Limit for learning?

[cianosheehan]

I have always been a No-limit player. At the moment I have a small BR. I was wondering if its a good idea, to learn about pot odds, probability etc., to spend some time playing low limit? And also to build up a reasonable BR. Did anyone start off limit and progress to no-limit and feel they are all the better for it? Or maybe people find that if you are used to No-limit you should stick to it?

[Webster]

The difference between limit and no limit is that a good NL player has a HUGE advantage over everybody else. If you play in a NL game with a good player - you are screwed. You need t be afraid of the good player.

The advantage of a limit player is that 99% of limit players play very badly and stay longer. You can be at a table with 2 or 3 or 4 good players and still win a lot. You are not afraid of the good players.

Just my opinion.

[Lunamondo]

A learned and experienced limit holdem player is a much better player than a novice no-limit player that has the same amount of big bet book learning under his belt.

But I don't see there is any need to start from limit poker as we have so many small big bet poker games now. Much of holdem learning though still comes from limit holdem books.

[LetsRock]

If you are good at no-limit, there's no reason to force yourself into the limit mold. The two games have a different approach, and you can get hammered trying to apply NL "moves" to limit and vice-verse. Most sites have low buy-in NL tables that you can quickly increase your BR with solid play (and a bit of fortune).

If you're not a strong NL player, then I'd suggest you find a low limit (.50/1 or 1/2) limit game to build your BR. The thing that I prefer about limit is that your mistakes will tend to be less costly (one bet vs. your whole stack). The disadvantage is that you usually have to have the best hand (bluffing doesn't work very often) and it can take a long time to build a BR using low level limit as your tool.

Pot odds are just as important (if not more so) in NL as limit. In limit, it can be harder to manipulate the odds (intentionally making the odds incorrect for players on the draw) but it can be done to a degree. In many low limit level games, most players don't consider odds and will pay to draw weather it's correct or not. You should have at least a basic understanding of odds and probability regardless of which game you play.

It would be my opinion that you stand the best chance of winning (ie building a BR) of playing what you do best. If your "best" is mediocre NL, this may not be true since mistakes can be very costly.

I don't mean to imply that your NL game is not strong (you don't say weather your game is solid you just say you've "always been a NL player"), so you need to be the judge of how you proceed as you know your game better than anyone else.