Thursday, December 10, 2009

Basic Guide Limit Hold'em Strategy

limit holdem strategy

Limit hold'em strategy helps a poker player in playing the hold'em game efficiently. Texas hold'em poker is the most popular casino game, in which players play limit and no limit hold em games. Of these games limit hold em is the well versed and known game. To play this game players need to know about the limit hold'em strategy.

There are mean, median and mode strategies based on limit hold'em, however here we would discuss only the basic strategy, that would support and help players in reaching the top position. Most of the players say that limit hold em game is a game of edge, which should be played with proper care.

In a limit hold em game a player cannot stack, or de-stack his opponent or opponents, unlike a no limit hold em game. In a limit hold'em game players don't have any proper idea on their opponent's hands. Players can't improve or deprive hands of their opponents. Most of the players don't play a limit hold'em game because they pot prizes are are quite low.

Thinking in this way is wrong because this game promises benefits in the long run, rather than short run. Most of the beginners complain that its difficult to beat opponents in limit games, and most of the time they end up on the losing side. Basically, a limit hold-em game is designed to give better convenience to players. Patience is an important limit hold-em strategy. If player's don't practice the art of maintaining patience, they wouldn't succeed in the game.

Five Important Basic Limit Hold'em Strategies
1. Bankroll
2. Beginner Hands
3. Position
4. Tight-Aggressive Strategy
5. Pot Odds

Bankroll- Follow Strict Guidelines

Bankroll is said to be the key for opening the limit hold em winning path. If players don't know about bankroll management, they will find it difficult to win the game. Amount a player chooses for bankroll can vary according to his/her skill and knowledge. Casual hold'em bankroll limit is said to be 300 big bets. Player should have a minimum of 300 bets for playing the limit game.

Starting Hands- Perfect Limit Hold'em Strategy

When players choose starting hands they should take few factors into consideration. Players must be able to decide their important starting hands. Its always good to choose big pairs and special high rank cards like AQ and AK. Players can choose other cards as well, but these cars would make it difficult for them to enter the big pot. Its always good to play tight aggressive strategies in early rounds with strong cards like AQ/AK and AA-TT and in late positions play loosen strategy.

Position- Conceptual Hold'em strategy

Position deals with conceptual poker strategy, it helps a player in making it to the pot and gain good rank. Playing tight in early position, and loosening in late position is recommended. This is because when a player plays in early position, his opponent would know about his moves and estimate his game. It's good to be tight in here, and allow opponent to know little about your move. On the other hand when a player plays in late position loosening the game is a better idea.

Tight Aggressive Hold em Strategy

Tight aggressive approach is always beneficial for poker players, it is because when players play tight aggressive in limit games, they will have time to balance bankroll and protect it for future use. It allows them to make bets and folds but not calls. Bluffing doesn't help in a limit hold em game and that is the reason why most of the players avoid it in the game. Its always good to call when you have a strong hand, and fold when you have a weak hand.

Pot Odds Core Poker Strategy

Pot odds define the odds of the game and show how the pot dominates the game. In limit hold em game pot odds help in learning about the profitability of a call in the game. In limit hold em game if you have the amount as $10 for the pot, and you bet $2 then to win the pot of $12 it costs you $2.

In order to determine the profitability of a call, player should compare odds of every draw with the original pot odds. Pot odds for making a flush are in the ratio 4:1 and if the opponent bets $4 into a pot of $10 then the ratio becomes 14:4 and grosses down to 3.5:1. This is quite less than the actual ratio 4:1 and that call is said to be a bad one.

Some of the common drawing pot odds of the game are as follows

Hold Hope to Make Odds
Flush draw Flush 4:1
Straight draw Straight 5:1
Straight draw Straight 11:1
inside
Two pair Full house 11:1

Players should decide and judge all these points first, and finally choose the best limit hold em strategy according to their convenience, those points mentioned here are for beginners, however high level hold em strategies are also applied in the game.

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