Limit Holdem Poker Betting Instructions
In some ways, limit hold’em may seem to be an easier game to master than no limit; after all, one factor–how much to bet or raise–has been already decided for you. Nevertheless, winning and losing still turns on when and how you bet, raise, check and fold. There are complicated systems for making this decision that more advanced players may want to check out, but if you follow a basic strategy, you will, more often than not, come out ahead.
First, let’s review some key terminology:
*Big Blind: A forced bet that serves a similar function as an ante. The responsibility for the big blind moves clockwise around the table.
*Small Blind: A second forced bet that is placed by the person sitting to the right, or behind, the big blind; it is usually set at 1/2 the big blind.
* Check: You can only check if no one before you has placed a bet. If you check, you do not bet, and the pot remains empty, save for the large and small blind.
* Bet: You place money in the pot. In limit hold’em, the size of your bet is determined by the the round of betting and the size of the blinds. Before and after the flop, bets must be the size of the big blind. At the turn and river, they must be twice the size of the big blind.
* Raise: You match the bets already placed in the pot, and then add another bet. Before and after the flop, raises must be the size of the big blind. At the turn and river, they must be twice the size of the big blind.
* Fold: You resign from the hand; any money you already have placed in the pot is lost.
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Next, let’s define table positions:
Betting starts with the person sitting to the left of the big blind, and most tables will seat 10 people. The first, second and third players to act are considered to be in *early position*; the fourth, fifth and sixth are considered to be in *middle position*, and the seventh, dealer, small blind, and big blind are in *late position.*
Now we can set out some basic rules of betting:
* In general, the later your position, the more aggressive you can be in your betting. This is because there are fewer players coming after you to raise the pot. Consider the case in which you are sitting on J-T suited in the second seat. This is not a bad hand at all, and you may be tempted to put some money in the pot and getting the betting started. However, if the fourth seat raises, and the sixth and seventh each re-raise, your J-T has now become a very expensive hand. You either have to fold and lose your initial bet, or throw a lot more money on the table than you really should. If, on the other hand, you were sitting in the eighth seat and everyone before you had checked, you could be pretty confident that you have a strong hand for this round, and it won’t probably cost you too much to find out.
Therefore, if you are in early position, you should only bet the strongest hole cards: paired face cards, and suited connectors down to KQ. Yes, this means you will be folding a lot; but when you do play, you will have a good chance of cleaning up.
* Only raise and re-raise with very strong hands. You can easily getting into a war with someone who also has a strong hand, or who just likes to re-raise, even with rags. Stick to the strong hands and you will either be in a close war with a decent chance of winning, or you will take the bluffer for everything he is worth.
* There are very few circumstances in which “limping,” i.e., just checking or calling bets is a good idea. Limping is usually the sign of a player who is too timid (has great cards and just can’t commit to them), or too loose (just can’t bear to fold, even 3-7 unsuited). The one exception is that if you have a very loose player, one who is on a full tilt, you can use this person’s rotten play to hide your own great hands. Let the wild player make your bets and raises, and then just call.
* If you’ve gotten as far as the river, there is very little reason to get out; you should not be there if you don’t have a competitive hand, and although we have all been “rivered,” this is statistically rare. Call any bets that are made at the river, and if you know you have the nuts, raise. If you do not have the nuts, and someone is raising and re-raising, the river rat may be coming to take your money. Get out if you have to.
