Limit Hold’em Strategic Concepts
Before the flop the only information available to you is position, the value of your hand and any knowledge you might have acquired regarding the tendencies of your opponents. The flop is the defining moment in hold’em. In one smooth motion the dealer will reveal almost seventy two percent of your entire hand. Using the information available, as just outlined, is what guides pre-flop betting. Once the flop is delivered, everyone has far more information and it is now that you need to quickly plan how to proceed. You need to reflect on the pre-flop betting, your position and the position of your opponents as well as their tendencies. While running through this information, you need to be asking yourself the following questions before acting, in order to formulate your plan.
- Does your hand favor a multi way pot?
- Do you want to win the pot right now?
- Do you wish to protect a vulnerable holding?
- Do you want to build a pot?
- Do you want to isolate a weak player?
- Do you want to semi bluff?
- Do you want to muck these rags and wait for the next deal?
The last question could well have been listed first, as in limit hold’em you will need to be willing to muck the majority of hands you are dealt. With that caveat aside, if you intend to play the hand, you need to decide what you wish to accomplish in order to plan on how best to achieve your objective. Using this type of analytical process will set you apart from the vast majority of your competition. Many limit players believe they know how to play well and put their game on auto-pilot. Always know why you are betting, checking, calling or raising. If in your own mind you cannot articulate a reason for these actions, you are not playing the game well. So how do you make these decisions? You need to run them through a filter of the following factors.
- The strength of your hand.
- The texture of the flop.
- The current size of the pot.
- Your position.
- Your opponents’ likely holdings, position and tendencies.
Let’s look at each of these factors in order to better understand the thought patterns of stronger players who approach each hand with forethought to maximize their bankroll enhancement. It must be realized that these factors normally do not stand alone but must be combined to make an informed decision regarding how to play your hand.
The Strength of Your Hand
The assumption, as stated earlier, is that the reader is quite familiar with appropriate starting hands and from what position. Your first decision is to consider if you have the best hand and how to proceed if it is vulnerable and needs to be protected. While it may well seem obvious, better players are always focused to how to maximize their wins and seek information at its lowest cost. Limit poker relies very heavily on knowing your price and the odds. If you are not familiar with drawing odds based upon your number of outs, you should review that material in the no-limit section. The pot odds and bet odds reign supreme in limit hold’em just as the implied odds are King in no-limit. Past these rudimentary elements of hand values, remember that you don’t need to have the best hand if you’re not forced to show it. Always be on the outlook for situations to exploit … primarily against weak/tight players who fold too frequently to aggression.
The Texture of the Flop
Of course you want to hit the flop and improve your holding but be very aware of dangers such as over cards, straight and flush draws. Depending on the stakes and nature of the game, you need to determine how loose or tight it is on average. If, for instance, six players are regularly seeing the flop then you’re in a loose game which means if you did not hit the flop someone else has. If the flop contains connected cards, ten and higher someone has most certainly hit it, especially in loose games. Weaker players, to the detriment of their bankrolls, will become married to their top pair hands. An example would be open raising in middle position with a hand such as Ace/Jack and having four players call, including the big blind. Now if the flop comes down Jack/Ten/Nine, two suited (none of your suits) and the big blind leads out, they reason that they hold top pair, top kicker and usually pop it even with all those players behind them. This is a costly play in limit as players tend to play high cards. There could already be a made hand out there and if not certainly some very strong draws. In limit hold’em – tight is right and this would not be an instance to show aggression. While some might be surprised, in a loose game folding this holding is your best play.
The Current Size of the Pot
While I may risk sounding like a broken record, limit poker focuses to positive expectation and if you do not pay attention to the size of the pot, you cannot be properly playing the game because you won’t be able to properly calculate where you stand in the hand and therefore how to proceed. One should always be aware of the size of the pot. Small pots are easier to steal as they don’t offer opponents something worth fighting for. If the pot gets large, then semi bluffs and bluffs go way down in value as any opponent with a reasonable hand will usually call you down. Knowing this helps you decide if you wish to check hoping to keep the pot small or bet and/or raise attempting to get as much money in the pot as possible. Weaker players just play their cards and are pretty much oblivious to these type considerations.
Your Position
Hold’em players, for the most part, are acutely aware of the value of position but many squander it unless they believe they have a worthy hand to play. Position should be used as a weapon and only squandered when it appears hopeless to become involved. As mentioned earlier, the various factors we are now discussing do not stand alone in a vacuum but rather need to be used in unison. Position is a strong factor and when you possess it, all things become easier. Regardless of whether you wish to protect your hand, build a pot or gain a free card having position will help. Players normally consider good position to mean last to act and while true; don’t forget that poor position can sometimes be put to good use. The concept of first-in vigorish discussed elsewhere in the Pokerology lessons comes to mind. A small pot, poor position, a scare card and only one opponent – that’s a situation! Fire a bet and take down the pot.
Your Opponents’ Likely Holdings, Position and Tendencies
This factor is the central core of poker success. Learning your opponents’ proclivities is a must if you intend to become a winning player. Every action an opponent takes means something. Why from that position did Player X raise or just call? It cannot be stressed enough to pay attention, especially when not in a hand (which should be the majority of the time) to learn how your opponents think and act. I believe all dedicated and winning limit players regularly pay rapt attention to hands they are not participating in and attempt to figure out the participants’ holdings. I know I do and when you study opponents and perform this exercise regularly, you will become astonishingly good at hand reading skills. It will require a copious amount of work but remember this – if you do not care about winning then you won’t need to worry about this aspect, however if you do wish to win, then get busy.
Weak, beginning players primarily think about the strength of their holdings and little else. If you’re just starting out, take the above factors and begin thinking more deeply about them. If applied well, you should see immediate improvement in your results. If you’re an intermediate player, you know that these factors are critical and maybe reading this has helped you re-dedicate yourself to playing well, as many accomplished intermediate players begin to play on auto pilot and abandon focusing to these elements as it becomes tedious and boring. Becoming a stronger player and consistent winner has never been boring to me. If you’re an advanced limit hold’em player – a real shark, then understanding the value of these factors is second nature. Hopefully there is a nugget in these lessons for all. In the next lesson we’ll delve into some key strategies beyond pre and post flop planning. So, onward to the turn and river.
Next Lesson: Turn & River Strategies for Limit Hold’em