In the game of poker, what are the key differences between “fixed,” “pot,” and “no limit”?
Written by ABC AUDIO on December 13, 2022
If you are new to poker, you may be unaware that there are other poker games available besides no limit Texas Hold’em. Because of the explosive growth of no limit Texas Hold’em tournaments, many new poker players have only been exposed to one game, with every other poker variant taking a back seat.
There is no restriction. Texas Hold’em first gained popularity during the 2003 poker boom, which was fueled by the expansion of OKBET Poker as well as Chris Moneymaker, an amateur who won the World Series of Poker Main Event on national television. Since then, no limit Texas Hold’em has dominated the poker landscape to the point where it has become synonymous with poker as a whole.
This article will concentrate on the various betting options available at the poker table. We’ll begin by discussing the three main poker betting structures: no limit poker, fixed limit poker, and pot limit poker. Finally, we will explain the differences between no limit poker, fixed limit poker, and pot limit poker.
Poker is always cyclical, and I wouldn’t be surprised if fixed limit or pot limit poker overtook no limit poker as the game of choice for the masses in the coming years. With that, let’s get right into it by discussing the current world poker champion, no limit poker!
What exactly is No Limit Poker?
No limit poker is exactly what it sounds like: no limit! That means you can bet anything from the minimum bet on that betting round to all of your chips at any time. When compared to fixed limit poker, this open betting structure adds a lot of strategy to the game because players can choose the size of their bets, which completely changes the dynamic of the game.
Texas Hold’em is the most popular no limit poker game right now, but you can also play other no limit games. No limit poker games include several variations of draw poker, such as 2-7 triple draw, ace to 5 single draw, and Badugi, as well as newer games like Pineapple and Drawmaha.
Despite its current popularity, no limit poker is still relatively new to the mainstream, as most games were previously played as fixed limit poker. No limit poker is structured in such a way that even the best players in the world are uncomfortable with the massive swings.
When playing no limit poker, your fate can change quickly because you may be forced to put your entire stack on the line at any time to defend your hand. No limit poker can instantly turn you from a hero to a zero, and on the other hand, one lucky hand can see your stack double or triple in size.
What exactly is Fixed Limit Poker?
Limit poker was by far the most popular form of poker when I first started playing in the late 1990s. Prior to televised poker, no limit poker was thought to be a game only for professional players, not the casual players who make up the vast majority of everyday poker players across the country.
Texas Hold’em, Omaha, stud, and draw variants are all popular fixed limit poker games. Almost all mixed-game poker formats have fixed limit betting structures, including high-profile tournaments like the $10,000 buy-in HORSE world championship at the World Series of Poker each summer.
The sizes of your bets and raises are predetermined when playing fixed limit poker. If you’re playing a $4-$8 fixed limit game, for example, your bets and raises will be in $4 increments early in the hand and $8 increments later in the hand, depending on which game you’re playing.
Players who are new to poker enjoy fixed limit poker games because the swings aren’t as wild as in no limit or pot limit poker. When playing fixed limit poker, it’s all about finding ways to make an extra bet or two when you have the best hand and save a bet or two when you have the worst hand, because your entire stack is rarely on the line in a single hand.
What exactly is Pot Limit Poker?
Pot limit poker is a hybrid variation that sits somewhere between no limit and fixed limit poker. Pot limit poker allows you to choose your own bet sizing, similar to no limit poker, but your bet can only be as large as the amount in the pot, so it is somewhat structured, similar to fixed limit poker.
The beauty of pot limit poker is that it allows you to play big bet poker without sacrificing the stability of a fixed limit poker structure. Some games, such as 7 card stud, don’t play as well as no limit poker because the hands take longer to develop, and allowing the bets to get too big, too early in the hand, disrupts the action far too much.
Surprisingly, the swings in a pot limit poker game can be much larger than in a no limit poker game, because players can’t bet their opponents off their hands with huge bets early on. This allows the pot to grow faster than a fixed limit poker hand while keeping players in the action later in the hand, allowing for massive action.
