Texas Hold

Low-Limit Hold'Em Poker
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Notes on Low-Limit Hold’Em Poker

These Low-Limit Hold'Em Poker notes are based on a melding of concepts and various data found in currently popular books, articles and websites. These notes are tailored for solid, tight-aggressive play.

Betting strategies pertain specifically to low-limit games with nine or ten players. Low-limit here is defined as Texas Hold’Em limit games less than $10/$20 (maybe even including some $10/$20 games). Strategies for higher limit games will vary due to tighter/tougher games, higher stakes and advanced/aggressive opponents.

If you are looking for No-Limit Hold'Em concepts, this site is not for you since no-limit betting strategies are totally distinct from limit games. To repeat a cliche: "Playing Limit Holdem is a science; playing No-Limit Holdem is an art".

Sidebar

During pre-flop play it is important to enter the betting with good starting hands - according to position and tightness / looseness of the game - and betting them accordingly. However, along with playing good starting hands, mastering the analytical aspect of post-flop play determines whether one wins or loses consistently.

The most important post-flop decisions to be made on betting or staying with your hand will usually occur immediately after seeing the flop. Of prime importance is the decision of staying with your hand to see the turn or folding. Consistently staying with weak or marginal hands at this stage of the deal will cost you a lot of money over the long run due to "leakage".

"Reading" opponent's hands, determining "outs" and odds for hitting an out, making betting decisions based on favorable/unfavorable pot odds, how to effectively bet in specific situations (checking, betting out, calling, semi-bluffing, raising, reraising, check raising, when to fold, etc.) are required skills to become a successful player.

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PLAYER STYLE / GAME TYPE - DEFINITIONS

BETTING POSITIONS

PRE-FLOP STARTING HANDS & BETTING STRATEGIES

Early Position

Middle Position

Late Position

Small Blind

Big Blind

PLAY ON THE FLOP

Flop A Pair

Flop 3-Of-A-Kind

Flop A Straight Or Flush Draw

Flop A Complete Hand

Flop Two Overcards

The Flop Misses You

Free Card

PLAY ON THE TURN

PLAY ON THE RIVER

SEMI-BLUFF

PROBABILITIES AND ODDS

USING POT ODDS (Risk Assessment)

TRACKING YOUR RESULTS

PLAYER STYLE / GAME TYPE - DEFINITIONS

Defining Player Style

A player’s style, or method of play, is characterized by two factors:

The strength of hand played in a given situation:
- “Loose” means constantly playing weaker hands that have a lesser chance of winning, resulting in playing more hands and holding on to them longer.
- “Tight” means being selective about the cards to play, resulting in playing fewer hands and folding them earlier.
How a hand is bet in a given situation.
- “Passive” means a reluctance to bet-out, raise or re-raise.
- “Aggressive” means frequent raising, check-raising and re-raising.

Defining a Typical Low-Limit Game Type

Tight Game - an average of four or less players see the flop. Post-flop, drawing hands are not attractive because pot odds are smaller due to fewer players in the pot. If the opponents are tight-weak and you know their betting habits, you might consider playing looser with more aggression than normal.
Loose Game - an average of five or more players see the flop. Post-flop, drawing hands are more attractive since the pot odds tend to be higher (larger pots) than in a tight game.

Sidebar:

Because of the tremendous popularity of Texas Holdem (mostly due to TV no-limit tournaments) there has been a large influx of new players to the game -- especially online. Many of these "newbies" start playing limit-holdem without any idea of basic limit-holdem poker concepts and strategies. On TV you see no-limit tournament players at a short-handed table sometimes call raises with an A3 off-suit, or sometimes raise with a small pair -- this is all good and proper for specific situations in no-limit tournament play, but not in a limit money game.

It is not uncommon these days at low-limit online tables to see many "newbies" whose requirements for playing a starting hand, regardless of position, is:

Any hand containing an Ace or King (suited or not, with the other card as low as a 2).
Any pair, sometimes even raising with a small pair.
Any suited two cards, whether connected or not.
Any unsuited connectors.

During pre-flop betting, these players will call a bet or cold-call a raise in any position with hands as weak as those described above. As a result they will be playing a majority of their hands.

Pre-flop, when a "normal" player calls in early position, or raises, or cold-calls a raise or reraises, you mentally assign those players with moderately strong to very strong hands. During post-flop betting you can start to "read" a normal player's hand and "put them on" certain holdings based on pre-flop betting and later betting rounds. With a "newbie" it is nearly impossible to put them on certain holdings early on.

After a time you will be able to spot any "newbies". Post-flop, most "newbies" will chase even if their pot odds are terrible. Bid aggressively -- you must charge the maximum to players who are playing rags -- usually never slow play a hand pre-flop (you won't chase these "newbies" out of a hand).

Normally, if a "newbie" hits on the flop or turn they stop being a "calling station" and will bet out or raise and you now have a better idea of their holding.

When "newbies" draw-out on you with rags and terrible pot odds don't remark on their blind luck or inferior play. You want them at your table because in the long haul they will end up paying you.

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BETTING POSITIONS

Betting strategies are presented according to the player’s position. For a 10-player ring game, positions are defined as:

	Early *(E3)*	Middle (M1)	Middle (M2)
Early *(E2)*				Middle (M3)
UTG *(E1)*				Late *(Cutoff)*
	Blind *(Big)*	Blind *(Small)*	Late *(Button)*

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PRE-FLOP STARTING HANDS & BETTING STRATEGIES

The pre-flop betting strategies are shown below according to betting position for both "tight" games (fewer hands played) and "loose" games (more hands played). These starting hands are guidelines, not absolute conditions, for solid tight-aggressive play.

Legend & Color Code

	"TIGHT GAME" STRATEGY An average of 4 or less players see the flop	"LOOSE GAME" STRATEGY An average of 5 or more players see the flop

XX	Raise	Raise
XX	Play this hand, but don't raise	Raise
XX	Play this hand, but don't raise	Play this hand, but don't raise
XX	Fold	Raise
XX	Fold	Play this hand, but don't raise

Early Positions (Positions E1, E2 & E3)

>> NO RAISES TO YOU YET

SUITED

UNSUITED

Pairs

A's

K's

Q's

J's

0-Gap

1-Gap

A's

K's

Q's

J's

>> AGAINST A RAISE

(Need assurance of Multi-Way pot for "Loose Strategy", otherwise use "Tight Strategy")

SUITED

UNSUITED

Pairs

A's

K's

Q's

J's

0-Gap

1-Gap

A's

K's

Q's

J's

>> AGAINST A RAISE AND A RERAISE

SUITED

UNSUITED

Pairs

A's

K's

Q's

J's

0-Gap

1-Gap

A's

K's

Q's

J's

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Middle Positions (Positions M1, M2 & M3)

>> NO RAISES TO YOU YET

SUITED

UNSUITED

Pairs

A's

K's

Q's

J's

0-Gap

1-Gap

A's

K's

Q's

J's

>> AGAINST A RAISE

(Need assurance of Multi-Way pot for "Loose Strategy", otherwise use "Tight Strategy")

SUITED

UNSUITED

Pairs

A's

K's

Q's

J's

0-Gap

1-Gap

A's

K's

Q's

J's

>> AGAINST A RAISE AND A RERAISE

SUITED

UNSUITED

Pairs

A's

K's

Q's

J's

0-Gap

1-Gap

A's

K's

Q's

J's

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Late Positions (Positions "Cutoff" & "Button")

>> NO RAISES TO YOU YET

SUITED

UNSUITED

Pairs

A's

K's

Q's

J's

0-Gap

1-Gap

A's

K's

Q's

J's