No Limit Vs. Limit Poker

When I first started playing poker more than 30 years ago, only a handful of people played no limit. Most casinos only had one no limit table operating. It was usually in a reserved section of the room and sometimes the limit players would gather like rail birds around the table just to watch the masters at work.

To most of us limit players, no limit poker was scary and we didn't want any part of it.

It was exciting to watch the professionals go all in on a bluff, only to be called by someone with a single pair. The vicarious thrill of watching big money change hands was enough for us and we were content to go back to our limit game.

Today, of course, all that has changed. There is a new generation of poker players who were weaned on no-limit. They may be kids in their late teens or early 20s, but they are no strangers to making or calling big bets. They have their daddy's money or their own, they know the game, and they are willing to to risk their bankroll on the turn of a card.

There are members of this website who have never played poker. They play blackjack, slots or some other game, but they are strangers to poker. I have received several emails asking me whether they should play limit or no limit. After mulling over those questions, I have come up with an answer.

Being a rather conservative player, in the past I would advise new poker players to stick to limit poker. It gives them a chance to learn the game without risking a lot of money. It also provides them with the opportunity to test their skills against other people.

Poker is like boxing or golf. You may think you are good, but there may be a real boxer or golfer there who can teach you a few things that could be very costly.

Today I have a different attitude about no limit poker. I think players should give it preference over limit, especially if they have been losing at limit poker because of having their good hands cracked by players who stubbornly cling to any hope of winning a pot.

There is a new breed of limit poker -- I am talking about housewives, grandmothers, retirees, fast food employees and others -- who are so stubborn that raises and even double raises will not prevent them from entering a pot.

This does not happen in no limit poker.

A no limit player has good card sense and will not battle the odds when he knows he is beat going into the flop. Your pocket aces or kings are much safer in no limit if you play them properly. This means no slow play and get as much money into the pot before the flop as you can.

In a $4-8 game, there is no way to prevent your aces or kings from being cracked. Limit players are there to gamble and to hell with the odds. They came to play!

For this reason, I advise new players to test their game at a limit table and then switch to no limit. Buy in for the minimum $60 or $100 and see what happens.

Doyle Brunson once described no limit poker to me as 'hours of boredom interspersed by moments of sheer terror.' That's where you will find yourself. Enjoy the ride.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).