No Limit Strategy
* If you feel like getting into No-Limit mode whilst reading this strategy article, be sure to start the song at the bottom of this article first.
Since the turn of the century, No Limit Holdem has grown to become the most popular form of poker worldwide. The ‘No-Limit‘ aspect of the game indicates that a player can bet his entire stack at any point during a hand, which, on the one hand, makes it a very risky game to play, but at the same time provides a thrill-factor unmatched by any other poker variation.
There are common mistakes that no limit hold’ em poker players commit that cost them money. The list of 10 Common No Limit Hold’ Em mistakes below is not strictly geared towards the beginning poker player. If you find yourself in a downswing, it may not be just variance. Take a look at the list below to be sure you plug up any leaks. The 2-5 No Limit Hold’em level of cash games, is the beginning point where a significant amount of money can be made. At lower levels, the lack of stack depth and higher relative rake, cut into profits to a large degree. An intelligent player at these stakes in poker can make enough money to grind out a living if need be. In No-Limit Hold ’em, the oNo-Limity betting rule is that the minimum be at least the size of the big blind. You can bet your whole stack if you want to. Sure, it takes more knowledge, experience, and courage to play No-Limit (No-Limit) well, but it will pay off for you if you play it right. Betting in No Limit.
As with any other form of poker, having the right strategy is the key to success, and what better place to start than the hand selection. Because a pot in No-Limit poker can easily get out of hand, having a strong hand with a high success rate is vital. For beginning poker players, it is therefore recommended to adopt a tight-aggressive strategy. This implies that you fold the great majority of your hands preflop, but once you get dealt a strong hand, you play it very aggressively.
Your position during a hand is also a very important aspect in No-limit poker. The earlier you have to act in a hand, the worse your position is for that hand, because you don’t know what the players behind you are going to do. When in late position, you have the advantage of being able to see what your opponents decide to do and can then base your action on this information.
Your position in a hand also affects your pre-flop hand selection. Here is a general overview of the hands with which you can raise pre-flop in different positions:
Early position: JJ+, AK
Middle Position: TT+, AQ+, AJs+
Late position: 99+, AQ+, AJs+
Small pocket pairs from 22 – 99 can also be very profitable in No-Limit poker cash games. These are great hands to call with pre-flop in every position, even when a player raises (although I would refrain from calling too big a raise with these hands). Your goal is to hit a set (three of a kind, or trips) on the flop, and hopefully you will be up against a strong hand} like AA or KK, in which case it is very likely that you will win a big pot. The important thing to remember with these hands is to fold them should you not improve on the flop and wait for the next opportunity.
While pre-flop play is relatively straightforward when adopting a tight-aggressive strategy, post-flop is where things can get a little bit more complicated. If you stick to the aforementioned hand selection, you will often find yourself in a dominant position after the flop, especially if you hit top-pair, two-pair or even a set. Unfortunately, this won’t always be the case, but even missing the flop doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up your hand straight away. Seeing as you showed a lot of strength before the flop, you can fire out another bet on the flop if all of your opponents checked their hands and hope to pick up the pot with a bluff. If, however, you encounter a lot of resistance, it is important to realize when you’re beat and give up your hand. A deciding factor for playing successful No-Limit Hold’em poker is not only to maximize your winnings when you have the best hand, but also to minimize your losses in case your hand is beat.
Get into No-Limit mode with this song:
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Higher Level Poker.
The following are more advanced strategy articles written by Jack Wilcox, who was a winning cash game player up to $400NL. They were originally posted on his Higher Level Poker training site for small/micro stakes players.
12 No Limit Strategy
These strategy articles make use of player stats like VPIP/PFR.
| Title | Author | Category | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calling From Blinds vs. A Steal | Jack Wilcox | General | Intermediate | 26 Feb, 2011 |
| Semi-Bluffing By Raising All In | Jack Wilcox | Plays | Advanced | 26 Feb, 2011 |
| 3Betting Preflop In The Micro Stakes | Jack Wilcox | Plays | Intermediate | 27 Feb, 2011 |
| The Real Objective Of Poker | Jack Wilcox | Psychology | Beginner | 27 Feb, 2011 |
| Continuation Betting | Jack Wilcox | Plays | Beginner | 26 Mar, 2011 |
| 4Betting Mathematics | Jack Wilcox | Mathematics | Advanced | 28 Mar, 2011 |
| Check-Raising As A Bluff | Jack Wilcox | Plays | Intermediate | 1 Apr, 2011 |
| Attacking 3Bettors | Jack Wilcox | General | Advanced | 3 Apr, 2011 |
| Preflop Opening Ranges | Kyle Garner | General | Beginner | 14 Apr, 2011 |
| Floating The Flop | Jack Wilcox | Plays | Beginner | 14 Apr, 2011 |
| Breaking Down Your Winrate | Jack Wilcox | General | Intermediate | 9 May, 2011 |
| Winning Money From Bad Players | Jack Wilcox | General | Intermediate | 22 Oct, 2011 |
| Playing Blind vs. Blind | Jack Wilcox | General | Advanced | 25 Oct, 2011 |
| The Importance Of Position | Jack Wilcox | General | Beginner | 6 Nov, 2011 |
| Relative Hand Strength | Jack Wilcox | Concepts | Beginner | 6 Nov, 2011 |
| 5 Tips To Improve Your Game | Jack Wilcox | General | Beginner | 29 Nov, 2011 |
| Objectivity In Poker | Kyle Garner | Psychology | Intermediate | 5 Dec, 2011 |
| Optimal Bet Sizing | Johnathan Chan | Concepts | Beginner | 20 Jan, 2012 |
Using Texas Hold'em strategy articles.
When it comes to Texas Hold'em strategy, it's not about how much you read, it's about how much you learn.
Every time you read a Texas Hold'em strategy article, you should be actively trying to absorb the information as you go along. It's all well and good reading a whole bunch of articles, but if nothing is sinking in or making a real difference to the way you play, then it's going to be pretty useless.
If you actually take the strategy from this site on board and use it during play, I don't see any reason why you can't win money from Texas Hold'em. Winning money from Texas Hold'em is pretty straightforward when you know how.
Is this Texas Holdem strategy any good?
Or, to put it another way, why should you take strategy advice from me?
I have been playing winning poker for a number of years. I'm not the God of Texas Hold'em strategy (I'm working on it), but the advice in these Texas Hold'em strategy articles has allowed me to consistently win money right up to the mid to high stakes tables. I like to think that's a good enough reason to trust my articles!
If you want more information and find out who I am, have a look at the about me page.
No Limit Omaha Strategy
Even though I am very confident that the strategy on this site is of great quality, I always recommend exercising a little common sense when it comes to Texas Hold'em strategy and tips. Anyone can write poker strategy and post it on the Internet, but that doesn't make it good strategy. Think about what you're reading, and if it makes sense to you then perfect. It's a great idea to take advice from other successful players, but it's even better to use your head at the same time.