Micro Fixed Limit Holdem Strategy
Fixed Limit Texas Hold'em (FL) Strategy. Fixed Limit Hold’em was once the most popular variant of Texas Hold’em, until No Limit became the dominant form. Although on the surface they look very similar, the differences between Fixed Limit Hold’em and No Limit are vast. Sep 01, 2019 Limit Holdem used to be the main game for players starting out in Texas Holdem and it still holds the essence of great Holdem strategy. Master the right moves at the right time and understand the proper odds in Limit Holdem and your No-Limit game will see immediate improvement too. Mar 14, 2017 Ashley Adams concludes his advice to no-limit players looking to jump into fixed-limit games, this time covering five important strategy adjustments. 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. You have a hand that might be the best hand.
Deuces Cracked has 2 amazing training video series aimed at helping micro stakes players.
> The Coaching Tree
> Real Life: Micro NL-Grinder
The micro limits (or micro stakes, whatever) on the Internet generally range from 1c/2c ($2NL) to 25c/50c ($50NL) cash games. Due to the small amount of money at stake, you will find the action is much looser than say, at the $1/$2 levels.
If you browse around forums, you will find many people claiming that the micro limits are unbeatable. They claim that all the players rely too much on luck, and with so many players entering pots trying to hit their draws, the ‘luck' they get is just too overwhelming for any decent player to be able to beat these limits.
Micro limit poker is perfectly beatable, but only if you have the correct strategy.
Let me first state that this concept -- despite having a tiny element of truth -- is far from being correct. With so many players calling with bad pot odds for their draws and calling huge raises with half a hand, how can you not beat these levels?
There are a few key micro limit poker tips set out below; be sure to familiarize yourself with them before stepping into your next micro-limit game.
1] Don't try and outplay your opponents.
When you sit down at the table, you can happily think that you are the best player at that table. But being cocky in the micro limits will lead to disaster. If you try and take pots away from your opponent representing that 3 of a kind, and find that they call you down with bottom pair, you have got nobody to blame but yourself.
Remember you are playing for money and not individual pots, only get your money in with the best of it. When it comes to multiple levels of thought in micro poker, these players are usually level 1 (or 2 at best). You only need to be playing one level above them to beat them.
Top micro stakes poker rooms
1) PokerStars - Stars has always been the original home of the micro stakes games. You're not going to find a greater number of $2NL, $5NL and $10NL games anywhere else. Visit PokerStars.
2) Full Tilt - Once again, the sheer number of micro stakes tables and players is what makes Full Tilt a great micro limit room. Less players than PokerStars, but there is the added bonus of Full Tilt rakeback. Visit Full Tilt.
2] Micro limit players love to chase.
You are expecting your opponents in the micro limits to have a low understanding of the game. So if you bet twice the size of your pot and your opponent calls, you cant rule out that they will have a flush or straight draw, as they probably will not be familiar with pot odds.
Remember that if your opponent has bad odds and calls to try and make his draw, that's a good thing for you, because you will be winning more money in the long run. Just be sure to bet a larger amount into the pot when against multiple opponents to give each of them bad odds to call.
Always make sure that you are giving any players with potential draws bad odds to call when you bet.
3] Buy in for the max, but don't be afraid to lose it.
Due to the loose action at the micros, you can be expecting players to be going and calling all-ins with all sorts of made hands and draws. If you are buying into the table with the maximum, you are giving yourself the best opportunity to make the most money.
Make sure that when you're all in that you have then best of it, that way you are going to come out on top. Just remember its not often that you are a 100% favorite to win on the flop, so you cant win them all. If you've got the best of it, don't be afraid to put your whole buy in on the line (if you have got the bankroll).
You will win more hands than you lose if you get your money in the middle with the best of it, so buy in for the max to make sure that you are maximizing your wins.
4] Don't give your opponents tips.
After you take a horrific bad beat from an equally bad player, the first thing you will want to do is criticize their play and tell them how bad it was.
But wait, it was so bad that you should be over the moon that they called. If you are that far ahead of them with your top set on the flop, you want them to go all in with their gutshot straight. After all, you wouldn't be complaining if you won that particular hand. Keep your advice to yourself and let the player make the same bad play next time.
5] Bet your good hands, fold your bad hands.
It is pretty much basic Texas Hold'em strategy, but this is what works best at the micro limits. There is no need to be tricky with your play, if you make a good hand bet, and if you don't, just fold. You may be afraid to scare players out of the pot, but most of the time they will call you with absolutely any hand.
6] Beware of raising.
From my experience playing micro limit poker, players will not often raise pre flop unless they have a solid hand. The game plan for most of the players at the table is to see as many flops as possible, hit a huge hand, then bet and take as much money as they can from it.
Your opponents won't give a second thought to what you might hold; they are only playing to the strength of their own hand. This is why they call decent raises with bottom pair on the flop; because they've got a pair. So if you see a player raising pre flop and on every street then beware, they've probably got something good.
Micro players are much happier calling than they are raising.
7] Don't bluff.
This is similar to the first point, as bluffing is a way of trying to outplay your opponent. Remember that a large number of players will be seeing the flop, and so a bluff of any kind is unlikely to work. Players will be calling with any half decent hand, so just put your money in when you do make a hand, and when you don't, let it go.
Win your way out of the micro stakes games.
Tired of grinding $2N, $5NL and $10NL games? Want to move up and win more money at more profitable stakes games online?
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8] Don't be too concerned about your image.
If you only play premium hands and bet with the best of it, don't be too worried that the other players are cottoning on to your game. Players at the micros are far too concerned about the way they play opposed to the way that you play. So don't feel pressured to change gears, as your opponents won't even notice.
You are better off focusing on playing solid ABC poker strategy than changing gears at the micro limits.
Micro limit poker strategy overview.
As you can see, micro limit poker is a slightly different breed of poker when compared to the other stakes. After you learn the fundamentals of the game, these games should be easy to beat if you keep your cool.
This makes it profitable to multi-table at least 2 tables at a time because at such low stakes you are going to be less reliant on reading your opponents plays. As long as you play ABC poker (nothing fancy) and learn the tips above, you should be on your way to beating the micros.
NOTE: You may be wondering, ‘where is the truth in the statement about the players being too lucky?' (2nd paragraph from top). Well, there is a concept in poker known as ‘schooling'. This is where if a player calls a bet with bad odds to make his draw, the call becomes ‘less bad' as other players call the raise.
For example, if you bet the size of the pot on the turn with a made hand, and your first opponent calls with a flush draw, he is making a bad play because he is calling a 2 to 1 bet with 4 to 1 odds of making the flush. However if 3 other players behind him call, this has changed the odds from 2:1 into 5:1, making his call profitable. This is why you should bet more against opponents with draws when more than one opponent is in the pot.
Go back to the awesome Texas Hold'em Strategy.
Limit Texas Holdem Strategy
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Since stumbling towards retirement nine years ago, Andrei Joseph has played low limit hold 'em in more than 100 poker rooms across 20 states. He would be $37,000 ahead — if there were no rake! Here's the second of two articles from Joseph in which he continues to explore some of the attractions and challenges of what for many poker players is a favorite variant.
Here are some painful lessons from the bottom end of the poker food chain: low stakes, fixed-limit hold'em.
Last time I discussed some of the reasons I enjoy low limit hold'em (i.e, $4/$8 and below). This time, let's talk a little strategy. If you follow the basic advice outlined below, you will distinguish yourself from the majority of your opponents and dramatically increase your chances of success.
First, and most importantly, listen to Archie Bell & the Drells: 'Do the tighten up, come on and tighten up, you can do it now.'
Throw away , throw away , throw away . If you are dealt pocket jacks and there are two raises in front of you, fold. If you hit the low end of the flop and there is action, get out.
This advice is tough to follow. You want to play. I want to play. I want the action. You may have driven hours to get to the darn casino. Play! Play! The bozo across the table just won playing . It is my turn for a big blind special.
No! It is your turn to fold and be patient.
Learn to distinguish between bad play and bad luck. This requires both some knowledge of poker and sober self-assessment. Learn some odds — it will contribute to a positive outcome.
I have played enough poker to have been dealt pocket aces many times (220-to-1). Only once have I been dealt pocket aces at the same time as someone else.
Many low limit players will automatically call preflop with any two suited cards. What are your odds of making a flush by the river with that starting hand? The answer is around once every 15 hands. Compare those odds to your preflop call with and a flop containing two more hearts. Now what are your odds to make a flush on the turn or river? The answer is a little more than once every three times.
How much are you required to bet? How much will you win? Do you see why it is called 'competitive algebra'?
Learning to play LHE well also sometimes appears to contain elements of psychotherapy. Look at your behavior, assess it accurately, and change the parts that are hurting you.
The default mechanism that is prevalent among many losing players includes a tendency towards superstition ('oh, seat 8 is hot'), blindness ('he hit runner-runner again' while not recognizing the times that happened in your own favor), and nonsense ('if you hadn't gotten up to go to the bathroom, those would have been my cards') — not science, statistics or rationality.
But you will spurn fake news and instead embrace rationality, empiricism, and a brutally honest assessment of the factors impacting your results.
Learn what the rake is and understand its importance. Few players actually calculate this. Some don't even notice the money going down the rabbit hole. A typical low limit game will deal around 35 hands per hour. If you don't believe this ask the dealers how many hands they get out in a 30-minute shift. Particularly if they keep their own tokes, they are trying to move the game along.
For simplicity's sake, let's assume a rake of up to $5 (and perhaps a dollar more for jackpots and/or promotions). Not every pot is raked to the maximum, but even if the average is a total of $4 per hand (for example), that means that $140 is coming off the table every hour. If the table is full with 10 players, then it is costing you at least $14/hour to play.
Add tokes when you win a pot, and you need to win at least $17/hour to break even. Difficult yes, but possible. Especially in Las Vegas late at night with less than sober tourists.
Which brings us to table selection. Some broad generalizations include that tight retirees dominate daytime versions of low limit. As evening approaches more liquor and younger players appear. If you are playing at a vacation destination, the play will be looser. Your opponents will include those who have already decided to lose hundreds of dollars as 'the price of entertainment.' Fine by me!
That's when you will see and hear the most amazing stuff at the table. Someone calling your preflop raise with will crack your pocket aces. Resist the impulse to berate your opponent. Quietly tell yourself that you want players like this at the table. That money is coming back. You just hope it comes back to you!
If you are running bad, don't imitate your opponents' poor play. Patience. More patience. If you are playing blackjack, you must play the cards you are dealt. Here, unless you are in a blind, you can toss away poor cards — and at no cost. Take advantage of this. Patience.
Read a book. Almost no one else has. I recommend Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones or Small Stakes Hold'em by Ed Miller, David Sklansky, and Mason Malmuth.
Read these and you will gain insight into the value of position and timely aggression. You will learn when to play big pairs and when to play suited connectors. You will learn when to let go of your hand, how to deal with maniacs, and why your opponents really will hit their lucky card on the river more than you will (because by only playing premium hands, you will win more often without having to hit that two-outer). The money invested on these books will be recovered in your next session.
Finally, keep an accurate tally of what has happened. Saying to your pals, 'I win sometimes, I lose sometimes' or 'I had a good session' or 'wow, I really got beat last Friday' can be a thin attempt to delude yourself. Especially given the impact of variance, having accurate, sober statistics over a period of time is the true measure of whether you are making progress.
Limit Hold'em Poker Strategy
(Thanks to my pal Ashley for being my mentor and for driving.)
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Live No Limit Holdem Strategy
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