Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules

In addition to the many forms of poker, there are also several betting variations that are played. In our rules of poker lesson we explained how to play Texas hold'em but we didn't mention the betting limits in our example hand, as it may have been a case of too much, too soon. In this poker lesson we're going to use hold'em as the game format – but this time using the different betting variations; fixed-limit, pot-limit and no-limit.

• Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules Against
• Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules For Real
• Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules Card Game
• Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules Poker

For simplicity we'll assume a hold'em poker game with a small blind of $1 and a big blind of $2. While the three different betting structures will all be posting the same amount, you'll see a big difference in how the games will play due to the different betting variations.

In limit Hold'em, the betting amounts are pre-determined and limited to a fixed sum. So, for example, a game could be played with a $2.00 limit. This would mean that all bets (with the exception of. A raise in limit poker is always equal to the total of the previous bet, plus the addition of the current governing limit. In this scenario, the player chooses to raise. This means they put in a total of $4 ($2 to call the current bet of the big blind and $2 to raise the amount of the smaller limit). Understanding The Differences Between No Limit & Fixed Limit Poker Posted by on 2/13/2014 7:46:42 PM For the experienced online sports betting player that has spent a good amount of time playing Texas Hold ‘em Poker with limits and without them, the difference between the two games is common knowledge.

Fixed Limit

In fixed limit, as its name implies, one's choice of how much to bet is fixed by the stakes. Using our example of $1 and $2 blinds, the player 'under the gun' (this is the first player to the left of the big blind) has three options.

• He may call the $2 big blind.
• He may raise but is only permitted to raise $2 as the limits are fixed.
• He may fold and sit out this hand and wait for a new deal. He may not check as the purpose of the blinds is to create the initial action.

If anyone wishes to raise then they can only do so in increments of $2, as shown here:

After this first round of betting the dealer delivers the flop. Players are still limited to a maximum bet of $2 and raises of $2. However, on the turn and river the betting amount doubles, so in our example the betting would now be in $4 increments. These are known as ‘big bets'. There isn't a choice of betting either $2 or $4. If one now wishes to bet, the amount must be $4 and raises must be in $4 increments. In fact, a fixed limit game with blinds of $1 and $2 is called a $2-$4 game due to the early betting rounds being limited to $2 and the last two rounds doubling but limited to $4.

In fixed limit games, each round of betting usually has a maximum number of allowable raises, which is generally capped at three. If there's a bet, it can usually only be raised three times, after which all players must call, or fold. In a $2-$4 game the most a player could wager on the first two betting rounds would be $8 (a call, raise, raise, raise) and $16 on the turn and river, if the betting was capped. It's worth pointing out that some venues will allow more than 3 raises per betting round, so be sure to know the house rules before you sit down and play.

It is generally believed that the primary strategy for a fixed limit hold'em poker game stresses the importance of value betting. We will be explaining and expounding upon value betting and other strategic nuances of poker in later lessons but for now just know that value betting occurs when you actually want your opponents to call your bets as you believe you hold the best hand. So just save this little nugget of information for later in your poker development.

It's also worth briefly mentioning a variation on fixed limit called spread limit poker. It's very similar to fixed limit except the amount of the allowable bet is fixed to a range rather than a particular amount. For example in a $1-$3 spread limit poker game you have the option to bet or raise anywhere from $1 to $3. The normal restriction is that each bet or raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise. For example if the action is on you and an opponent raised $2 you could not re-raise $1. Your options for re-raising would be either $2 or $3.

Pot Limit

In pot limit play the amount a player can wager is determined by the size of the pot, hence the name pot limit. Pot limit play can get a whole lot pricier than limit play. As the size of the pot grows, the size of the bets can also increase. Let's review an example using the same stakes of a $1 and $2 blind structure, as we did in limit play.

In pot limit the first player to the left of the big blind has the same options as the player in fixed limit in terms of calling, raising or folding. The difference is in how much he can raise. Calling would simply be matching the $2 posted big blind. Folding requires nothing but mucking (throwing away) your cards. If the player wishes to raise he can raise to a total of $7. How that number is arrived at is as follows: small blind bet of $1 plus the big blind bet of $2 plus a call of $2 equals $5, which would be the raise. The raiser is then calling $2 and raising $5 for a total of $7.

To demonstrate the dramatic difference between our first variation of betting in fixed, let's see what can happen after the flop in pot limit.

With $31 in the pot, the first player can bet anywhere from $2 to $31. The next player has several options, but if he wishes to raise then the minimum amount he can raise is the size of the previous bet. The maximum he can raise is $93 more ($62 in the pot, plus the call of $31), meaning his total bet would be $124. Wow, this could get expensive!

The thing to remember in pot limit is a player who wishes to raise first counts the amount he would need to call and adds it to the pot and then can raise the size of the pot. As you can see the betting in pot limit hold'em can escalate much quicker than in fixed limit hold'em. The emphasis in pot limit is placed on post flop play. The reason for this is that you can normally see flops fairly cheaply before the pot grows to the size where raises can get pretty expensive. So our nugget to remember at this juncture for the betting variation of pot limit is to focus to strong post flop play.

No Limit

No limit hold'em has been called by many but most notably, Doyle Brunson (legendary poker player), as the ‘Cadillac of poker'. Its name says it all – there is no limit, except the size of the blinds. Still using the same blind structure as $1 and $2, the first player to act can call, fold or raise. The difference from the other two structures is that a player can raise a minimum of the size of the big blind, but his maximum allowable bet is only limited to the chips he has in front of him at the table (the amount he started the hand with). If there has been a bet beforehand, then the minimum raise amount would be the size of the previous bet. For example, if a player bets $50 then if the next player wishes to raise he must bet at least $100. This is the same as in pot limit, but with one big different, there is no maximum limit.

To use an extreme example to demonstrate the dynamic this format of betting offers, let's imagine a player in the same $1 small blind and $2 big blind game that happens to have $10,000 in front of him. The action is on him and if he wishes to play he must at least call the $2, however he can elect to raise his entire $10,000!

So you thought pot limit could get expensive – not compared to no limit.

Please bear in mind that although this player has gone all-in for $10,000 – it's really only $200 – which is the total amount the other player can wager. He can't win money that another player doesn't have, and vice versa. This is not like the movies! If you recall the scene from the classic western comedy ‘A Big Hand for the Little Lady' – she gets up during the middle of a poker hand and runs to the bank to get the deed for the ranch – to call someone's bet. Well, you can't do that in Texas hold'em. You can't do that in any casino anywhere in the world. Poker is always played at table stakes, and table stakes means you can only wager the amount of money you have in front of you when the hand begins. You can't reach into your wallet mid-stream and pull out more money. You certainly can't run and get the deed to your ranch, and toss that into the pot – or the keys to your BMW, as a way of calling a bet. That's the movies – not real life!

Conclusion

The betting variations described in this lesson are listed in order of excitement, danger, risk and reward. The first variation, fixed limit is safer than either of the other two due to the limit which can be bet. As you can see both pot limit and no limit can become daunting as the amounts bet and raised can escalate very quickly. Which you may favour becomes a matter of taste. Some prefer the smooth, relaxing ride of a carousel while others crave the adrenalin rush offered by a roller coaster.

By Tom 'TIME' Leonard

Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.

Badugi Poker is possibly the most unique form of poker to ever reach mainstream success. This poker game remains very popular in South Eastern Asia, particularly South Korea, where the game was first invented. badugi could be described as a four-card version of lowball triple draw with a twist. Not descriptive enough? Read on as we delve into the details to see how the game works, and what exactly makes it so different from anything you have ever played before.

Rules for Playing Badugi Poker

The underlying structure of a badugi game is just like traditional draw poker, but the goal is very different. We'll cover hand rankings in greater detail in a moment, but for now you should know that each player wants to get the lowest cards possible without having any cards of equal rank, or any cards from the same suit. A hand with four cards of different ranks and suits is known as a 'badugi'.

For this explanation, we will assume that you are playing at a $2/$4 fixed-limit table. badugi, just like most poker games, requires that a dealer button is used to mark the dealer position. After each hand, this position moves clockwise around the table, which is important for rotating player position. To start the hand, the player to the left of the dealer position must pay the small blind, which in this case would be $1. The player to the left of the small blind must post the big blind ($2). Once these blinds have posted, the dealer proceeds to deal four cards, faced down, to each player at the table.

The players can look at their own four-card hand, but no one else's. Once all cards have been dealt the first round of betting, known as the pre-draw round, can begin. This betting round is started by the player to the left of the big blind who can choose to call the big blind (bet $2), raise (bet $4), or fold his hand. Play continues clockwise around the table until each player has bet as much as every other player, or folded. In these fixed limit games there can be no more than three raises per round.

After the first round of betting has come to a close, the first draw begins. Starting with the first player to left of the dealer position, each player can choose to discard any number of cards and receive the same number of replacement cards. After this there is another round of betting with the same limits, and the pattern continues. In total, there are three draws, and four betting rounds. The first two rounds of betting utilize the low limit ($2), while the second two rounds upgrade to the high limit ($4). If at any point only one player remains in the game, then that player wins the pot.

After the fourth betting round comes to a close, all remaining players must discard any cards necessary to ensure that they have no cards of duplicate rank or suit. The remaining cards constitute the players hand, which must be revealed at this point in the showdown. The player with the best hand wins the entire pot, but if two or more players have equal hands, then they split the pot equally.

Badugi Poker Hand Rankings

The hand rankings in badugi poker are not quite like anything else, but they do resemble lowball rankings, To start with, throughout the game you are trying to form a ‘badugi'. This means you have four cards of different suits and ranks. There are two criteria for ranking hands. The first is the number of cards each player can play. Not every player will play a four-card hand, because they must discard any cards with duplicate suits or ranks after the last round of betting. In the end, no matter what cards you are holding, the more cards you have, the better. If one player has more cards than all of the other players, then that player automatically wins.

Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules Against

Example:

In the example above we can see what four cards each player ended with, and what hand they played after discarding duplicates. Jane, Bob, and Lisa did not have any duplicate cards (suits or ranks) so they kept all four cards for their final hand. Tom's 4 and his J are of the same suit, but since low cards are better, he discarded his J and was left with a three-card hand. Charles had duplicate queens, so he discarded one of them. He also had A and 9 which are of the same suit. Because you want low cards, and aces are low, he discarded his 9, leaving only 2 cards for his final hand. Jane, Lisa, and Charles are tied for having the most cards, so Tom and Charles are out.

If two or more players are tied for having the most cards in their hand, which is quite common, then you use traditional lowball rankings to determine the winner. Quite simply, the player with the lowest hand wins. To determine who has the lowest hand, you start by comparing only the players' highest cards. If these are tied, then you compare their second highest cards. You may have to compare all four cards to determine the winner, but if at any point, one player's card (first, second, third, or fourth) is lower than the other player's corresponding card, then the lower card wins the hand. Remember, just like in other lowball poker games, aces are low!

Example (cont):

Out of the three players that had ‘badugi' (four-card hands), we need to find the lowest hand. When we compare their highest cards, Jane and Lisa are tied with 8's, but Bob knocked out with his T. Jane and Lisa also have the same second card (7's) so we go straight to their third card. Jane's 5 is beaten by Lisa's 3, so Lisa wins the entire pot.

Other Limit Structures for Playing Badugi Poker

Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules For Real

In the above explanations we were using fixed-limits. While fixed-limit badugi is extremely popular, there are three other ways to structure the limits in a badugi game.

Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules Card Game

No Limit Badugi

No limit badugi, as the name suggests, does not employ any betting limits. Any bets greater than the big blind are accepted, and players can consequently choose to go all-in. No limit badugi probably isn't the best game for new players to start with because of its unpredictable nature. A hand that starts tame can quickly spiral out of control, and playing all but the strongest hands to the showdown can be very expensive. If you feel you are ready grow out of fixed limit badugi and take your game to the next level, then you may want to consider playing without limits.

Pot Limit Badugi Poker

Pot limit badugi offers something of a compromise between the fixed limit and no limit variations. In pot limit poker, the size of your maximum bet is determined by adding the sum of all past bets as well the wager needed to call the bet at hand. Early on, the bets are kept relatively low, but as you get further into a pot limit game, and the size of the pot increases, the game begins to resemble no limit badugi. Pot limit is great way to add some excitement to your fixed limit game without having to deal with the insanity found in no limit badugi.

Half-Pot Limit Badugi

Fixed Limit Poker Betting Rules Poker

If pot limit still sounds a bit too aggressive for your tastes, you may be able to find some games playing with half-pot limits. You tally up the pot exactly as if you were playing pot limit badugi, but your maximum bet is restricted to one half of the pot size. This is the perfect set up for risk averse players who are tired of fixed limit badugi.