Mister Holdem

A Guide for New No Limit Players

Although the game has been around, No Limit Holdem is experiencing a surge in popularity like never before. As the desired game for the million dollar Poker tourneys, it should be no surprising that people will want to learn how to play it. Before you start playing, you should keep the following in mind.

If you have some previous experience in Limit Holdem, shifting to No Limit will be quite an experience. The most obvious difference, of course, is that the bet limitations are removed in No Limit, but there is more to the game than that.

By removing the wage restrictions, players must devise more complex strategies. In Limit Holdem, the fixed bets make player maneuverings quite predictable; in No Limit, the fact that anyone can go all in at any point in time means one should be extra careful about calling or raising.

Through bluffing, slow playing and overcalling, a player with less than stellar hands can win in No Limit. In Limit Holdem, holding the nuts almost always means victory; in No Limit, the game is often decided through elimination and player folding before the flop.

For this reason, mental fortitude and hand reading is very important in No Limit. In Limit Holdem, and other Texas Holdem variants, fixed wagers allow players to be comfortable to call or pay for the flop; in No Limit, you can never be that certain about calling, as someone could raise all in.

If you have previous experience in Draw or Stud Poker, you should take into consideration that the winning hands in No Limit Holdem are quite different. Face cards are generally considered to be inferior to top pairs, because the latter are easier to hide, making it possible to fool players into staying in the pot far longer.

For those with no previous experience in Poker at all, the best you can do is to learn the rules and strategies first. This is easy to do; just get a deck of cards and start playing. Or you can download a game from the Internet. There are several books devoted to No Limit strategies as well as tutorials and guides online.

When you are ready to start playing No Limit for money, the lowest bets in a casino are usually $2 to $4, or about $100 worth of chips. If you lose in your initial outings, keep in mind that is part of your training, and you can never win if you are not willing to take some risks.

The world of No Limit Holdem is exciting, and filled with the promise of thousands of dollars in prizes. As with anything in gambling, you start from the bottom, and once you have reached the top, the taste of victory will be sweeter.