Texas Hold'em poker - Type of game

Aggressive limit game

Consider a £10/£20 limit game played by seven players where each ante is £1 per hand. The pre and post flop bets are limited to £10 and those after the turn and the river to £20.

There is likely to be a bet and one or more raises before the flop, and another bet and up to two raises after the flop. If so, it will take £20 or £30, and perhaps another £30 to see the two widow cards. This requires £50 or £60, a steep investment in comparison with the original ante, and requires good probability odds to justify it.

Thus, marginal and fair hands should usually be folded. After all the widow cards have been exposed, there is not likely to be much raising, and the £20 limit on final round bets will not add enough to the pot to repay the heavy investment on low-probability starts.

In this game, with seven competent players, you never expect more than three of four to see the flop, and no more than two or three to go beyond.

Restrained limit game

With the same ante and betting limits as above, now suppose the typical betting limit pattern is for a bet but no raises before the flop, and a bet and at most one raise after the flop. Here it will cost only £10 to see the flop, and either another £10 or £20 to see the fourth widow card.

Because the cost required to get the information the flop will provide is much less, the incentive is to see more flops, and more players will do so. Here perhaps four or five of the original seven players will stay for the flop, and perhaps three or four of those will stay for the turn.

In this game the average pot should make the winner about £100 richer, and hands with better than one chance in ten of winning may be played if the flop is sure to clarify them.