NL Player, Should I Learn Limit?

[theBruiser500]

Hello people of the "Mid and High-Stakes Hold'em" forum! This is my first post here because I am really bad at limit and don't play it at all, I've only played NL. What I was wondering is...

Should I learn limit? My impression of it when I sat down at a 1-2 table, is that there is a right and wrong thing to do in every situation, it didn't challenge me the way NLHE does. Is this because it's a less interesting game or because I'm just too ignorant of limit to know what's going on and understand the nuances of the game? I really love NL and the complexity of it, I'm a little doubtful that limit is the same way, but that's why I'm starting this thread, prove me wrong!

I just read the thread Jen started, KQo preflop, and it got me interested. Also, right now I play 1/2 NL and do pretty well, but perhaps I could be making more money if I learned limit and worked my way up...

All thoughts on this appreciated!

danny

[karlson]

If your question is "Is limit holdem a difficult game", the answer is yes. Just look at the number of posts here every day.

As far as earn, I'd be willing to bet that the best no limit players make more than the best limit players, but that amateur limit players make more than amateur no limit players.

I'm fairly sure that our favorite 2+2 authors have written on this subject.

[bunky9590]

Bruiser,
You should make it a practice to learn all the games, but keep your skills up in your main game. Right now I play Limit and No-limit hold'em but about once a week I play stud just to keep that facet of my game sharp.

I used to play Omaha-8 and hold'em, but have since shyed away from omaha-8, (my earn was much better at hold'em) but I can still sit down in a big omaha game and still feel confident about my abilities (kinda like riding a bike).

All poker has similar skills needed but with several variations depending on the game. But in practice, if you see a good 15-30 stud game with people literally giving their money away, you should have the confidence you need to get in and profit from it.

Limit hold'em is a bit more mechanical than NL, but there aree a lot ore decisions you have to make. Also, bluffs work a lot less when all they have to do is call one bet, not their entire stack. i think you'll do fine with table time and posting/reading here.

[jen]

Yes -- I think you should learn limit. I learned limit first, then no-limit, and I don't play much limit anymore because limit is a lot more mechanical in many ways. But I like limit too, because it gives me a break from no-limit play and more options in terms of game selection as more B&M's spread the game. Also, I've played at only one online site, PP, and I find the limit games there to be a lot more lucrative than the ridiculously low-capped buy-in NL games.

[theBruiser500]

Heh, yeah, I noticed that more people post on the Mid, High-Stakes forum than I think, any other forum. That's how it looks anyway.

I've decided I'm going to learn limit! Along with stud, stud-8, PLO (this game in particular looks interesting), etc.

It will be nice to have some flexibility in the games I choose, it's kind of stupid how right now when I go to Turning Stone I can't play anything there because they only spread their NL game on Friday and it's too high in stakes for me anyway. And I can't play any other game. I've consistently lost at 1/2 hold'em /images/graemlins/smile.gif

thanks for your replies,
danny

[JeanieJ]

I started out at no-limit and moved to limit a few months ago. My style of play has changed and learning limit hold em' helped my no-limit game grow. Online limit for me is a bit harder being you have to have more of a read on your players. Usually that doesn't take long if you pay attention.

Sometimes it feels like there's a lot more fish around the limit games. Maybe it's just me!!

Good luck,
Jeanie

[LetsRock]

From a low-limit player:

Limit and NL are very different games.

NL is much more exciting; your stack can be challenged on any given hand and the decisions are much more difficult to make because they tend to be pretty big.

Limit can be a lot of work. They call it grinding for a reason. Bluffs are much more difficult to pull off. But there is a bit of a safety net knowing that there is a limit to how much you can lose (or win) on any given hand which allows for a little more speculation and probably requires a bit more working knowledge of odds than NL.

I prefer the comfort of limit games - I don't mind the grind and appreciate the safety net that limit provides. I do enjoy the action that NL can provide and play in a lows takes NL home game and a handful of NL tourneys every week. But my bread and butter is limit.

You'll probably find limit to be pretty boring if you're used to and enjoy NL, but I think any good poker player will be well versed in most (if not all) games so he can take advantage of any opportunity available.