When you play online poker, there are many slightly different versions of the game you can play. These rules are all important to note, because not only do they change the game itself, but they are also likely to change the strategy you use.
One aspect of the game that can change is the pot. There are three types of pot you will encounter, which are fixed limit, pot limit and no limit.
Here is a look at all three, so you can understand what each means but we will also look at how these different pots affect the strategy you will take during games. As you look to improve as a poker player, finding games where the rules match your style or adapting yourself based on the rules of play, are key areas in which you can make yourself a better player.
Fixed Limit Poker
There are many people who believe that fixed limit poker prevents players from expressing themselves, and taking advantage of a good hand. Of the three types of poker, if you are grading difficulty based on how hard it is to win big, then this is certainly the hardest type of poker to play.
The amount you are able to bet during the hand is always fixed, and this is decided in advance before the game starts. Usually, when playing online, you will see the fixed pot limit in the room description, so look out for this when you are choosing your room.
If there is one type of poker pot out of these three which is least popular with players, then it is probably fixed limit poker. People like to express themselves on the poker table, it is the main reason why many people enjoy the game so much.
While it may not be the first choice for many players, there are plenty of people who still enjoy fixed limit poker, switching to play it from time to time in order to get a different feel and a different test.
Strategies for Fixed Limit Pots
The right strategy to play when the pot is a fixed limit pot is to use the rigidity of the game to your advantage. When you play fixed limit, you know exactly what the pot is going to be when someone bets, you know the bets that all players will play because they are the same.
This should make it a lot easier to quickly work out whether keeping in the game or folding is the right thing to do. You can have a great strategy and moves set up in no limit poker, but that could be blown away if someone bets big and does something unexpected. That cannot happen with fixed limit poker, allowing you to plan more, and work out better your next moves and how long you should stay in a game.
Pot Limit Poker
Many players describe pot limit poker as being somewhere in between fixed limit and no limit games, giving you a little more freedom than fixed limit. This is a game that does have a limit on what you can bet, but that limit is variable and depends on the state of the game.
The limit in place here is the amount in the pot at the time of your bet. This means that throughout the game, the player before you will have a smaller maximum bet than you, while the player after you will be able to place a bigger bet.
Strategies for Pot Limit Poker
Just as pot limit is a type of poker that is in the middle of no limit and fixed limit, if you are looking for strategies to implement then it is important to try and find a middle of the road strategy, that slightly combines the two.
The key to success with pot limit is slowly building up the pot across the betting rounds of the game. The way that big bets can be placed is by building the pot, and the way that the pot is built is by keeping most or all of the players involved. The more people in the game, the more betting is done, the bigger the pot and the bigger your bets can be when you want to go big.
Therefore, start out very low, betting a small amount to try and keep people interested. When you get to the later rounds of the game, assuming you have kept plenty of players interested and, in the game, you should find yourself in a position to place larger bets, as the pot has grown.
Keep your biggest bet until the last round of betting, as this is when you can take full advantage and make it as big as possible. You won’t be able to go all-in unless your all-in amount is less than the pot, but you will be able to place your biggest bet of the game here, so try and make it count.
No Limit Poker
This is certainly the most popular way to play poker around the world, and when you are looking at online poker rooms, you will certainly see more rooms with this type of pot than the other two.
The basics of no limit poker are simple, it means there is no upper limit to what a player in the game can bet. When you want to bet more and increase the wager on the table, you can do this to whatever amount you want, providing you have the chips of course.
One thing you will see here that you won’t see elsewhere too much is a player going all-in. This is an exciting move, that instantly catches the eye of those around the table, and is a very strategic and psychological move, sometimes used to show strength, other times used as a bluffing technique.
The fact that this happens means that the game becomes more exciting to be in. Even if you have folded and are out of the game, if you see big stakes, players going all-in and big risks from players, you are going to have a lot more fun.
Strategies for No Limit Poker
If there is a type of poker designed for winning big then it is certainly no limit poker. However, with big wins also comes big risks, so you need to know what you are doing. You will be playing alongside others who are going big, so the strategy here needs to be carefully thought out.
Many players will fold quite often when playing no limit poker, instead of getting involved in a lot of rounds. This is to save chips up for when they have a good head, which then allows them to bet bigger in the hope of taking advantage of that hand.
With pots running high and players taking risks, you need to make sure you are happy with the hand you have before you start betting and moving forward. Get this right, play the right hands and fold those you don’t want, and you should put yourself in a position where you may win a large pot if you get lucky.