Hold'em Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit, Pot-Limit

By: PokerListings.com

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Even though No-Limit Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker being played today, there are still many players who would rather play a Limit or Pot-Limit variant instead.

In the world of poker, the popularity of No-Limit games is a relatively recent development. For many years poker was a Limit or Pot-Limit game. No-Limit only really took off once Doyle Brunson and his crew introduced the game to Las Vegas casinos.

Ever since, No-Limit has steadily increased in popularity, exploding into the spotlight with the 2003 WSOP Main Event, which amateur Chris Moneymaker won. Given that it's the most popular betting variation, it only makes sense to explain it first.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em

People are drawn to No-Limit because of its unique mix of skill, chance and action, and because you can bet all of your chips at any point during the hand.

In Texas Hold'em, players are always faced with the ability to choose one of three options:

Check (or call).
Bet (or raise).
Fold. (In a scenario where you can check, folding makes no sense, but it's still an option.)

To call is simply to match the previous bet made (a check is the same thing, only when no bet has been made: in other words, a check is a call for free).
To fold is to throw away your hand and wait until the next deal to play again. Folding is always free.
If there has been no bet made yet, you have the option to bet. Once a bet is made, players to follow now have the option to raise the bet.
In No-Limit a minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind, while a maximum bet is the total amount of all of your chips. (Only chips that were included in your stack before the cards were dealt for that hand count, meaning you can't add (or remove) chips during a hand.)
Once a bet has been made, the minimum you can raise is the size of the last bet. So if your opponent bets $5, the minimum raise you can make is $5 (for a total bet of $10). Again, the maximum raise is the total of whatever you have in front of you.
How big a No-Limit Hold'em cash game is played is determined by its blind size. A $1/$2 game will have $1/$2 blinds, and the buy-in will vary from poker room to poker room.
Generally the minimum buy-in will be 20 big blinds (so $40 in our example), and the maximum will be 100 big blinds ($200), though there are some casinos that spread games with no maximum buy-in.

Fixed-Limit Hold'em

The second most popular form of Texas Hold'em is Limit.

Whereas No-Limit is a game of brute force where players play big stacks and run up huge bluffs, Fixed Limit Hold'em is a more subtle, gentleman's game where players look to exploit small edges: a game of finesse and well-timed aggression.

Unlike in No-Limit where you can bet all your chips whenever you want, Limit Hold'em plays with fixed betting limits.
The size of the game is determined by the bet size. If you are playing in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet $8. The blinds will be $2 and $4. The big blind is always equal to the size of the small bet.
Play proceeds as it would in any Hold'em game; however, you bet and raise in increments. Before the flop and on the flop you bet in increments of the small bet. For example:
- If you were the first to bet, you can only bet $4, and the next person could call or raise to a total of $8. Any player wanting to reraise after that can make it a total bet of $12.
- On the turn and river players bet in increments of the big bet. If you were to bet the turn it would be $8 and to raise it would be $16, etc.
In Fixed-Limit Hold'em there is a set number of raises you can make before the betting is capped. Although it can vary from room to room, action is typically capped at four or five bets (always check the house rules before playing your first hand).
When betting is capped, it means that the players no longer have the option to raise; they can only call or fold until the next street is dealt.

Pot-Limit Hold'em

Pot-Limit Hold'em is a game in between No-Limit and Fixed-Limit. You can't bet your stack whenever you want, but you can bet however much is in the pot at the time.

How you determine the maximum bet is by counting all the money in the pot and all of the bets on the table, including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is.)

Two examples for you:

You're first to act on the flop with a pot of $15. You have the option to check or bet. You can bet anywhere from as little as the amount of the big blind, to the full amount of the pot ($15). Any bet in between is a "legal bet."
You're second to act on the flop with a pot of $15. The first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise.
- Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20).
- Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To do this, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot).
- You can raise any amount in between the minimum and maximum raise amounts.

Pot-Limit Hold'em is not very popular, and is mostly seen only in some large tournaments (such as the WSOP), but the Pot-Limit betting structure is used in Pot-Limit Omaha.

But because Pot-Limit Omaha is rapidly becoming one of the most popular poker variations, it's a good idea to get acquainted with the Pot-Limit structure anyway.

Additional Texas Hold em Rules

Comments

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nw
2011-12-12

can you please add an official ruling on the "under-raise" rule to your website. no one seems to be clear on it, dealers included, personally i find it blatantly straight forward, but can never find it in the poker rules on any website.. (need to to prove people wrong) :))
abdool
2011-11-14

On a table of 10, two guys are heads up and they play till the river. After the last betting stage the one player exposes his hand to claim the pot and the other player mucks since he lost. Can we as the observing players request to see the hand that was mucked?
David Perez
2011-10-08

Guys I just want to know which rules you apply when someone bets before his turn on texas hold'em tournaments and cash games. I will appreciate any comments on this matter.
UnclePhilly
2011-08-09

In no-limit hold-em if an all-in bet is greater than 1.5 of the original bet is it considered a raise?

Example: Post-flop; Player-A bets $500, Player-B calls, Player C goes all-in for $800. Can Player-A re-raise?

Where is this rule published where I can read it?
Melissa
2011-07-01

On The Big Game, it was pot-limit before the flop and then no-limit after the flop. How is the pot-limit calculated? My husband says that if the blinds are $100 - $200 and 3 people folded and then if someone raises say $1000 then the next person betting wanted to raise the pot it would also include the $200 from those that folded. I say it would only include what was in the pot. Who is right?
Lynette
2011-03-05

are big and little big blinds forfitted to an all in call that is small then the big blind and has the winning hand
Gary Papenfus
2011-01-30

In a championship game today, one player's cards were muffed by the dealer...into the discard pile...before player had a chance to look at them. Her cards were not protected, but she was the Big Blind and thus had a bet on the table. Several players had folded. The dealer thus, began asking the other players who had discarded their cards, what their cards were and returned them to each player. One player did not know what his cards were, but thought they were hearts. The two cards left, were thus given to the Big Blind player. Is it legal to get cards back out of the discard pile and continue play as this dealer did? This player ended up winning the hand.
David windsor
2011-01-10

If I go all-in, can my opponent who is deciding to call show his cards to the table including me while he makes his decision?

I feel the answer is no because he can get a read off me or other players but, I have a bet going to find out....?
gordon
2011-01-09

A player goes all in when he is the big blind but has less than the big blind, he has the best hand after the river card- does he win the big blinds of all of the players who see the flop or just the stake he put in from all the players who saw the flop.
Dave Neb
2011-01-04

The answer to Joe's question is simply NO. Once the train of betting has been cut and you get a call. Once it comes back to you... you can ONLY call what is there is call. In other words, you are screwed!
joe
2011-01-04

For example I bet. 200 and the blind is 10/20. b player goes all inn! for 500, player C goes all inn 700, player'd call, my question is can i raise?
joe
2011-01-04

Blinds are 2/4 everyone calls the big blind of 4. When it gets to the dealer he goes all in with 5. In order to stay in the hand can you just call his one extra chip or do you have to double the blind and make everyone else pay 8 to see the flop? And since everyone else had already called the BB and not raised it, does this give the other players a chance to re-raise the pot to 8? Also, when betting do you always have to bet in multiples of the big blind. ie.. if the BB is 10, do you have to bet 20 or 30 or can you simply bet 15, which is higher than the BB? And to raise, do you have to raise a minimum of the BB? ie if someone bet 10, do you have to raise to 20 or can you raise to 15? Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
anthony
2010-12-23

no linit game eg. $1/$2 blinds

A player on the gun bets $10
B player goes all in for $13
C player (has options 1-call $13 or 2 raise right?)
for this example player C calls $13
therefore A player only option is calling $13 right? NOT RERAISING again
Jennifer
2010-12-03

Blinds are 2/4 everyone calls the big blind of 4. When it gets to the dealer he goes all in with 5. In order to stay in the hand can you just call his one extra chip or do you have to double the blind and make everyone else pay 8 to see the flop? And since everyone else had already called the BB and not raised it, does this give the other players a chance to re-raise the pot to 8? Also, when betting do you always have to bet in multiples of the big blind. ie.. if the BB is 10, do you have to bet 20 or 30 or can you simply bet 15, which is higher than the BB? And to raise, do you have to raise a minimum of the BB? ie if someone bet 10, do you have to raise to 20 or can you raise to 15? Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
jesse
2010-09-29

jsee!!!
For example I bet. 200 and the blind is 10/20. b player goes all inn! for 500, player C goes all inn 700, player'd call, my question is can i raise?
cc
2010-08-19

blinds are 10/20.. POST FLOP, player A raise to 50, player B raises to 100, if player C wants to raise how much is the minimum?
gregory l ryan
2010-05-29

Big Blinds are at 200. Player A to the left of the Big Blind raises to 400. Player B to the left of Player A raises to 600. Is that allowed or does Player B have to raise to at least 800 ( 400 over the last bet of 400)?
Sean Lind
2010-05-19

cvanaver,

In the future, please only post your Q on one page.

As for your question, the min bet preflop and on the flop is always equal to the big blind. To call you would need to pay $200, regardless of the amount of player A's all in.
cvanaver
2010-05-16

Question:
Player A has $150 after the blinds
Player B has $1000 after the blinds
Player C has $1000 after the blinds
Blinds are set at $100/200

Player A is the first to bet and goes all in for $150. This is not a multiple of the big blind, which he (if he had the chips) would have needed to bet $200.
Player B wants to call Player A's all-in Is player B required to bet in multiples of the big blind here ($200) or can he merely call player A ($150). Does a call on a short stacked player negate the rule around betting in multiples of the big blind?
Sean Lind
2010-05-10

Malcolm.

Here's what happened.

Action on you: You bet £5
Next to act: All in for £8

Now, a minimum raise here would be £5 + £5 = £10

Since the all in was less than that (Short raise, Under Raise, Incomplete Raise), betting is not re-opened.

Now, the next player to act has not acted yet, this means they still have full option.

They can fold, call or raise as they please, since action to them is just an $8 bet.

If they fold or call, you can only call or fold. Because betting was not re-opened, and you have already acted, you lose your full action and can not raise.

The reason for this is to stop people from being able to raise themselves. For example, if you bet £10 and the all in was for £11, if you're allowed to raise again, you're really raising your own bet, since the all-in didn't change the current bet all that much.

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