Limit Texas Hold’em

Fixed Limit Texas Hold'em poker is beatable but can prove tricky because you can't just call down hands due to pot odds. Many players often lack discipline (tightness) or aggression. And a tight-aggressive style is generally the most profitable, especially in intermediate-strong games. Therefore, we're assuming this style of play throughout this guide.

We'll talk about the few starting hands you can use to command many pots and positional advantage. Then ideal Limit Texas Hold'em strategy for pre-flop and post-flop play. As this is where most beginner/intermediate players make their biggest mistakes.

If you need a refresher on the rules and game play of Limit Hold'em, see our page here:

• How to Play Limit Hold'em Poker | Limit Holdem Rules

Strategy Guide for Limit Texas Hold'em (Cash Game)

• 10 Key Strategy Tips and Advice
• Common Limit Hold'em Mistakes
• Pre-flop Play
• Starting Hand Guide
• Flop Play
• On the Turn
• On the River
• Special Moves
• Odds

How to Win in Limit Texas Hold'em

1. Overall discipline
2. Reading opponents
3. Calculating pot odds
4. Not tilting
5. Bankroll management

Key Strategy Tips for Limit Texas Hold'em

1. Play only premium starting hands:
   In a regular game you should see no more than 20-25% of the flops.
2. Table selection:
   Beware of tight/aggressive tables (low profit, high volatility) and avoid strong players that can read you and take your money. Look for loose games where at least 30% see the flop on average and play their hands too far.
3. Pot odds while drawing:
   Make sure to have pot odds when you are drawing. You should only call a bet if the pot justifies the call (see Pot Odds).
4. Analyze your opponents' playing styles:
   Ask yourself: What kind of hands do they raise or re-raise with? Do they call all the way with weaker hands? How do they play pocket pairs? How about draws? What kinds of hands do they call/raise with from early position? What type of hands do they check-raise with?
5. Bet or raise when warranted - don't just call:
   The structure of Limit Texas Hold'em invites drawing hands, which might even bet into you. If you believe you have the best hand you should almost always bet/raise. You don't want to give any free cards.
6. Always have a good kicker:
   You should have a good 'second' card (kicker) because weak kickers create second-best hands and can be expensive long-term.
7. Steal pots in late position:
   When few players are in and it checks around to you, you can possibly take the pot in last or late position. Only do this if it looks as though the board didn't benefit anyone.
8. Vary your play:
   Occasionally limp on "raising hands" and bet/raise on some "calling hands". Do this both pre- and post-flop to avoid becoming predictable.
9. Fold in time:
   You'll save money if you fold when you should. Don't draw when you know you're beat and the pot doesn't warrant a call.
10. Rarely bluff:
    You must be quite sure that your opponents are weak when you attempt to bluff.

Common Mistakes in Limit Texas Hold'em

1. Playing too many starting hands (see Starting Hand Guide).
2. Calling too much with trap hands (see Trap Hands).
3. Not folding modest hands like top pair weak kicker or middle pair.
4. Not raising premium hands, allowing too many drawing hands in on the flop.
5. Drawing for cards that only give you a second-best hand.
6. Only minding your game and not that of your opponent/s.
7. Not being aggressive enough on the flop and turn to protect your hand) (see Check-Raise).
8. Calling all the way to the river without proper pot odds (see Pot Odds).
9. Bad table limit selection or insufficient bankroll - You need approx. 300x the big bet for optimal play).

Pre-Flop Play in Limit Hold'em

One of the most valuable skills in Limit Texas Hold'em is the ability to be very selective about the hands you start with. There are a number of factors to consider when deciding which hands to play:

1. Is the table tight or loose?
2. How many players are sitting at the table?
3. How many players are in the pot when it is your turn to act?
4. Has the pot been raised? If so from what player and position?
5. What is your position?

Tight or Loose Game?

A tight game is defined as a game where few players (2-3) see the flop on average and then fold after the flop. In this type of game you seldom see the river card because everyone has folded.

There is almost no reason to play in such games, even if you are an expert player. If you do decide to play in a tight game, your starting hand should be very well selected and you might be able to play 15% to 20% of your starting hands.

A loose game, however, is usually where you want to be. In a loose game many players see the flop and tend to go too far with their hands. In these games there exists the possibility of playing more hands, though usually not more than 30% of the hands.

Nonetheless, you must still be very selective of which hands you play.

How Many Players in the Pot Before You?

If many people see the flop there is a greater chance for you to play more drawing hands, such as 76s or small pocket pairs, since these types of hands increase in value in multi-way pots.

At a short-handed table with only six players or less, big cards increase in value. Even aces with a lower kicker than 10 usually become playable. In a full ring game, hands like AT, KT, QT decrease in value as these can easily become a trap hand, meaning they make second-best hands (see Trap Hands).

More players generally result in bigger pots because the more players in the pot, the higher the pot odds become. For example, you can call before the flop with a hand like 76s or small pocket pairs if you think there will be six players or more in the pot.

If there are only two or three players in the pot, a 76s or small pocket pairs are not good hands to enter the pot with. You want to ensure you get a good price on your drawing hands.

If there's been a raise...

If someone has raised before the flop you must have a very good hand to call with or get excellent pot odds. Do not call raises in middle position with hands like AJ off-suit and KQ off-suit (see Trap Hands).

However, if you are in late position and a minimum of four players called the raise, you can either call or re-raise with a hand like JTs in the hopes that you hit a great hand when the pot is big.

Position

The positions are counted from the button. In a full table with 9 to 10 players, you have the button, small blind, big blind, early position, middle position and late position.

The three seats after the big blind are called early position, the following three seats, middle position, and the remaining two seats are categorized as late position.

The first position after the big blind is referred to as sitting under the gun. This is the worst position to hold pre-flop as you will be the first to act and will be more likely to make mistakes, since you will not have as much information as players acting in late position.

Therefore, you must be very careful in choosing your starting hand in this position. For example, do not play an AT off-suit under the gun. Although, if you hold the same hand on the button and no one has called, AT becomes a raising hand.

The best position is on the button, right in front of the small blind. It is in this position that you will possess the most information when your turn to act arrives. When sitting on the button you will know how many players are in the pot, if there has been a raise/re-raise, etc.

This is most certainly the most profitable position.

Trap Hands in Limit Holdem

A very common mistake for beginner/intermediate players is to play any two big cards or any ace from an early position and call raises with the same type of hand.

This is one of the biggest mistakes a player can make as these hands so easily become trap hands. A trap hand is any hand that has a high probability of becoming the second-best hand, costing you a lot of money if you flop to it.

The most common trap hands are AT, AJ, KQ, KJ, KT, QJ and QT. Many players limp in from early position and call raises in middle/late position with this type of hand.

Thus, if you limp with KJ from early position, and someone in late position raises it, you could easily find yourself trapped against common raising hands such as KQs, AK, AJs, AA, KK and QQ (in case a J hits).

This also applies when you call raises with this kind of hand. This is a mistake. The most frequent raising hands from early position include AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AQ and AK.

Why would you want to call a raise with a trap hand when the raiser is likely to hold one of the above hands? Nonetheless, trap hands are playable in the right circumstances.

For instance, if you are in late position and are first in, the trap hand now becomes a raising hand.

Pre-Flop Limit Holdem Strategy

• Make sure to raise with top pairs (AA-JJ) and top connectors (AK, AQ) to drive out low pairs and various connectors and to build the pot in case you hit.
• Have respect for strong tight players (for example, drop AQ off-suit if a strong player raises under the gun).
• Again, be selective with your starting hands. Resist the temptation of playing too many hands because you lost a few pots when you held a premium starting hand.
• Do not call a raise if you are not in possession of a very good hand that you yourself could raise with.
• Never play an ace with a lower kicker than ten if it is not suited. The only exception is if you are in late position or on the button and no one has called. In such cases, you should generally raise with an ace in your hand due to the possibility of winning the blinds without a fight.

Starting Hand Guide (8-10 players)

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding which hands to play:

1. Is the table tight or loose?
2. How many players are sitting at the table?
3. How many players are in the pot when it is your turn to act?
4. Has the pot been raised? If so, from which player and which position?
5. What is your position?

We recommend you try a Hold'em odds calculator to make sure that you don't waste money by selecting starting hands poorly.

How Many Players Are in the Pot Before You?

If many people see the flop, there's a better chance to play more drawing hands. Such as 7-6s or small pocket pairs, since these types of hands increase in value in multi-way pots.

At a short-handed table with six or fewer players, big cards increase in value. Even aces with a lower kicker than 10 usually become playable. In a full ring game, hands like A-T, K-T, Q-T decrease in value because they can easily become trap hands. Meaning they make second-best hands.

More players result in bigger pots because the more players in the pot, the higher the pot odds become. For example, you can call pre-flop with a hand like 7-6s or small pocket pairs if you think there will be six players or more in the pot. If there are only 2-3 players in the pot, 7-6s or small pocket pairs aren't good enough to enter pots. You want to ensure you get a good price on your drawing hands.

Limit Hold'em Starting Hand Cheat Sheet

Post-Flop Play

What you need to consider when deciding whether to check, bet, call or raise

1. How strong of a hand did you flop (read Specific Holdings on the Flop)?
2. How many players are left (hard to bluff in a four-handed pot)?
3. Did anyone raise before the flop and, if so, who and from what position (expect a follow-through)?
4. What pot odds do you have (the size of the pot vs. how many outs you have)?
5. What kinds of draws (if any) are on the board?
6. What kind of hands are the other players likely to have?
7. What position do you have (the later the better)?

Specific holdings on the flop

Top Pair with an Ace Kicker

• Most of the time you should value bet on the flop (and continue on the turn), as you often have weaker players staying in with weaker kickers or worse hands.
• Watch out for over pairs especially in raised pots.
• Avoid a check-and-call strategy by betting out, check-raising or raising.
• In order to protect your hand against draws be prepared to raise if someone bets.

Top Pair with a Weak Kicker

• If possible, try to bet out in order to find out if your hand is good.
• In an un-raised pot make a value bet and try to take the pot immediately. This is especially relevant if your pair is ten or below, as almost any card on the turn will be a scare card.
• Generally, it is best to fold if you are raised.
• Consider how many opponents you are up against in an effort to clarify the relative strength of your hand.
• A possible flush, straight or a lot of draws on the flop will weaken your holding.
• Did the flop come with three high cards? If so, a two pair and top pair with a better kicker than yours likely exists.
• Avoid a check-and-call strategy by either betting out, check-raising or raising.

Two Pair (pairing both hole cards)

• Generally do not slow-play these types of hands. You should bet out /raise if the possibility arises.
• If the board is highly coordinated (two or three cards of the same suit and/or two or three connected cards), you should raise out the draws or make your opponents pay for attempting to out-draw you. One option is to wait until the turn and see if a blank hits and then raise/bet. This may work better in bigger pots since the bets are doubled on the turn and many players will call a raise on the flop when the bets are small.
• If you have hit two pair with a "weak" ace, let AK and AQ pay to chase. For example, if it is a raised pot and the flop comes A-6-2 and you hold A6, someone holding AK or AQ will usually give you a lot of action and will call to the end with only 3 outs for a better two pair.
• If you hold a small two pair, watch out for aces and kings in later rounds as higher two pairs than yours will likely surface.

Overpair (pocket pair bigger than highest card on the flop)

• Bet or raise with this hand to eliminate your opponents and to protect your hand.
• Occasionally check-raise with this hand if you think an opponent will bet and your raise will force others to fold.
• If someone raises you, it is often best to re-raise. Most players will raise at least once with top pair but only cap the betting with stronger holdings; therefore you can also gain information as to whether your hand is good or not.

Second Pair (pocket pair in between flop's high and middle card)

• Typical fold or bet hand. You can often bet to have weak/loose players chase on middle pairs or draws. Your bet can also make more solid players fold weak top pairs or other non-made hands.
• Usually fold if there is a bet in front of you, especially if players behind you have yet to act.
• Again, always consider the number of opponents in the pot and from which position they are betting (if they bet).
• Avoid a check-and-call strategy; usually raise or fold if someone bets in front of you.
• Fold if you are raised.

Middle Pair with Top Kicker (Ace or, sometimes King)

• Typical fold or bet hand (see Second Pair).
• You should not find yourself in too many hands like this if you follow a tight strategy. There are not many situations in which you are playing weak aces or kings (see Starting Hand Guide).
• With this hand you hold five outs that can make you two pair or trips. Consider calling a bet on the flop if you have pot odds and if you believe your hand will be the best if you hit.

Middle Pair without Top Kicker

• Folding is the best play is most situations except if you are heads-up.
• Again, avoid a check-and-call strategy. Instead, you should bet, raise or fold.

Nut Draws with Eight Outs or More

Example: nut flush draws, two over cards and a nut straight draw, straight flush draws, nut straight draws.

• Rather than calling, always consider putting pressure on your opponents by betting, raising or check-raising. Play aggressively, especially when facing only one or two opponents who can fold a decent hand.
• With 12 possible outs (like a nut flush draw with an ace kicker, giving you nine nut outs and three top pair outs), you will have almost a 50% chance of hitting on the turn and river combined (see Pot Odds); you should play aggressively in most cases to give your ace a better chance of winning if you hit.
• Late position gives an extra advantage as you can raise to build the pot if there are many players in the pot. This might give you a free card (see Special Moves) if it is checked to you on the turn and your hand has not improved.

Overcards - AK, AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ, QJ

• Fold these hands in most situations if there are several players in on the flop and you do not hit.
• Do not make a (expensive!) habit of betting this type of hand against a flop with face cards and several opponents.
• Do not draw to overcards unless the pot gives excellent odds and the board looks favorable (no straight or flush possibilities on the turn).
• Oftentimes, when you hit one of your overcards on the turn, this card will give someone else two pair or better. For example, if you hold KQ and the flop comes 10-8-4, a K on the turn gives KT, K8 and K4 two pair. If a Q hits it could make someone holding a J9 a straight or players holding QT, Q8 and Q4 a two pair.

Very Strong Hands on the Flop

Set, flush, straight and full house

The most common way to play in this situation is slow-playing. This means that you will check-and-call if someone bets and then raise/re-raise on a later turn when the bets are doubled. If there are a lot of draws on the board for someone to make a better hand, then you need to raise and gain as many bets as possible while you still have the best hand.

Don't slow play these hands

Here are a few examples of when you should not slow-play a flopped set, straight, flush or full house:

Very Strong Hand: Set (you hold a pocket pair)

• When there are flush draws on the flop, bet/raise in order to make your opponents pay for attempting to out-draw you.
• When there are straight draws on the flop, again bet/ raise for the aforementioned reason.
• When the flop comes with big cards and it was raised pre-flop, your opponents are likely to give you a lot of action. As well, you will gain information as to whether your set is good or not, thus saving you bets on later betting rounds.

Very Strong Hand: Straight

• When there are flush draws on the flop, bet/raise in order to make your opponents pay for attempting to out-draw you.
• When there are draws for bigger straights on the flop, you should again bet/raise for the reasons listed above.
• When there is a pair on the flop, someone with trips will give you a lot of action and, if your hand is the best, you can make your opponent pay to out-draw you (a full house is possible).

Very Strong Hand: Flush (you hold two suited cards)

• When there is a pair on the flop, someone with trips will give you a lot of action and, if your hand is the best, you can make your opponent pay to out-draw you (a full house is possible).
• If you do not have the nut flush then someone giving you action is likely to be drawing to a bigger flush and the action will dry up if a fourth suited card hits on the turn or river. Get your bets and raises in right on the flop.

Very Strong Hand: Full House

• When there is a pair on the board and you hold the low set. You will get plenty of action from someone holding trips. By betting and raising on the flop you make them pay for drawing to a bigger full house.
• If you hold one of the pair cards and the low card. Again, you will get a lot of action from someone holding trips and making them pay for attempting to out-draw you.

Drawing Hands (flush draws or open-ended straight draws to the high end)

• Go for draws where you only need one card to make a flush or straight.
• Generally, you should not draw to a straight if there are two suited cards at the table, unless you get excellent pot odds. You should count two of your outs (the flush cards) as dead, so instead of having 8 outs you have 6.
• Usually avoid going for a straight or a flush if there is a pair on the table because of the potential risk of a full house. You will need better pot odds than normal to draw.

On the Turn

On the turn the bets are doubled. Therefore, it is crucial that you have played your hand correctly this far. The stakes have gone up and you will not get the same pot odds to call. Also, you'll have obtained further information on your opponents' hands and will thus be in a position to re-evaluate your hand.

If you believe you hold the best hand, don't be afraid to bet/raise in order to protect your hand. You'll have a greater possibility of raising out draws on the turn since the bets are doubled. But don't enter into a raising war if your hand is not great. If you're drawing, make sure you have the right pot odds when doing so.

On the River

Now you're at the end of the hand and a common mistake is to fold or call with too many hands. If you didn't make your draw, it's appropriate to fold regardless of the pot size. However, if you have a mediocre hand and the pot's substantial, you may occasionally have to make a "crying call". Although it's likely you're beat.

Once again, you must use your best judgment, but sometimes there's a fine line between folding and calling on the river. You won't be bluffing much here, unless you're heads-up and quite confident your opponent was drawing. And/or had a weak hand and a scare card hits.

Be prepared to fold a good hand if a flush and/or straight card hits and your opponents begin to raise.

Special Moves

The free card

When you are in late position or last to act, you can raise with a drawing hand on the flop. This will likely make your opponents check to you on the turn, thus giving you the opportunity to check (if your hand does not improve) or bet (if you hit your draw).

This will save you money if you do not improve and make you money if you hit. However, this move will backfire when you are re-raised on the flop. In these situations, it will cost you money but it remains a good play since you obtained information and have a draw to a better hand.

The check-raise

When you hold a good hand and it is your turn to act, check in the hopes that an opponent will bet so that you can raise when your turn comes again.

For example, you are in early position and have A♥Q♠. The flop is A♠Q♥6♠. You check and three players in middle position also check. A player in late position bets and you then raise.

The reason for check-raising is to make it too expensive for the drawing hands, like a straight or flush draw, to call. The check-raise from an early position also gives you the initiative in the hand.

If they still call, at least you have obtained information regarding the strength of their hands and forced them to pay as much as possible for trying to out-draw you.

Semi-bluffing

Semi-bluffing is when you bet or raise with a hand that is not likely to be the best (at the moment) but you have many outs to out-draw your opponents if you get called or raised, although you are actually hoping to win the pot right there.

For example, you are in late position holding J♥10♥ and the flop shows K♠6♥2♥, thus giving you a flush draw with nine outs. There are three other players in the pot and they all check to you.

You bet without having the best hand but since they all checked, they indicated weakness and might fold pocket pairs, a pair of 6's or 2's.

Even if you do get called, you have nine outs to the flush and maybe an additional six outs to win if you hit a J or a T, 15 outs in total. If called and it is checked to you on the turn, you have the option of taking a free card in case your hand did not improve.

Odds

Pot odds

Pot odds are what you use to calculate whether a certain play has a positive expected value. It is defined as the relationship between the size of the pot and the bet. For instance, if the pot is $100 and you bet $10, the pot odds are 10-1.

In order to calculate your pot odds, you must know how many outs your hand has at that moment. For example, if you flop a heart flush draw you then have nine outs to make your hand. There are 13 hearts in total. You hold two and the flop came with two, which leaves nine hearts unseen.

If you refer to the table below, you will notice that you have a 35% chance of hitting a hand with nine outs on the turn and river combined. This is slightly better than one in three times, which means that if it costs you $10 to win $30 or more, drawing for a flush is the correct move.

A rule of thumb: Every out gives you about a 4% chance of hitting on the turn and river combined. For example, five outs gives you about a 20% chance of improving, six outs about 24%, etc.

How to Play Flush Draws in Limit Hold'em

Flush draws are some of the strongest draws you can have on the flop.

They play easily and can result in winning you big pots. When you flop a flush draw in Limit Texas Hold'em, it's either going to be on a two-suited or three-suited flop. The way to play the flush draw will depend on this.

Since there are 13 cards of each suit you will always have nine outs to make your flush when you have flopped a flush draw. This is approximately 2-1 (35%) against improving by the river. Your hand is stronger if you have additional draws like a pair, a straight draw, overcards and so forth.

For example, if you hold K♠Q♠ and the flop comes J♠10♠2♥, giving you a straight flush draw and two overcards, you will have 21 cards that might win the pot for you. You will have about a 78% (54% for a straight/flush and 28% for hitting one of your overcards) chance of hitting at least a pair on the turn and river combined. Compare this to holding 8♠7♠ on a flop with the A♠K♠9♥, when you most likely have only 9 outs (34%) that will win the pot for you.

To Draw or Not Draw in Limit Holdem?

When you flop a flush draw on a two-suited flop, you are almost always getting correct pot odds to draw to the flush. There are, however, a few exceptions to consider:

1. Heads-up in an unraised pot and all you have is the flush draw. This might be a good spot to semi-bluff, but don't check-call to the river.
2. If there's a paired board with heavy action on the flop. Someone's likely to have trips and you may lose to a full house even with a flush.
3. You flop a small flush draw and there's lots of flop action. You might be drawing dead to a bigger flush draw. This is one of the reasons to play small suited connectors in late position.

Position and Number of Players

When there are three or more players in the hand, you usually want to keep as many players in on the flop as possible. You want to ensure that you win a big pot if you hit your hand. This means checking and calling if acting first, unless you are the pre-flop raiser and have some chance of winning the pot by betting out.

An example of this might be when you hold A-Ks and the flop comes with three low cards, giving you the nut flush draw with two overcards. If you are sitting in late position and there is a bet from an early position player with several callers in between, it is correct to raise. You do this to build the pot when you are only 2-1 against making your flush. This raise might also give you a chance to take a free card if they all check to you on the turn.

Against one or two opponents you can try to win the pot with a semi-bluff. If you feel there is a chance you can win the pot by betting or raising, it is correct to do so. If you have overcards to go with the flush draw, you should bet or raise to force out hands that could make two pair or a pair with a better kicker than yours.

Three-Suited Flops

If the flop is three-suited you should generally just draw for the flush, particularly when you are drawing to the nut or second nut flush. If your hand has additional values like a pair and/or a straight draw, you might draw for a lower flush. It is usually hard to get action on these types of flops because players will play less aggressively unless they too have a very strong hand, like a set or two pair.

Raising and trying for free cards is less likely to succeed because your opponents will be more apt to protect their made hands. This type of draw also has less value because it is so obvious that someone will hold a flush when a fourth suited card hits. This means that players won't give action unless the board stays three-suited. The time to play very aggressively is when you hold AA or KK and have the flush draw to go with the hand.