Game Types
Currently there are 3 basic game types for Texas Hold' Em. There is Limit, Pot Limit and No-Limit. The difference being how much you can bet during the betting stages.
It is EXTREMELY important to know what type of table you
are at because it will impact your play strategies as well
as impact your bank roll.
LIMIT
In limit, you can only bet the table limits, in pot limit you can bet up to as much as what's currently in the pot.
This is important because the amount it costs to see the
next card is relatively cheap. This leads to either a very
boring game with small pots or a no foldem holdem game
where almost everyone is in every pot. Fixed limit pots
are usually won at the river which means you have to
actually produce a winning hand to win.
POT/NO LIMIT
In pot limit, you can only bet an amount up to the size of
the pot. In no-limit you can bet as much as you have in front of you.
These types of games are more interesting because there
are a lot more strategies that you can apply with more
effectiveness than you can in fixed limit games. This is
mainly because the size of the pot can be manipulated
which in turn changes the types of hands that can be
profitable to play. These types of games are obviously the
most dangerous as well because potentially 1 hand can wipe
out all your chips.
Play Money
Almost every site will have “play money” games where they will give you a certain amount of play money so you can start playing, some sites allow you to gain points for use in redeeming bonus dollars, entry into tournaments and sometimes even novelty stuff. If you decide to play in the play money games keep in mind that it's not a very good indication of how people play in real money games.
You should apply different playing/betting strategies for each game type. These three basic types can also be found in the form of Ring games and Tournaments.
Ring Games
There are 2 types: Short Handed or Full. A short handed
game will usually have 6 or less people and a full table
will have 7 to 10 participants. Why is this
important? You guessed it, there are different strategies
that are employed here as well. Generally in short
handed games you play more hands more aggressively.
The reasons will become clear as you become more familiar
with the strategies. In a ring game you can sit in at any time, provided you can bring to the table, the minimum
amount that the table requires. Ring games means a table with between 2 to 10 players playing for the pot each hand.
The blinds are listed as part of the title of the table and the smaller figure equals the big blind on a limit table or the small blind on a no-limit/pot limit table. These limits are preset and do not change. Unlike tournaments, you can sit in or leave a table at any time.
On all ring games there is something called the Rake. This is the fee that the poker site charges players for playing on their tables. It is a percentage of the pot and is pre-set, for example many sites will take 5 cents for every dollar that's in the pot. If the pot is below a dollar then there is no rake taken. This is important as most bonus' are determined by the number of raked hands that you've been a part of. As long as you were dealt a hand when that hand was raked it will count for your raked hand total. Check website for full, up-to-date details.
Before you join a ring game you should take a look at the table statistics. Take note of the average pot size, maximum players on the table and the player's chip stacks. This will give you an idea of how these players are playing (loose or tight). Make sure you choose a table limit that's right for you bankroll. The general rule of thumb is that you should have at least 100 times the big blind. Also, don't try to play against opponents whose chip stack is more than triple yours in no-limit games. They are highly likely to start bullying you. If you're playing no-limit, remember to not risk your whole chip stack if it's not necessary.
Tournaments
Tournaments come in all shapes and sizes. A sit n go is a tournament
consisting of 1 table of 10 people or less and a multi
table tournament is a tournament with multiple tables
running at the same time. Basically, a large number of players pay an entrance fee and a buy in fee. A tournament can either be one table or multiple tables with between 6 to 10,000 players. The players compete for a prize pool which is split among the top
pre-determined places, depending on the tournament. The buy in is how much everyone has to put into the prize pool in order to play the tournament. In return, you are given a set amount of chips to play with. The entrance
fee or 'fee', is the fee that everyone has to pay to the site since rakes are not collected in tournaments.
In the lobby of a poker site the buy-in and fee will look
like this $5.00+$0.50 ($5 buy in and $0.50 fee). In tournaments, sometimes there are guaranteed prize pools meaning that even if the buy in fees do not cover the prize pool, the site will put in the rest. Another difference between tournaments and ring games is that in
tournaments the blinds keep increasing and when players
start to dwindle (in most multi table tournaments) antes start (everyone has to contribute to the pot, not just the blinds) these antes will increase as well.
When antes start are tournament specific and you can check
it out before the tournament starts. All these differences
plays an important role in how you set up your play
strategy.
|
|
 |
