Basic No Limit Hold 'Em Poker Strategies
There is an essential difference between limit and no-limit
Texas hold'em and this difference is based on the position you
have at the playing table and on the value of the hands. When
you are playing no-limit hold'em you will find that position is
much more important than in the limit games. The explanation is
quite simple actually because there is no limit so more money
are involved and the goals you set depend on your position and
they will have a bigger impact on you bankroll. If somehow you
manage to get someone into a position trap you will here have a
change to get that person's entire stack, not only a few more
bets like in Limit hold'em.
In no-limit poker the big connectors are not to be played
because they have a much lesser value overall: they can cause
you to win but just small amounts of money and they can also
cause you to lose greatly. If we are talking pairs, they
increase their value consistently in no-limit Texas hold'em.
They give you the opportunity to trap someone (especially the
big pairs) and they can get you the entire bankroll of those
persons or simply double the value of the pot over a betting
round.
When playing no-limit you must before all keep an efficient list
of all money spent by you and your opponents. Variations in the
stack affect the whole hand and you must be aware of that. So
pay attention to all amounts of money players have on the table
and to the pot size at all times. The game here is about leaving
the others with no money on the table not just about winning
small pots and hands.
Let's take an example to better demonstrate how and why
important the amount of money each player has on the table is so
important.
Let's just say you have now $250 and another player has $25. You
are playing a game with blinds of $1-$2. Your position is the
small blind and the cards you have are QJ suited. Your opponent
is in first position and he goes all-in. All other players
consider the risk and decide to fold, as strategy requires in
this case. Now, you are faced with a problem: to call and risk
$24 for his $25 bet or to simply fold like the situation
requires. Betting for that kind of money the almost exact amount
is an unnecessary risk you should not take. If however your
opponent would have an amount of $250 just like you have, then
the risk can be acceptable as you were going to risk the money
for 10 times their value.