Limit Vs No Limit

aussieinus

aussieinus

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Just wanted to find out people's opinion and some advice on Limit Vs No Limit.
I'm new to online poker and have a very small bankroll at the moment and as such are playing the $.5/$.10 limit holdem tables. (I've based this on 300-500 big bets as discussed in the Bankroll articles on this site).
I realise limit and no limit are different games and require different skill sets and strategy.
At what point (bankroll amount also) is it recommended to switch from limit to no limit?
Or is it simply a case of If I want to risk loosing larger amounts quicker (and also win larger amounts quicker) I should choose no limit.
Should I swap between the two once Im at $X bankroll figure.

Thanks
 
LetsGetItOn

LetsGetItOn

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Nah they aren't bankroll dependent at all (although the swings in NL are greater) it really boils down to just which one you prefer/ play better.
 
F Paulsson

F Paulsson

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XD (old member here) used to preach that you shouldn't switch to NL until you knew a solid limit game. (When that point is reached, I have no idea. I learn new things about limit every week.) But it boils down to understanding when - and more importantly why - you should bet, call, raise or fold. Once you have that figured out, you can start worrying about how much.

Having said that, no-limit isn't a "natural progression" of a poker player, any more than the marathon is the natural next step for a sprinter.
 
J

Joe03681

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IMO you should play both games. Both games require different skills but developing those skills will make you a stronger player toward each game.
 
Jack Daniels

Jack Daniels

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Limit and NL hold'em are similar in the sense that you get two hole cards and five community cards. That's (more or less) where the similarity ends (okay, I'll grant you that what beats what stays the same too).

But strategy wise, they can be totally different creatures. Because of the betting limits in Limit Holdem, your decisions to bet, raise, fold, call, etc may be totally different that in NLH. Strategy is significantly different too, when played correctly. There are some good books still out there on limit hold'em. If you're going to spend a lot of time playing limit, definitely put the study time into it. You'll be surprised at the differences between the two.

(Oh, and yes I may have over exaggerated a little about the lack of similarities in the first paragraph, but it wasn't totally over top. Get a book, read it, see what I mean.)
 
aussieinus

aussieinus

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Thanks everyone for your great advice.
I think I will definately spend some time on both and see where my skills develop the best.
Hope to win some money off you all soon :)
 
Bombjack

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I started with NL and never looked back. I'm pretty good at NL but my Limit game is not that great just because I haven't played that much. Having said that, Limit's pretty easy to pick up when you've played NL. I'd recommend you try some play money NL sit and goes. Other players will be rubbish but once you can beat these, you'll be ready to play for real money. I don't recommend the NL play money tables because people just go all-in every hand and it's not realistic at all. NL is definitely worth the effort as I think it's a more complex game. Swings don't need to be greater than Limit if you play tight, and I think the gains more than compensate for the chance of a bad beat where you lose you whole stack.
 
spore

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IMO one of the biggest differences between LHE and NLHE is that the odds for draws are almost always there in LHE. In NL you can bet out draws, as well as be bet out of your draws. In LHE your pocket pairs are alot less valuable than in NL, as you can't bet out the draws.. especially at lower limits. I can't count the amount of times I "jammed the pot" (or raised/reraised at every opportunity) with QQ/KK/AA only to be drawn out by a straigh or a flush... when i started playing LHE. I play them a lot smarter now.. yes i will raise/reraise preflop, and bet the flop if there isn't 3 to the flush or 3 to the straight. I always take count of the draws that are possible and if a card comes up that makes the draw.. i'm out.

Limit is a lot less frustrating at higher limits. But even at lower limits i do alright by mostly playing drawing hands.. any ace suited, suited-connectors.. these types of hands. Of course I'll get in with premium hands but, i play them alot more cautiously than I would in NL because i'm probably up against multiple draws.

As for whether to play Limit or NL starting off... I've built my smaller BRs by playing the .01/.02 NL games on Titan, and the cheap SnGs, adhereing to the 5% rule. You can build up your BR a lot quicker with NL. You can play Limit, but it's probably going to take you a lot longer to build your BR.
 
bolcs5

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Well once I made a huge mistake on Party (sorry twice), that I signed up for a Limit game. It was blah!!! So annoying. I couldn't win with big pocket pairs, because I couldn't bet big enough to make the stupid fold who was coming for his runner runner flush.
IMO if you play NL once, you will never want to play Limit again.
(Pot Limit is again a different story.)
It's just not the same game. In limit you can't bluff, or make your opponent think "is it worth it", because he will go for he's draw, and you can't do anything about it. I vote for NL! :)
 
Bombjack

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I suck at pot limit as well, but why would anyone play PL when they can play NL...
 
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