What is a Table Limit - Poker Limits Explained

Some poker games are tagged as fixed-limit. Others are pot-limit. Most poker tournament games are no-limit. It's important to know what betting limit you're playing before you start placing bets.

Fixed Limit Poker

Fixed limit poker is not complicated to understand. There are four rounds of betting, not including the blinds, and the first two are at the lower limit while the second two are at the higher limit. That is, a game with a 2/4 limit has a small blind of 1, a big blind of 2, an initial bet of 2, and each raise pre-flop is 2 dollars. There are a maximum of one bet plus three raises. Likewise, after the flop, each bet or raise is 2 and there can be as many as one bet and three raises. After the turn, each bet or raise is 4 dollars, and there can be as many as three raises after the initial bet. After the river, again each bet or raise is 4 dollars, and again, there may be as many as three raises after the original bet. In a 2/4 game, the maximum possible bet would be.

Pot Limit Poker

Pot limit poker is quite a bit more complicated than fixed limit poker, as wagers can rise quickly even in a game with fairly low blinds. Each raise may be higher than the previous bet. The opening bet may be as high as the two blinds together. Each player raising afterwards may raise the same or more as the player who raised before him. A raise may be as high as the value of the pot. That is why the game is referred to as pot-limit. There is no maximum number of bets in each round, so pots may rise quite quickly. It's essential for players to remain aware of the odds of their particular hand before they call a wager.

No Limit Poker

In tournament poker, you will generally be playing without a limit. Any raise can be any amount. Players can drive up the value of a pot quickly and easily, forcing opponents to go all-in. If an opponent goes all-in and does not have the winning hand, they are eliminated from the tournament instantly, so players with good hands try to get other players to go all-in as quickly as possible.

Table Stakes Poker

Most poker games are played for what is called table stakes. That is, a player brings his money to the table and may only use that money throughout the game. This is almost always the case in tournaments. The player pays his buy-in and receives an assigned number of chips. All players begin with the same number of chips. Play continues until all but one player is out of chips. In some tournaments, the poker room or casino allows re-buys, and a player can pay more money in order to get back into the tournament after having been eliminated once. Always check if a tournament has re-buys before you enter as it means that you may have to defeat the same player more than once.