General Texas Holdem tips – Game Selection

I’ll divide this advice into two: the first one is related to the limit structure and the second to the stakes of the game.


There are 3 main Texas Holdem limit structures:





1. Fixed Limit Games – in these games the amount you are allowed to bet is limited and declared in the name of the game. For example: $1-





2 games.


In this game the small blind is $0.5, the big blind is $1 and the maximum bets is:





Before the flop – $1 After the flop – $1


After the turn – $2 After the river – $2


Any raise must be with increments of the betting amount.


For example in a $1/2 game, the raises will be:


Before the flop – $1 $2 $3 and a maximum of $4


After the flop – $1 $2 $3 and a maximum of $4


After the turn – $2 $4 $6 and a maximum of $8


After the river – $2 $4 $6 and a maximum of $8





2. Pot Limit – In a pot limit game, each bet has a minimum of the blind and a maximum of the pot size. There is a very important consideration when placing a bet in a pot limit game: if the pot is $100 for example, and you bet $50, the next player can bet up to $250. How’s that? The player after you is calling your $50 and than raising the current pot size - the original $100, your $50 and his $50, which means $200 more, and a total of $250. This means you should consider very carefully, especially when the pot is big, if you want to bet a small amount, and by that give someone else the opportunity to raise a substantial amount.





3. No limit – in a no limit game the bet is limited only to the amount of chips you have. While the minimum bet is the amount of the big blind.


The minimum raise amount must be at least as big as the last bet or raise. For example, if the first player bet $10 and you want to raise, the amount raised must be at least $10 more which means a total bet of $20.





In each round of betting a player can go all in, if someone bets more money than you have you can go all in, and may win the relative amount of the pot that your chips covered.


Selecting the stakes:


In each of the limit structures the starting stakes are different, you can play fixed limit tables starting at 0.25/0.5$ and going up to 200/400$.





In the pot and no limit games the stakes starts at 0.25/0.5$ in the low tables and goes up to 50/100$ games.


Summary – how to choose the right structure and stake?


If you are new to Texas Holdem, its better that you play the fixed limit tables and choose the small stakes, $0.25-0.5 for example. When you get more confident with your playing skills move to bigger stake tables.





The principle is simple – choose a table where you feel comfortable with the amount of money you’re bringing to the table. Usually, if you think you are better than the average player in the table, bring the maximum allowed to the table because you’ll need it when you have good hands and should know when to avoid going ‘all in’ without a great hand.





Being a good Texas Holdem player demands a ‘step by step’ process. As you get better, you can play for more money, and can recognize what limit structure is best for you – fixed limit, pot limit or no limit.





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