rules, the games, the cardrooms, and the personnel and job descriptions. Never has there been a change as prevalent as the insurgence of no-limit hold'em. Seven-card stud used to be the game that novices cut their proverbial teeth on, and then they slowly made the transition to limit hold'em. If they were very adventurous, in the early '80s they ventured into the Omaha eight-or-better games, where they thought they were on another planet, rather than in a poker room.

The shift is on again, smack-dab to no-limitville, with no turning back in sight. Since that seems to be where so many new players are landing, let's talk about some of the rules and things you might not know about the game that has its own different set of rules. Yes, the rules for no-limit hold'em are different from those of limit hold'em. Let me explain.

Before I tell you some of the intricacies of no-limit hold'em (NLH), I want to remind you to always check with your local cardroom for its house rules. Oftentimes, for whatever reason, a venue will have rules that are different from the norm. In such cases, the house rules will always apply, so learn them. Some cardrooms change the rules of NLH a bit to "protect" new players. There are upsides as well as downsides to that. Regardless, please check where you play.

One of the things that makes NLH unique is explained in its name. There is no limit to anything! There is no limit to the number of raises and the size of a raise, there is no limit to the size of a bet, other than the minimum requirements, and there is no limit to what you can win or lose in any one hand other than the chips in front of you and those on the table. The sky's the limit, so to speak! Needless to say, this game is not for the weak of heart. You can lose all of your chips on any one hand. Everything can be going along smoothly, and then you get that hand – you know the one – the one that's second best. In NLH, this hand will cost you more than you can imagine. Don't put more money on the table than you are willing and comfortably able to risk in any one hand.

What about raising? How is it different from a limit game? In NLH, you may actually make two motions to the pot if and only if you announce, "Raise." Once you have said the word raise, you may put an amount of chips into the pot that is equal to the amount of the bet you are facing. Then, you may go to your stack once you determine the size of the raise you would like to make. Why is this so important? If you are a player in a later position and a raiser has opted to make this dual-motion raise by verbalizing his intent first, it is of paramount importance for you to do nothing! Unlike a limit game, in which a person can raise only X dollars, there is much thought that goes into a NLH raise. If you act in any way before the raising player has completed his action, you have acted out of turn and can dramatically affect the outcome of the hand by giving the raising player info that you are going to fold, call, or reraise. This is powerful info, and it can greatly affect the action that the raiser will take.

That said, as the raiser, once you have announced your intent to raise and have made the first calling action, your raise must then be made in one motion unless you verbalized the dollar amount. Why would a player raise in this way rather than with the "normal" one-motion bet? In NLH, raise size often is determined by how much money is already in the pot. By calling the bet first, it is easier for the novice player to determine the appropriate size of the bet. Overbetting or underbetting the pot can and often does have dire consequences. I will leave that explanation to another writer!

NLH is a much slower game than limit hold'em, and with it go obligations to the other players to play at the correct pace in order to protect them. In the above raising example, if the player to your right announces raise and has made his first action, the call, and you act in any way, you have broken a cardinal rule. You now have let him know that your intent is to fold (or whatever), and he can change his raise amount accordingly. Give the other players in the game the same respect you would demand from them. Play at the pace of the other players and protect the game at all times.

Most of all, when you go out to play, have fun. Poker is not the end of the world. The horrendous tsunamis hit Southern Asia and hundreds of thousands died, or are homeless and with nothing. Poker is a game; treat it as such, and enjoy the things that those of us fortunate enough to be able to can. There is much sorrow, pain, and heartbreak in the world. Be part of the solution rather than the problem. Class dismissed.

As always, please contact me with any poker-related questions or comments. For poker cruise info, please see the ad in this issue or visit www.cardplayercruises.com.