Limit Hold’em Conclusion & Recap

The preceding four lessons on limit hold’em represent an overview of key aspects of the game. They are not intended to be the complete work on skills and strategy for this form of poker but rather something to whet the appetite of those who would like to become more familiar with this game. There are many excellent books on the subject which delve much deeper into strategic concepts and advanced strategies. Several of these works are listed at the end of this conclusion/re-cap and can be purchased through the links provided to Amazon.

The best advice one can offer as a foundation on which a limit hold’em player’s repertoire can be built, is to play very tight but, if entering a pot, to be aggressive. Always be observant, attempting to glean as much information about your opponents’ tendencies as possible and to be on the lookout for situations that call for playing contrary to conventional wisdom. It is really quite simple … the winning formula expressed in mathematical terms would look like this:

Pay attention x (fold) (fold) x (raise) (raise) = Tight/Aggressive Winning Play!

While there is no question that the elements in the above formula, coupled with an understanding of hand selection/position and the requisite math knowledge should help make you a winning player, remember that the game is fluid and always changing. Aside from reading and understanding the various concepts, one must put in hours and hours of play to gain the necessary feel of putting the concepts into action. Get in the habit of identifying who you believe is a strong, knowledgeable player and study how he approaches situations. Watch for what he shows down and from what position and then replay the betting sequences in your mind.

The following is a potpourri of strategic concepts to take away from these lessons on limit hold’em. Hopefully they can help you reach the next level on your poker journey. These tips are followed by a list of additional resources, all of which are worth reading. No single writer has a lock on poker genius, as they all approach various aspects differently … read them all.

Miscellaneous Limit Hold’em Tips and Thought Provokers

• Always ask yourself, “Should I be involved in this pot”? Answer honestly!
• Always consider bluffing into a four suited board. The odds are better than you might imagine that either no one has a card of that suit or one worth calling with.
• Roughly half the time, in a middle limit game, an early position raiser has a high pair.
• Don’t allow a flush draw that occurs on the turn to be a distraction if you’re playing with decent opponents. A runner/runner flush draw is a 23-to-1 shot and decent players do not play them without other outs.
• If the pot has been raised before it’s your turn, you must tighten up significantly … adjust for the position of the raise.
• Always examine the texture of the flop.
• With 86% of your final hand realized and the bets doubling, you should fold frequently on the turn.
• Heads up on the river, if you are out of position with a “coin flip” hand, bet.
• If last to act in the same situation check it down.
• If last to act in the same situation and it has been bet, call.
• Always glance to your left to gain information from opponents yet to act.
• If you hold a card of the same suit as two cards on the board, it will decrease by 11% the chance that an opponent who is holding two of that suit will make a flush.
• If you have identified an opponent’s weakness as calling too much, you should almost never attempt to bluff him.
• If you have identified an opponent’s weakness as bluffing too much, if he checks, usually do not bet into him.
• Always be aware of the image you are portraying at the table and attempt to exploit it.
• Expect loose games to tighten and tight games to become looser – be ahead of that curve to be in the most profitable zone at all times.
• Hold’em rewards initiative. The higher the stakes the truer this becomes.
• Remember, in the long run, your profit comes from weaker players – continue to read, play and study in order to exploit them.

In closing, let me provide two goals for you to embrace in your limit play which will indicate something about both your game selection as well as your character … have as many of your losing hands as possible be bad beats and never complain about them. The first one will indicate you’ve selected the right game and the second that you’re a class act.

Shuffle up and deal!

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Limit Hold’em Additional Resources