Ace Speaks Hold'em: No-Limit Versus Limit - An In-Depth Analysis

Learn that the odds are different, and that the concept of protecting your hand in limit is not the same as it is in no-limit

While in no-limit hold'em it is possible to bet so much that your opponents won't be getting the proper price to call you, in limit, you don't have this luxury. This means that in some situations, you should not focus on narrowing the field in order to protect your hand, but instead to try to get yourself in a situation of "the more, the merrier," knowing that all legitimate hands will call you anyway. Of course, there are lots of situations in which you should take an aggressive approach to win pots immediately, to protect a rather vulnerable holding, to gain information, or to simply put your opponents to the test, but please be aware that things are not always about thinning the field in limit hold'em. Let's say that you are lucky enough to flop a great hand like a set when there is also a straight draw and a flush draw on the board. Now, you almost always would raise with your set here. However, your goal should not be what most players think it is (narrowing the field to give your hand the best possible chance of holding up); your goal is to get as much money as possible into the pot now, when you clearly have the best of it. In this case, the best possible situation for you would be to be up against as many opponents as possible, for as many bets as possible. After all, if things come down to just you and two other players after you raise, you may well have narrowed the field to just you and the only two players who are drawing very live; for instance, you and both the nut-flush draw and an open-end straight draw. The hands that you have driven out are probably the ones that would have been drawing dead or very thin, considering what they are up against, such as bottom pair/good kicker or even just a backdoor-flush draw, which you truly would have welcomed into the pot. Now, of course, this does not mean that you should not raise with your set, because you should raise now that you have the best of it. But what you should try to accomplish with your raise is keeping as many opponents in the pot for as many bets as possible, not trying to get them all out without having invested a thing.



Also, it is important to realize at all times the odds that your opponents are getting, and how this should influence the proper way for you to play your hand; that is, finding the best way to give your opponents improper odds to continue (meaning that they will be making a mathematical mistake if they do call). Things like waiting to raise until a safe turn card comes off but there are many draws on the board, or going for the check-raise instead of betting out to force the opposition to call two bets cold instead of just one, are important tools for the limit hold'em player to use to manipulate the odds in his favor – and very few players who come from a no-limit background are capable of doing this correctly.



Here are two examples from the things I just discussed:



Example No. 1: Waiting for a safe turn card to make a raise

My hand: A Q



Preflop play: From the button, I have raised two limpers. The big blind has called, as have the limpers.



The flop: Q 9 7



Flop action: The big blind has come out betting, and both limpers have called.



My play: While I think I have the best hand right now with my top pair/top kicker, it may be better to wait until a safe turn card comes to make a move. If the turn card is a third heart and there is a lot of action, I know that I am beat. By waiting to raise, I now save one or two small bets in the case of a bad turn, and if the turn is a blank, I will have the chance to defend my hand on the expensive street. So, by waiting to raise, I may lose a bit less in case my hand turns a bit sour, and I will probably still get the same or even a bit more money into the pot if the turn card turns out to be good.



Analysis: Losing a bit less and winning a bit more are what limit hold'em is all about. By the way, lots of people who come from a no-limit hold'em background will make this play automatically, as they are used to making these delayed raises in no-limit. But in limit, these plays should be the exception rather than the rule. The reason why this delayed raise is the proper play here is the way the betting has gone: bet, call, call, and then it is up to you. If you raise now, when in fact your top pair/top kicker is good, you will get called and will not lose any players. In fact, you will make it much harder for yourself to defend your vulnerable hand on the turn if you choose to make the flop raise. But had the flop bet come from someone to your immediate right, you would have had an automatic raise, as you could have put pressure on all others by forcing them to cold-call a double bet rather than being in for one bet already and having to call one more.



Example No. 2: Going for the check-raise instead of betting out

My hand: A 9



Preflop play: I have completed from the small blind. There are four limpers, six players total. There is a very aggressive player on the button who will almost always bet when checked to.



The flop: 9 7 4



My play: While I have a decent chance of having the best hand with my top pair, I know that if I bet out into a field of six players, I will get called by hands as weak as a gutshot-straight draw, a backdoor-flush draw, and even two live overcards. When holding just a pair of nines, this is not what I want. I want all of these players out. If I check and the action behind me gets crazy – something like bet, raise, reraise – I know I am out and will have saved myself a bet. But, more importantly, if no one really holds much and it gets checked to the button, I have an excellent opportunity to go for the check-raise. I will probably be able to get everyone out and play the hand heads up against someone who does not figure to hold much, making me a clear favorite. What I have done is manipulate the odds in my favor. Had I taken the obvious path of betting out, my opponents would have been correct to call me. By forcing them to cold-call a double bet now, I have put them into a position of making a mistake by calling.



Analysis: This is the type of play you will have to make fairly often in limit hold'em. Because the size of the bet is fairly small in relation to the total pot, you sometimes have to make an unusual play in order to give your opponents insufficient odds to call you. People who come from a no-limit background will have to get used to these types of plays, as they will be strange to them. After all, in no-limit hold'em, these kinds of plays are usually not necessary, as you can always bet as much as you want – manipulating your opponent's odds without the help of others.



Rolf's Rule No. 18: In limit hold'em, the odds are all-important. Those who fail to adjust their decisions not just to the odds they themselves are getting, but also to the odds their opponents are receiving, will not stand a chance in limit hold'em.



This is Part XIII in a XIV-part series on limit and no-limit hold'em. This series was created especially for Card Player Europe. The accompanying DVDs on this subject can be obtained through Rolf's site, www.rolfslotboom.com.