How do people play LIMIT ?

[JDMcNugent7]

I'm not bashing limit or saying its a weak game or anything, just wondering why some of you would rather play limit over NL ?

Here are the primary reasons i dont like LIMIT hold em:
1) Bluffing is hardly a part of the game at all and very difficult to do
2) People chase in limit all the time because the bets are so small and pots are so big that even bad players that chase can be paid off
3) In NL, you can effectively prevent your opponents from seeing the next card by making a bet that doen't give them the right pot odds, in LIMIT you can't do this.
4) Right now i feel like LIMIT is mainly for players too scared to risk it all on any one hand- prove me wrong

The only reason i posted this is because i am looking to start playing LIMIT and want to know why you guys like it, because right now i don't but i want to learn to. Don't take it as a post that is just making fun of LIMIT- because it definetely isn't.
Just want to know the reasons you guys like it- Thx

[Talking Poker]

Limit is a great way to learn how to play poker. It's also (for me) a much easier way to make a lot of money. If I continue to do the right things over and over, and capitalize on my opponents mistakes, I will make a lot of money. With NL, a single bad beat or a few tough breaks with second best hands can cost you a LOT of money...

[PShabi]

Agree with what TP has said. I'm not comparing it to NL, but in limit you have a lot of room for error. You are playing more hands and going farther with them. There are more decisions to make. Everytime you make the wrong decision, you're losing money.

It's a different game and you have to realize the guy that hit two miracle cards in a row to suck out on your AA and your set of 10s is the guy who makes you money in the long run.

People who are too short term have a hard time dealing with that.

[robthedlphin]

I've been playing no limit mostly, but after buying 'Low Limit Hold'em' I started playing limit a lot more. I've found that the errors I make in limit don't cost me as much, while the accumulated errors that others make pay me off a lot more.
For instance--if I overplay TPTK in no-limit I can easily lose 1/4-1/2 my stack. If I overplay TPTK in limit I usually have the pot odds to do it and don't lose as much. I'm finding in limit that there are TONS of calling stations who call down things like second pair, A high, etc., and I've been coming out ahead a lot more.

[PokerGreed]

I can probably provide a unique perspective, in that I have always played NL and have only recently begun playing limit. I am fairly successful at tournaments, both MTT and SNG, but have primarily been a ring game player. I got in the habit of multi-tabling and began playing up to 12 tables simultaneously with great success - achieving a rate in excess of $35/hr at lower stakes NL hold'em.

However, I began wondering if a higher rate were possible at limit hold'em. I have recently begun multi-tabling the $.50/$1.00 and $1/$2 limit holdem tables, and hope to continue moving up. While I am still in the data gathering phase, I think that this may present a greater rate per hour than no limit, and with minimal risk.

I will continue to post my progress both at this forum and on my blog.

Best of luck!

[Talking Poker]

Cool. Keep us posted.

One question though: 12 tables? Are you serious? I think it's much easier to multi-table limit tables than NL tables. Individual player reads don't matter as much, and it's a much more mechanical game. These are two more of the reasons I like it. I can be doing soe other work, watching a movie, whatever, and still have 2 or 3 limit games going at once, not giving them my ful attention, and still win. In NL, if I tried to do this, I'd be running a pretty big risk.

With all that said, when I play LIVE, where I can only play one table at a time, NL is by far my game of choice. It's actually funny how different the two games are, considering they are both "Hold'Em." Throw Pot Limit into the mix and then add in the differences between short handed, full ring, and heads up, then add in the differences between tourneys and cash games, and it really shows what a truly amazing game this is. And this is just one variation of POKER we're talking about here...

[JDMcNugent7]

Ya i heard it's apparently pretty easy to win at LIMIT cash games as long as you're a good poker player and not too loose like most of them are, thats really the main reason i've been looking to switch to LIMIT.
Any good LIMIT books out there that you guys recommend, all i have right now are NL books. Thanks

[Defendant]

Why do you call them bad players? If the pot is big and the bet relatively small, a BAD player would fold.

Defendant

[Talking Poker]

Winning Low Limit Hold'Em by Lee Jones. Small Stakes Hold'Em by Ed Miller.

[PShabi]

I recommend Winning Low Limit hold 'em first.

Play 15-20k hands.

Then read Small Stakes Hold 'em 50 times.

WLLHE will get you winning.

SSHE will max out your profits and take you to the next level.

[greenbuckets]

12 tables!?!?!?! You must have hands of lightning. I can just manage 4 tables!

[2Tone]

Another good thread.

Limit is my primary game. I play it because I can consistently win, at least at the lower levels. If I simply play solid poker, hammering away with premium hands and avoid playing margin hands, there are enough weak players that will pay me off. Don’t try to bluff, know your pot odds, and you’ll see a decent return on your investment.

NL is obviously a more nuanced game. Playing the man rather than the cards, bluffing, etc. It’s also – for me at least – simply less profitable.

[2Tone]

In his latest post, he quotes pro Dicky Horvath, who perfectly sums up the limit game. What's interesting is he is playing 15/30, while I'm only at 3/6.

My gig is to be a drone. Some mindless ant worker. I have to play mechanically, not seductively. That's because I'm not there for a game. How I do on any one day doesn't mean shit. I'm playing in a year-long poker game. I can never get emotional. It's a total grind. There's no fun or variation in your play. You never act on a hunch. Everything is by the book. You're like a robot. Being smart or creative is actually a drawback. If you look at my poker log, you'll see that I have good days and bad days - good months and bad months. But in the end, as the number of hands increase, the variations really aren't that big.

[Kurn]

Regardless of whether you're playing limit, NL, PL, whatever, you do understand that when your opponents call when they don't have the right odds, it's a good thing. If you're playing in a game where your opponents always make correct folds, you won't make money.