Betting Structure: Fixed Limit
Limit poker or Fixed Limit poker is a betting structure with both a set bet amount as well as a limit to the number of bets per round. Limit poker is the more common type of game played in a non-tournament setting. The “cash games” or “ring games” in most card rooms are played with a fixed limit structure. For example, you walk into a poker room and you see on the board 4/8 Hold’em; 8/16 Hold’em and 4/8 Omaha. What does that mean?
Well there are two different limit Hold’em games being spread in this room and one limit Omaha game. The first Hold’em games will begin with blinds of 2 and 4. The big blind always matches the first limit in the game section, so in a 4/8 game the big blind is 4. Betting will be in increments of 4 both before and after the flop and in increments of 8 on the turn and river. Same for the Omaha 4/8 game. The higher betting limit is in place in the last two rounds of play.
This means that after the blinds of 2 and 4 are put out and the cards are dealt the first player to the left of big blind may either fold, call the 4 or raise to 8. The next player may fold, call the 8 or raise to 12. All bets are in factors of 4 (4, 8, 12, 16, 20….). Most limit games cap the number of bets, usually at 4 or 5 bets per round. Be aware that in some games this limit is removed if and when the hand becomes heads up between two remaining players.
“Limit” games refer to the posted betting limits, these games often will have minimum buy-ins set by the house but no maximum buy-in because the amount you can wager on any hand is limited by the betting structure. Some tournaments are played with limit betting structures including most if not all of the HORSE, Razz and Stud tournaments. Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo are played with both limit and pot limit structures.
The next post will cover “pot limit” structures.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #112
