"Limit Poker" by Peter Costa

December 10, 2004

Poker Biography of Peter Costa:

Aussie Millions winner Melbourne Australia 2003 Late Night Poker winner 6th series Hall of Fame Champion  Binion’s Horseshoe Las Vegas 2002 California State Champion  Commerce Casino Los Angeles 2002 Bellagio Champion  Bellagio Casino Las Vegas 2002 World record Holder for Limit Holdem when he beat a field of 1166 players at the Orleans Casino Las Vegas July12th 2003 Took 2nd in both the 2001 and 2002 European Championships at The Vic in London He was the only player to be nominated for both the 2002 and 2003 European Player of the Year Award

Limit Hold'em

A great way to learn

Even though No-Limit Hold’em is all the rage at the moment - I would suggest that Limit poker may be the best way for a complete novice to learn. The best route for this is probably through one of the many the Internet sites. Most of these sites offer play money games (play money means that it does not cost you anything to play and is just for pure fun) as well as most other forms of poker. However, for our purposes, the focus will be on Limit Hold’em.

Limit means there is a limit as to how much you can bet. For example; A 15-30 Limit Hold’em game means that the max bet at any time is 30.

So take your seat and play away. Do not be afraid to lose your play money chips as they can be replaced.  After all, those chips are there for you to learn. Also, don’t worry too much about playing badly as you will tend to see a lot of bad play in these types of play money games. However, if you want to learn from the outset to play well; be selective with your starting hands. In other words, don’t just play every hand to see if you would have won.

By selective, I mean that you should start with good hands in the first place. Suited connecters (this means hands that are of the same suit and closely connected, like (9 -10 of diamonds or 10 - Jack of spades etc..). These hands should be played when there is value in the pot. For example: Four or five players. But as play money games go, there will probably be value in many of the pots.

For even better hand selection, play big cards only like JQ, QK, AT, AJ, AQ, AK and of course big pocket pairs like JJ, QQ, KK and the best of all AA. You should only play A with any other card when they are of the same suit. As for most other pairs 2-2 up to TT, you will find that with more than one or two players in the pot; you will need to improve your hand in order to win.

The above instructions should be a good guideline as how you should approach Limit Holdem. However, these are not rigid rules. After a little experience, you will develop a better feeling for the game. You can then look to adapt your play to suit the various situations that arise during Limit. These include general play, position, calling raises and when to raise.

General Limit Play:

Obviously, every situation is different as there are many factors to take into account. However, as you play, you will learn to adjust your play to deal with each situation. For example, you can play AA many different ways. If first to act, and you know that it's likely to get raised by aggressive players in later position; try just calling. You can then get an extra bet from each player by re-raising. If there is no raise after your call, you have disguised your hand perfectly and may well benefit later on in the hand. 

When in late position (on the button for example) and there has already been a raise; you can either raise or keep your aces disguised (slow play) for greater action after the flop and turn card. It really is down to each individual situation. Although there is some risk attached to slow playing Aces, overall it can pay dividends.

When calling raises, make sure you are not asking for trouble by calling with hands that will cost you money. You can only do this if you pay attention as to who the raiser is. With loose players, you can call with your AT, KJ and KQ. However, these are trouble hands when calling against tight and solid players. Also, pay attention to your position as even AQ when first to act,  is not a premium hand. However, in late position when there hasn’t been a raise, it is a fairly strong hand. This principle also applies to medium pairs like 66, 77, 88, and 99. So don’t look to raise with these hands from early position.

Big suited cards like KQ, AJ, AQ and AK always look pretty. But be careful not to fall madly in love with them as they are only drawing hands. Very often, with AK you will hit either a pair or a draw. For example, a flop containing TJ, TQ or JQ. With these flops you will tend to feel that you can win the hand by either hitting the straight or your AK. But be warned, although the straight will be good, the A or K could give someone else two pairs or a straight.

Overall, try to portray a tight image by being very selective with your starting hands. This will give you respect from the other players and therefore, the opportunity to steal a few pots when the situation is right.

Bluffing and making moves in Limit Holdem:

As you play and improve your game, you will come to realize the importance of learning the advanced skills of playing the player, position and bluffing. Although the importance of these skills may not seem as crucial in Limit compared to No-limit; it’s still a major difference between winners and losers.

Because of the nature of Limit, you will find that the opportunities to bluff (make moves), are also rather limited. It is therefore important to take advantage when they do present themselves. These will mainly arise when your are either one of the blinds or in late position. However, these will only work if you have gained the respect of other players at the table. If you are constantly raising and getting caught with weak hands - making moves or bluffing is not a very profitable option.

You must also bear in mind that in Limit, you will sometimes need to make a succession of bets in order to steal the pot. For example, the button always seems to raise your big blind. Now it’s logical to assume that he can’t possibly have a big hand each time.  You therefore decide to make a stand and re-raise pre-flop.  This in itself will most certainly not be enough to steal the pot.  You must therefore need to bet the flop and carry on betting until the steal works. This may require a further bet on the turn and one after the river. Obviously this play is very much dependent on many factors and it will be up to you to determine the timing of such a move.

In other forms of poker like No Limit, the position of the raiser and the amount of the bet, can be a major indication of the hand that you are up against. In limit however, a raise can only give you a small inkling of the raiser’s hand. You must therefore pay close attention to the players on your table. It’s only through such study that you will learn to better read your opponents.