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

In limit hold'em, it is not just your initial hand selection that is the key. Just as important is playing the blinds correctly; in fact, I consider this the cornerstone of any man's game.



One of the longest series of poker columns I have ever written was a six-part series on blinds defense for Card Player. From that alone, it should be clear that I consider this an extremely important area of play. And at the same time, you will read more rubbish on playing the blinds than on anything else in poker. For instance, over the years I have read and heard things like, "Don't think about the money you already have in the pot as the big blind. Play your hand as if you have nothing invested yet," and lots of similar garbage. While a lot of excellent material is available on which hands you can and should play out of free will, there is a lot of bad information out there when it comes to playing the blinds correctly. Basically, things are quite simple, though. The following three things should always be taken into account before deciding whether or not to defend your blind.



1. Beware of dominated hands. They can cost you an awful lot of money after the flop – especially once you have hit.



2. Take into account the fact that you are in the pot already, and that you are therefore getting a good price on a call (a "discount," if you will).



3. Beware of the positional aspects. Does your call close the betting, and where does the raise come from? Is there a danger of someone betting through you? For instance, if you are the big blind and the small blind raises with at least one limper in the pot already, you will need a very strong hand to continue playing now that you may get sandwiched. In general, you will have to act first on all streets if you call a raise from one of the blinds, and this is obviously not the best position to be in. So, factor this in when deciding whether to call or not.



Rather than talk about blinds play in a very abstract and analytical manner, I will analyze things for you with three simple examples. The thought processes here should be very helpful to those who are used to playing no-limit, in which the blinds play is just not that important – simply because the blinds usually account for a very small percentage of the players' stacks and the total pot size.



Example No. 1:

You are in the $20 big blind with the 7 5. The under-the-gun player makes it $40 to go. The cutoff and the button call, all others fold, and now it's up to you. What should you do?



Well, despite the fact that your hand is not exactly a monster, you do have a fairly easy call, in my opinion – for three reasons:



1. You are getting a great price on a call. You have to put $20 more into an existing pot of $150, odds of 7.5-to-1.



2. You are probably playing cards that are the opposite of the raiser's cards, meaning that your hand may very well be live. While this is not as important as it is in no-limit, it is still important. So, your hand would be especially strong if the callers in the middle are playing facecards, as well, because you will be the only one with the small cards.



3. You've got good position on the raiser. Basically, this is the same situation we discussed in no-limit, that you are in good position to go for the check-raise after the flop. But in limit, your relative position may have one additional benefit: It may enable you to see fourth street cheaply with relatively marginal hands. Let's say that you flop either a gutshot draw or bottom pair/weak kicker. Had someone been betting into you, or betting through you, you almost always would have to fold, most of all because of the possibility of a raise behind you. But in the position you have now, you can simply check to the raiser. If he bets, quite often the people in the middle will just call or even fold, rather than raise, meaning that you can close the betting by calling one small bet. Now, many hands are worth this call, and usually with hands like this gutshot draw or this bottom pair, you would happily pay one small bet on the flop to catch a lucky turn. Your good relative position will often enable you to do that here. And, just as importantly, if you catch the card you want on the turn, you will be in perfect position to sandbag the field and go for a check-raise. All in all, two clear benefits of your position here are: You could reach the turn cheaply with marginal holdings or even long shots, and if by chance you get lucky on the turn, you will be in perfect position to maximize your profits.



Rolf's Rule No. 19: As is the case in no-limit, it is important to realize how your relative position will affect post-flop play. Knowing in advance where profitable and unprofitable situations may occur will enable you to sometimes make a profitable call with hands that seem very marginal, and that, in the eyes of players who aren't astute, are clear folds.



Example No. 2:

You are in the $20 big blind with the A 9. The under-the-gun player makes it $40 to go and everybody folds. What should you do?



Well, even though you seem to be holding a much better hand than in the previous example, in my view, you have a rather clear fold. Your hand is likely to be dominated, because the preflop raiser most likely has a high pair or a big ace. This means that even if you receive help from the board, you may actually lose a whole lot more, because your hand is still second-best. And if in fact you do have the best hand after the flop, the pot you will win will be significantly smaller than the pot you will lose if your hand is just second-best. After all, if your opponent has J-J and an ace flops, it will not be hard for him to see that you may have made a pair of aces. This does not mean that he will automatically fold his hand, but it does mean that he will not give you excessive action. He possibly will be trying to get a free card somewhere, and actually is quite likely to succeed, for the simple reason that you fear that your kicker may not be good. Coupled with the fact that you will be out of position during the entire hand, this is a typical example of a hand and situation with reverse implied odds. By the way, note that many decent players would have folded the 7-5 from example No. 1 without much thought, while thinking the A-9 was a fairly easy call. As you can see from this analysis, I think the opposite is true.



Rolf's Rule No. 20: For most decent but not great limit hold'em players, a large part of their winning strategy consists of the concept of staying out of trouble. For these players, in situations in which it is not clear exactly where they stand, or they are out of position in a very small pot with a hand that is possibly dominated, it is almost always correct to simply fold and take a small loss. Inasmuch as these players are likely to make compounding errors, it is usually best for them to take a small loss rather than battle things out in tough spots that require good reads, good judgment, and lots of "feel."



Example No. 3:

Again, you are in the $20 big blind and hold the 7 5. A pro has called from under the gun, and a loose-aggressive player now makes it $40 to go from the button. What should you do?



Well, at first glance this situation would not seem that much different from example No. 1. In fact, one might argue that this situation may actually be better than the first one, because in the first one, you were almost certainly up against a big hand, and in this case, it is clear that the raiser does not necessarily need to be holding much. So, this would be even more reason to call – right?



Wrong! While it is true that the button could very well hold a rather weak hand and simply be playing his position, I would fold 7-5 here – for the following reasons:



1. You don't know where you're at in the hand. In example No. 1, you knew that you were probably playing cards that were opposite those of the raiser, but here, the raiser may well have hands like the K 7, the A 5, or even 8 7. This means that even if you flop the cards that you want, you still could be in trouble.



2. Assuming that both you and the under-the-gun player call this raise, you are in danger of being sandwiched after the flop. If both you and the under-the-gun player check to the raiser, you will be put in the middle. After all, if the button bets, he will be betting through you, and it is the pro who can close the betting – not you. In fact, he may very well be planning a check-raise to use the loose-aggressive style of the button to his advantage. Because you know that on the flop you are probably going to have to fold many marginal hands, it is better to recognize this problem in advance – and fold before the flop.



3. A pro calling from under the gun is usually a sign of strength. If he sees that behind him, the only action comes from a loose-aggressive player raising from the button and the big blind defending against this loose-aggressive player's raise, he may decide to three-bet with a very wide range of hands – knowing that even fairly marginal hands for him to hold, like the A 10 or the K Q, are probably the best in this siutation and can be raised for value. Because your call does not close the betting and you are in danger of getting squeezed both before and on the flop, your hand will have lost a lot of its potential value.



Rolf's Rule No. 21: In limit hold'em, it is very important to try to anticipate your opponents' actions. Don't make a call in borderline situations when you know that the call will (a) look weak and (b) put you in the middle. The third player may use your apparent weakness to his advantage by pumping up the pot – costing you a lot of money in the process.



This concludes my XIV-part series on limit and no-limit hold'em, which was created especially for Card Player Europe. The accompanying DVDs on this subject can be obtained through my own website, www.rolfslotboom.com.



Rolf Slotboom is a longtime professional, specializing in limit hold'em, pot-limit Omaha, and, more recently, no-limit hold'em ring games. He is the co-author of Hold'em on the Come, the author of the upcoming book Pot-Limit Omaha My Way, the commentator for the Eurosport EPT broadcasts, and the Card Player Europe bureau chief. He is the semiofficial 2005 Dutch Champion, and maintains his own site at www.rolfslotboom.com.