What's Your Limit?

The Cadillac of poker is the tag that no-limit hold'em has acquired over the years. It's not surprising, really, as it's easy to learn but very hard to master. Why? Well, the rules are simple, but if you don't have heart and excellent understanding of human nature, you're not going to progress very far. Mmm, I'm not so sure about that anymore. Over the last few years, I've seen novice players, inexperienced players, recreational players, players barely old enough to shave, celebrity players, ex-footballers, ex-tennis players, snooker players, actors, and actresses all capture huge pots in tournaments. So, if no-limit is the nuts as far as poker's concerned, what's gone wrong with the system? And, obviously, something has gone terribly wrong, because this new influx of players is not supposed to be cleaning up, but they are.



As far as I can see, two things have contributed to this strange state of affairs, T.V. and the Internet. People who watch Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, and the Devilfish work miracles with 8-3 offsuit can hardly be blamed for trying to emulate these poker icons. And if they're not copying them, they believe that everyone is continually making moves on them or trying to bully them. Understandably, they take umbrage at this and move all in on their alleged persecutors. Vengeance is so sweet, but for the hapless poker player who's just got destroyed by runner-runner, it's an early bath. How many of us have gone home talking to ourselves because we can't understand what's just hit us? There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to it.



A funny thing happened to me on the verge of making a final in a Helsinki tournament: I was ambushed by 9-8. The owner of said torpedo was not going to allow anyone to rob his big blind at any stage of the proceedings, so having been at his table from the start and seen this, I decided to steer clear of him unless I was prepared to put all of my chips in the middle. So there we were, the last 12 on two tables of six, and we were the chip leaders – him first, me second. The blinds were only 200-400 when I picked up bullets. Naturally, I raised, and, naturally, he reraised (in defense of his big blind), and, naturally, I moved all in. For the first time in the whole tournament, he passed, so I showed him my aces. Now he had only marginally more than I had, but we were still streets ahead of everyone else. One round later, I looked down to find jacks, so I raised his big blind, and, of course, he reraised, and again I moved all in. Now before I go any further, I must explain that he was definitely sober, he wasn't wearing spectacles or shades, so I don't think he had any problem with his eyesight, and he wasn't suffering from any visible muscle spasm that meant his right arm moved independently of his brain; all in all, he seemed quite normal. It just goes to show how deceptive appearances can be. Of the 13,000 in chips he had at the beginning of the hand, he had committed 3,500, and if the rest went in, it would mean virtual elimination and no prize money. I have to admit that it did take him all of 30 seconds before he shoved his chips in with 9-8, but at least they were suited. Well, you know the happy ending, but to this day, I cannot understand his thought processes. Did some world-class superstar do that on T.V.?



I'm going to blame that move on the Internet, because as creative as Ivey and Company can be, I'm sure that jeopardising their chip lead in such a ridiculous way is beyond even them. But on the Internet, well, that's a different story. I've seen so many outrageous plays that I'm sure it's 10-year-olds accessing their fathers' computers; either that, or there are too many poker players playing whilst not in the real world. Cocooned and anonymous in their own homes, they can be as trigger-happy as they like. Clicking that mouse and drawing out in a big pot must compensate for the daily grind of going to work and taking orders. What an adrenalin rush, and if speed is your thing and you like driving a car downhill with no brakes, there are plenty of no-limit "turbo" competitions to satisfy that craving.



All in all, we poor players who are trying to play a semi-intelligent game have little chance in dodging so many of today's bullets in no-limit. There are just too many players all trying to "make moves" or flexing their muscles to stop you from making moves. So after years of thinking no-limit is the business, I now believe that pot-limit is the best poker format. It's a truer test of poker ability – more aggressive and less mechanical than limit, yet more subtle and controlled than the way no-limit is played these days. For my money, if no-limit is the Cadillac of poker, pot-limit must be the Rolls Royce.