Varieties Of Poker
In the world of Texas Hold’Em there are 3 varieties of game you can play.
For the purposes of this book we’re going to concentrate on No Limit Hold’Em but here now are clearer definitions of all three variations. All three games (Limit, Pot Limit & No Limit) derive their name from the way the betting works.
Limit Hold’Em
Limit Hold’Em games have a FIXED betting structure which mean that they are ideal for beginners. Because the betting is fixed then no more nor no less can be bet at any stage of the game that is dictated by the limit at which the game is being played. Limits are usually set as 1 / 2, 2 / 4, 3 / 6, 4 / 8 etc and work on the following basis.
Blinds are set as 50% / 100% of the small limit. In the case where the game is 2 / 4 then the blinds (the enforced bets to the left of the dealer) would be 1 unit for the small blind and 2 units for the big blind.
The cards are then dealt to all players. Betting commences with the player to the immediate left of the enforced big blind either FOLDING, CALLING or RAISING.
FOLDING – Player decides he does not wish to partake in the hand and FOLDS his cards.
CALLING – Player decides he wishes to partake in the hand dealt and CALLS the amount as posted by the big blind. (In this case 2 units)
RAISING – Player decides he wishes to raise the betting and will firstly CALL the initial bet of 2 units and then RAISE another 2 units.
In the event that a player RAISES the betting then players still to partake in the action may then RERAISE, i.e CALL the first players raise (4 units) and RAISE another 2 units.
N.B Once a raise has taken place then players to the left of the original raiser, who still have cards in front of them, are then able to FOLD, CALL or RE-RAISE in reaction to the original raiser.
Whilst the highest BET or RAISE can be units of 2 units on receipt of cards and immediately after the FLOP the betting units INCREASE to 4 units after the TURN card and again for the RIVER card. Hence the name 2 / 4 Limit.
Example.
7 player table. Game is £2 / £4 Hold’Em. Blinds are 1 / 2. Button is at seat 7.
Player 1 posts £1 (enforced small blind bet)
Player 2 posts £2 (enforced big blind bet)
Cards are dealt.
Player 3 FOLDS
Player 4 CALLS £2 (same amount as big blind)
Player 5 RAISES £2 (puts in £2 then ADDS £2)
Player 6 RERAISES £2 (puts in £4 – Player 5’s bet – then ADDS £2)
Player 7 CALLS £6
Play now comes back to the small blind (Player 1) who FOLDS
Player 2 CALLS £4 (total owing)
Player 4 CALLS £4
Player 5 CALLS £2
Total amount in pot is 5 players * £6 = £30 + small blind (£1) = £31
Need To Know: Raising is usually CAPPED at 4 raises meaning that the maximum any player can bet BEFORE the flop is £10. (Original £2 bet + 4 raises of £2 each) Betting can only be incremented, by way of a raise, of £2 each time.
The FLOP is now dealt.
Player 2 is first to act (player 1 folded) and CHECKS
Player 4 is next to act (player 3 folded) and CHECKS
Player 5 is next to act and BETS £2
Player 6 is next to act and CALLS £2
Player 7 is next to act and RAISES to £4
Play comes back around the table, as there has been a raise, and Player 2 FOLDS.
Player 4 FOLDS.
Player 5 CALLS £2
Player 6 CALLS £2
Total amount in the pot now stands at £31 + £12 (3 * £4) = £43
The TURN CARD is now dealt.
Player 5 is first to act and BETS £4 (betting limit has now increased)
Player 6 is next to act and CALLS £4
Player 7 RAISES to £8 (£4 + £4)
Play comes back around the table, as there has been a raise, and Player 5 FOLDS.
Player 6 CALLS £4.
Total amount in the pot now stands at £43 + £20 (2 * £8 + 1 * £4) = £63
The RIVER CARD is now dealt.
Player 6 is first to act and CHECKS.
Player 7 is next to act and BETS £4 (betting limit still at 4 units)
Play comes back around the table, as there has been a raise, and Player 6 CALLS.
Total amount in the pot now stands at £63 + £8 (2 * £4) = £71
A showdown occurs and the winner takes it all!!
A breakdown of the above pot shows that:
Player 1 invested £1
Player 2 invested £6
Player 3 invested £0
Player 4 invested £6
Player 5 invested £14
Player 6 invested £22
Player 7 invested £22
This kind of investment is indicative of play at the £2 / £4 level and generally shows that more money is invested by players who act LATER than others in any particular hand. In this case both players 6 & 7 invested £22 whilst players 1, 2, 3 & 4 invested only £13 between them.
As game limits increase then, of course, the amount of money required to play in the game goes up in line with the limits. It’s recommended that you sit in LIMIT games with an amount of approximately 50 * the high limit of the game so in a game of £2 / £4 it’s a good idea to sit down with EXCESS of £200 to start.
In a game of £5 / £10 then the ‘sit down’ requirement would be in the region of £500.
LIMIT Hold’Em is a great way to learn to play the game as your bankroll can last a great deal longer in this type of game than in the games we’re going to move onto now namely Pot Limit & No Limit.
Pot Limit Hold’Em
As the name suggests this game is all about what’s in the pot at the time of the bet and players can deem to either bet a portion of the pot value or go the whole hog and bet the whole pot.
Bankroll requirements for this type of game is usually around the same level as the LIMIT game although your life at the table may be much shorter than planned for so BEWARE.
Blinds are usually set dependant on the minimum ‘buy-in’ requirement. E.g for a £50 buy-in then limits might be £1 / £1, a £100 buy-in might have blinds of £1 / £2 whilst a £250+ buy-in requirement might have blinds set as £2 / £5.
Example.
7 player table. Game is £100 Hold’Em. Blinds are £1 / £2. Button is at seat 7.
Player 1 posts £1 (enforced small blind bet)
Player 2 posts £2 (enforced big blind bet)
Cards are dealt.
Player 3 FOLDS
Player 4 CALLS £2 (same amount as big blind)
Player 5 RAISES to £7 (puts in £2 then ADDS £5)
Player 6 RERAISES to £15 (puts in £7 – Player 5’s bet – then ADDS £8)
Player 7 CALLS £15
Play now comes back to the small blind (Player 1) who FOLDS
Player 2 CALLS £13 (total owing)
Player 4 CALLS £13
Player 5 CALLS £13
Total amount in pot is 5 players * £15 = £75 + small blind (£1) = £76
Need To Know: Raising is not restricted. The only time that raising might stop is when a player runs out of money. A ‘side pot’ is then created. We’ll look at these later. When raising in Pot Limit and No Limit games the raise must always be EQUAL TO or GREATER than the last bet. E.g if player 1 bets £10 then player 2 cannot raise any amount LESS than £10 (unless he’s out of money then he is deemed to be ‘all-in’ and a side pot is created)
The FLOP is now dealt.
Player 2 is first to act (player 1 folded) and CHECKS
Player 4 is next to act (player 3 folded) and CHECKS
Player 5 is next to act and BETS £20
Player 6 is next to act and CALLS £20
Player 7 is next to act and RAISES to £100 (puts in £20 – Player 6’s bet – then ADDS £80)
Play comes back around the table, as there has been a raise, and Player 2 FOLDS.
Player 4 FOLDS.
Player 5 CALLS £80
Player 6 CALLS £80
Total amount in the pot now stands at £76 + £300 (3 * £100) = £376
The TURN CARD is now dealt.
Player 5 is first to act and BETS THE POT (£376)
Player 6 is next to act and CALLS £376
Player 7 RAISES to £1000
Play comes back around the table, as there has been a raise, and Player 5 FOLDS.
Player 6 CALLS to £1000.
Total amount in the pot now stands at £376 + £2376 (2 * £1000 + 1 * £376) = £2752
The RIVER CARD is now dealt.
Player 6 is first to act and CHECKS.
Player 7 is next to act and BETS £500
Play comes back around the table, as there has been a raise, and Player 6 CALLS.
Total amount in the pot now stands at £2752 + £1000 (2 * £500) = £3752
A showdown occurs and the winner takes it all!!
A breakdown of the above pot shows that:
Player 1 invested £1
Player 2 invested £15
Player 3 invested £0
Player 4 invested £15
Player 5 invested £491
Player 6 invested £1615
Player 7 invested £1615
You can see here that the amount of money required to play, even in a £1 / £2 Pot Limit game is VASTLY different to the requirements of a £1 / £2 LIMIT game.
No Limit Hold’Em
As Mike Sexton calls it…’the Cadillac of Poker’. A game in which you don’t need to even wait for the FLOP to appear before you commit your entire chip stack into the pot.
This game is used to determine the World Champion of Poker every year and quite rightly so. As cash games go you won’t see too many. The reason is simple! Who would want to run a game where the customer could lose his entire bankroll in the space of one hand?
In No Limit Hold’Em the player dictates the betting to the extent of their chips in hand. Once all their chips are gone then that’s their lot and they’re out of the game. The rules of the game, and of course…how to play, are covered elsewhere but for now lets look at an example of a hand where ‘side pots’ are created.
Side pots are merely pots that exist when players run out of chips and so cannot cover other players’ bets. Games are not played out like the film ‘Big Hand For A Little Lady’, where Mary, compulsive gambler Merediths wife, legs it across to the bank for some money when she’s dealt a winning hand at poker. No sireee! Once your chips are in the middle and you’ve no more in front of you then a side pot is created that contains the chips you yourself have bet plus any matching or lower bets.
E.g. Small blind = 100 points, Big Blind = 200 points
PLAYER A is the SB with 1200 points in front of them
PLAYER B is the BB with 1400 points in front of them
PLAYER C has 900 points in front of them
PLAYER D has 400 points in front of them
Player A places 100 points (SB) in front of him. Player B places 200 points (BB) in front of them. Player C goes ‘all-in’ for 900 points. Player D goes ‘all-in’ for 400 points. Players A & B pass. Pot size = 100 (SB) + 200 (BB) + 400 (player C’s bet) + 400 (player D’s bet) = 1100.
Note that player C had 500 points returned to him after both player A & B failed to ‘call’ player C’s bet of 900 points. The next highest bet to player C’s was the ‘all-in’ call bet of player D.
Don’t worry if it all sounds confusing. By participating in a few games you’ll soon appreciate what all this means.
No Limit Hold’Em is by far and away the most popular tournament game of choice in 2005. You’ll always find that the main event of all tournament weeks is one of No Limit Texas Hold’Em and as such there have probably been more books written about the subject than any other.
This book aims to give you a beginner’s guide to become a great player in your own right and whilst most of the advice and theory given within its pages are subjective they should provide you with enough information to be able to form your own opinions on how the game should be played.
In No Limit Hold’Em there are many right and wrong ways to play any one of a million situations you’ll find yourself in during the course of a game. But that’s the fun in learning. You’ll soon learn to appreciate your mistakes and cut them from your game. You’ll soon understand that there are right and wrong places to put all your chips into the pot holding a pair of 2’s and soon begin to realise when is a good time to call an opponents bet and when to fold.
As Mike Sexton once said…’it takes a few minutes to learn but a lifetime to master’.
Next week’s article is on World Series Of Poker
