Learn Texas Holdem

Some players may think that since in limit poker you cannot size your bets and therefore cannot price out drawing hands, understanding the odds is insignificant. Nothing could be further from the truth. Understanding and being able to manipulate odds in fixed-limit poker is critical to success.

Manipulating the Odds Against a Draw in Limit Hold'em

It's important to understand that in limit hold'em, a player on a draw is almost always getting correct odds to draw if he is drawing to the best hand. A typical straight or flush draw is 4 or 5-to-1 against hitting. Let's say only one limper, the small blind and big blind see the flop. If the big blind bets the flop, the limper is already being offered 4-to-1, even if the third player doesn't call and the first player doesn't call any bets when the limper hits his hand. In fact, usually many more people than the small blind, big blind and limper see the flop, and they will almost always call one more bet if they have any kind of hand, so usually the odds will be much better. This means there are some cases where you need to try to make it two bets to a drawing hand. This can be done by raising immediately if someone to your right raises, by betting if you are confident from your observations that someone between you and the drawing hand will re-raise, or by checking in the hopes that the action goes past the drawer to a late position player who raises and then check-raising.

Manipulating the Pot with a Made Hand in Limit Hold'em

In contrast, you can use the odds to your favor when you have a monster hand. Let's say you hold JJ and the flop comes J 3 2 of mixed suits. It's very important to remember the pre-flop action and the tendencies of your opponents in this situation. If a player close to you on your left is an aggressive player who will likely bet, you probably want to check to him. If you bet and he raises, you will lose most of the other players behind him. On the other hand, if you check and he bets, many players will call a single bet. Once it gets back to you, you can then raise. Hopefully, your aggressive opponent will be scared by your check-raise and flat call, leaving all the other players once again with only one bet to call in order to take a shot at a huge pot. Although each player is committing the same two bets, by stretching it out in this way, you can get multiple calls that you otherwise would not.