Should You Switch to No-Limit Hold'em?

Part I of this series stated that some people should not switch to no-limit hold'em (NL) because "it demands different … mental abilities … and your mental abilities are essentially fixed."



Your IQ is the best-known measurement of mental abilities, but it is not a good predictor of no-limit success. IQ tests measure primarily mathematical, logical, and language abilities, but there are many other types of intelligence. The left half of the brain controls language, math, and logic, while the right half controls intuition and most artistic abilities. NL is partly a logical, scientific game, and partly an intuitive art. Some great NL players may not have particularly high IQs.



Let's compare your brain to a computer. All poker decisions are situational, but you must consider more factors in NL. To process more information well, you need more RAM and a more powerful processor. If you haven't got the necessary mental abilities, you probably can't beat any reasonably tough NL game.

Mathematical Competence

Poker is a mathematical game. Without above-average mathematical abilities, you probably can't beat any form of poker. Because there are far more variables, NL math is much more difficult. You must:



• make the limit calculations.



• include the size of your opponents' bets when estimating their hands.



• estimate the probability of being called or raised if you bet or raise various amounts.



• estimate the effects of various size bets and raises on implied odds.



The math in Sklansky and Miller's No Limit Hold'em: Theory and Practice is so complicated that even the authors can't do it while playing: "We … don't play poker by solving equations ourselves. We provide the equations because they show you how to estimate and combine probabilities." (Page 8)



Estimating and combining those complicated probabilities demands far more math abilities than most people have. However, some other mental abilities can compensate for this limitation.



Memory


You need a good memory for all forms of poker. You must remember how people played other hands and then draw inferences from patterns. Which cards do they hold? How will they react if you check, bet, call, or raise? How will their reactions change if your bet or raise is smaller or larger? You need a better memory for NL because the patterns are more complicated.



Since all limit bets are fixed, you usually have seen what your opponents did in similar situations and can draw fairly confident conclusions about their cards and reactions. Your results are driven primarily by how often you are right or wrong.



Your NL results are driven primarily by a few big pots, and the patterns may not be repetitious. You may have to risk your entire stack without ever having seen this player in this kind of situation. For example, many players bet more with stronger hands, but others bet less with them because they want a call.



Feel



When drawing conclusions in unfamiliar situations, some excellent NL players rely on "feel," a combination of memory and intuition. They remember many situations, recognize common patterns, and base their decisions on feelings that they cannot clearly define.



Feel has a mathematical element to it. Some people estimate and combine probabilities, even though they don't do Sklansky-Miller types of calculations. Doyle Brunson wrote: "I recall something that happened previously. Even though I might not consciously do it. I can often recall if this play or something close to it came up … and what the player did or somebody else did. So, many times I get a feeling that he's bluffing or that I can make a play and get the pot. But actually my subconscious mind is reasoning it all out." (Super/System 2, Page 542)



Great feel gives some players a huge edge over left-brain thinkers. David Sklansky admitted in his NL book that theoreticians are underdogs to certain NL players. "I have been reluctant all these years to write a no limit book, even one that dealt mainly with theory, because I know that theoreticians without other talents will still be underdogs to talented non-theoreticians." (Page 5)



He stated that their edge comes from skills such as reading cards, knowing when to "change gears," and making others play badly. He did not define the talents that made these skills possible, but I believe it is the "feel" that Doyle described.



Feel works differently from logical thinking. It's a nearly instantaneous process, and, as Doyle admitted, it cannot be clearly described. He recognizes and understands patterns that others may not see. It's similar to the reactions of great athletes. For example, a tennis player may sense that an opponent is going to hit to his backhand and react almost immediately. If you asked him, "How did you do it?" he couldn't say. He just did.



NL is more an art than a science. The step-by-step "scientific" thinking that works so well in limit poker is good enough in many situations, but the top players are intuitive "artists." They just know what to do.



If you have that feel, you're very fortunate, because it gives you an edge over the "scientists," who rely primarily on theory, math, and logic. It would be even better to be both a "scientist" and an "artist," but hardly anyone is that gifted. Since scientific and artistic thinking are done in different parts of the brain, nearly everyone relies primarily on one or the other.



Many people overestimate all of their abilities, but especially their feel, partly because it can't be defined or measured precisely. They remember the money they won because they just knew what the other people had or what they would do, but forget the times they felt equally certain, but were completely wrong.



Logical Thinking


If you don't have great feel, you need to draw logical conclusions from other people's actions. For example, if a weak-tight player has raised from under the gun, he probably has certain hands. If the flop is 6-5-4 rainbow, and the turn is a deuce, a large bluff will probably succeed. He can't have a straight, and he may be afraid to call a large bet. You're reaching the same conclusion as an intuitive player, but by a more clearly defined process.



When playing limit, you don't consider the effects of bet sizes. That weak-tight player is much more likely to call a one-bet bluff than a larger one. But what is the probability that he would call a bluff of one-third, one-half, or all of your stack? Which bet has the highest expected value? Answering those questions requires more than logic; it takes "feel."



Concentration



Whether you make decisions intuitively or logically, you must concentrate to get enough information and process it well. All poker requires concentration, but NL is especially demanding.



Limit is a series of similar decisions, and you can beat weaker games almost "on autopilot." Rigorously apply the formulas, and you will be right often enough to win. NL decisions are less formulaic. Also, if you're right most times but make one big mistake, you're busted. Obviously, you must concentrate more intensely.



Planning



In both limit and NL, you need to see the big picture and plan future steps. "If the flop is small cards, I will …" "If the river is a third heart, and he checks, I will …" Because you have more options, NL planning is more complicated.



In addition, your plans should include the future effects of this hand. Longer-term planning is more important in NL because trapping and avoiding traps are crucial. For example, a few obvious, minor mistakes may set a trap that lets you double up.

Multiple-Level Thinking



To play all types of poker well, you should think of your cards, their cards, what they think you have, and what they think you think they have. Because a decision can double you up or bust you, and because more NL players think at several levels, you must often think at more levels in NL. Multiple-level thinking is also much more difficult in NL because you have to consider far more factors.



Final Remarks



NL is such a demanding game that relatively few people can play it well. To assess your potential, you need to look very hard at yourself. You may or may not have the right mental abilities, and the sooner you find out, the better. You also must avoid an extremely common error, overestimating your abilities.



Many NL games are now so soft that you don't have to play that well to win, but this wonderful party won't last forever. Sooner or later, the weaker players will quit or learn how to play. Then, you may need a lot more talent than you possess.



Dr. Schoonmaker ([email protected]) coaches only on psychology issues, such as controlling impulses, coping with losing streaks, going on tilt, and planning your poker career.