Choosing a Table Limit

There are basically only three different types of betting going on at all of the different poker games being played. The three categories of betting are; Pot Limit betting, Limit betting, and No-limit betting. Players should think about three things before deciding which type of game to play; their poker ability, how they feel about taking chances, and finally how their finances can handle the betting limits.

No Limit Betting
No-limit poker is the sort of poker normally seen when large tournaments such as the World Series of Poker Tournament is televised. In no-limit betting poker, as the name implies, there is basically no limit on the amount players are allowed to bet on their turn. The no-limit poker game is thought of by many as the ultimate poker game because of the 'sudden death' type of bet that can be made when a player bets all of his/her chips on a hand. For fairness most poker rooms set table maximums on their poker tables, this maximum limits the quantity of chips that a player can bring to the table at the start of the game. Maximums work for the player; by limiting player losses for a game and by giving a chance to a player with modest means to play with players who may have much larger bankrolls.

It is an old movie cliché to show poker players putting the mortgage or the keys to a car in the pot in an attempt to call a bet. However, real poker isn't nearly as stressful, players without enough chips to call can still play by going 'all in'. The pot is then split in two with two payouts available, one for the player short on chips and one for the rest of the players, players can only win the amount that they bet.

Limit (Table Limit)
While the popularity of no-limit tournaments is large, the table limit form of poker is by far the most popular variety of poker played in online poker rooms. Table limit poker games have a set betting amount for each round and a limit to the number of time a bet can be raised. This means the game play is more predictable and much less bluffing is done. A table limit game of, say, $2/$4 limits betting to $2 for the pre-flop and flop rounds of betting and $4 for the turn and river rounds. The limit is also restricted by limiting the number of times a bet can be raised to three or four times. Thus the largest bet you would have to call with a three call limit would be $8 and $16 for the early and late rounds respectively. As a player is prevented from placing large bets at the end of the hand if they want to win a large pot they have to bet early in the round. All of this makes table limit poker the more predictable of the three limit types of poker offered to players.

Pot Limit
The basic idea in pot limit poker games is that players may only raise as much as is in the pot at the time the bet is made. The result is a game that starts out with low raises that grow in size as the game progresses and the pot becomes larger. One item that needs to be understood is that the size of the pot in pot limit poker includes the total amount in the pot on the table plus the amount of all table bets plus the amount a player has to call before he/she can raise. This is a little difficult to understand so let's look at a round of betting where there are three players at the table and the pot contains $15.

Player 1 bets the pot limit (the maximum) of $15. The pot now holds $30 of which Player 1 has contributed $15 to.
Player 2 calls costing $15 and the pot grows to $45, he/she then raises the maximum of $45. The pot now holds $90 of which player 2 has contributed $60 to.
Player 3 calls costing $60 and the pot grows to $150, he/she then raises the maximum of $150. The pot now holds $300 of which player 3 has contributed $210 to.
Player 1 calls costing $195 but doesn't raise. The pot now holds $495 of which player 1 has contributed $210 to.
Player 2 then calls costing $150 but also doesn't raise. The pot now holds $645 of which player 2 has contributed $210 to.
If no one else raises all the players will have contributed equally to the pot ($210) and they can play out the hand.

Notice how rapidly the pot has grown, in this one round of one bet and two pot-sized raises the pot grew from $15 to $645. In table limit poker, unlike table limit poker, there is usually no limit to the number of rounds of betting allowed and as such the pot can become very large. If you are going to play table limit poker you must feel comfortable with the potentially large betting in the latter rounds in order to be successful in playing the pot limit game.

What should you play - no-limit, limit, or table limit?
In determining what type of limit poker you should choose to play your skill level, your personal preferences, and your bankroll are all factors to consider. Those new to the game should avoid no-limit tables for awhile, but may be comfortable playing pot-limit games with lower antes. Table limit games are the best for new players but unfortunately encourage a lot of 'loose' play by players who call almost all bets while having little to nothing in their hand. This type of playing makes it difficult for players who want to practice bluffing a skill that must be practiced if a player has any desire to move on to more challenging games. A table limit game is a more predictable game to play and the least risky, and is most likely the only option that new poker players should consider. Pot limit and no-limit games are risky and can cost you a bundle if you are unlucky or if you find yourself playing with much better players than you but if you get lucky and/or play well can offer you a positive experience like no other in poker.