No-Fold'em No-Limit Hold'em

I recently received an e-mail from Brian, a reader with a very legitimate complaint. He wrote, in part:



I'm a winning low-limit hold'em player. I've always stuck to the $2-$4 and $3-$6 games in my local cardroom, and have done fairly well. But more and more, those games are being phased out in favor of a $1-$2 no-limit hold'em game with a $100 buy-in. It became clear that if I wanted to keep playing locally, I really had no choice but to start learning no-limit hold'em. So, I bought several books and studied them carefully. After a while, I decided I was ready to give it a try.



However, I quickly realized that my books did not prepare me for the type of game that I was in. Most of the situations in the books were heads-up pots. Here, we have six or seven people trying to limp in for $2 before every flop. If possible, these games are even looser than the limit games I was used to. It truly is no-fold'em hold'em and I'm definitely not comfortable playing in a no-limit game of that style, and my books haven't been much help. Could you offer any advice?



In my response to Brian, I was somewhat hesitant to offer advice that was too specific. After all, I've never met him, and thus I know next to nothing about the way he plays. I easily could end up giving him recommendations that wouldn't fit comfortably into his usual style.



Nevertheless, my attitude in both my e-mails and my columns is generally this: "The best I can do is tell you what works for me. Hopefully, you are able to put some 'Lessinger' into your game, and have it work for you, too." So, speaking strictly from my own experience, here are the two main suggestions I offered to Brian:



1. Play more marginal hands from the button and fewer semistrong hands from under the gun (UTG).



2. Carefully observe your opponents' playing styles. Then, decide if you're going to go for singles (small pots) or home runs (double ups).



Position is important in all forms of poker, but I think it is absolutely crucial in no-limit hold'em (NLH), especially in loose games. That was the reason for my first suggestion. Then, the question becomes: How are you going to use position to your advantage? That's why it's important to observe your opponents' styles, hence my second suggestion.



Let's look at a few different scenarios to see those two suggestions at work together:



1. Let's say your opponents are aggressive preflop. In that case, you certainly don't want to try limping in from early position with hands like A-10 or K-Q. There's a good chance the action will be raised behind you, and you don't want to play semistrong hands for a raise from out of position. You'd be correct to fold once someone raised, thus you'd be better off not wasting the $2 to call in the first place. In a game with frequent preflop raising, you should be disciplined from early position, and avoid those trouble hands.



Wait for better opportunities. For instance, if you're able to pick up a strong hand in late position, you'll be in much better shape. If your opponents are aggressive preflop, there's a good chance the pot will already be raised by the time the action reaches you. You'll then have a chance to reraise and force anyone who got out of line to pay. Someone might even end up all in before the action reaches you, and then if you're sitting there quietly with A-A or K-K, you have a nice home run opportunity.



2. Let's say your opponents are passive preflop, but become aggressive after the flop. I don't play in too many low-limit NLH games, but from what I've heard, this is a fairly common scenario. My guess is that Brian's game fits this description, too. Everyone is content to limp in for $2 preflop, but then they all go wild later.



I still wouldn't want to limp in with A-10 or K-Q from early position. Sure, you'll be more likely to get to the flop, but unless it hits you in a big way (that is, two pair or better), you easily could be faced with some tough decisions as the hand progresses. Top pair, even with a good kicker, is a very precarious holding in NLH when you're out of position and six or seven people have seen the flop with just about anything. You'd rather have the opportunity to see how much your aggressive opponents like their hands before you're forced to make a decision with yours, especially when that decision could eventually involve your entire stack.



The exception is pocket pairs. If I think I can see the flop for $2, I'll call with any pocket pair from any position. The potential profit that could come from flopping a set, especially against opponents who are aggressive post-flop, is far too good to pass up.



Late position is an entirely different story. I'll not only play the hands I mentioned, but ones a lot worse, if I can enter the pot for $2. Even though I might fold A-10 from UTG, I'd be happy to play 8-6 offsuit from the button for $2. That may seem extreme, but it is no exaggeration. My goal is to hit a home run by flopping a big hand and hope someone gets overaggressive with a good but inferior one. Or, maybe I will flop a draw and have to call only a moderate bet in order to see the next card. That gives me the chance to make my hand and possibly have someone in front of me get overaggressive, and then I can get paid off handsomely. The point is this: Entering pots from late position gives you lots of options, and it makes your NLH life a lot easier.



3. Let's say your opponents are passive both preflop and post-flop, and will bet only if they truly have something.

Sometimes you're in a game with very little bluffing, and your opponents simply play in a straightforward manner. Now, you're not necessarily looking to double up. Your best chance of winning is probably to attack a bunch of smaller pots, at times when no one seems enthusiastic about his hand.



Once again, this is when entering numerous pots from late position comes into play. If you come in from the button for $2 with a subpar hand, you're giving yourself two ways to win the pot. You can get lucky and hit a big flop, or you can watch all of your straightforward opponents check, and then you're presented with a prime stealing opportunity.



Even loose players will fold on the flop if they have absolutely nothing. Then you have the players with things like weak draws and small pairs to worry about. If it were limit poker, such loose players might call a single bet to try to get lucky.



But since this is NLH, you stand a much better chance of chasing out those same players with a decent-sized flop bet.



Trying to steal pots from six or seven players in limit poker is often suicide. In NLH, in the right type of game and from the right position, it's a lot more feasible.



Final Advice

The last thing I told Brian was that in his loose NLH games, he should have extremely limited enthusiasm for hands such as A-K and A-Q. Those types of hands play much better in both tight games and limit games. With something like A-K, you're looking to flop top pair/top kicker, which is certainly a strong hand, but one that can easily get you into trouble in NLH if you have difficulty getting away from it.



Instead of concentrating too much on starting hands, concentrate more on position. As I've made pretty clear, I love playing hands from the button in unraised pots in NLH. They offer great opportunities to get either lucky or larcenous.

Just make sure to adjust properly to your opponents' styles, and you should be beating the low-limit no-fold'em NLH games in no time.

Matt Lessinger's new book, The Book of Bluffs, is now available at www.CardPlayer.com.