general no-limit advice

[luckycharms]

All I play is no limit with my friends, either .25/.50 or .50/1 blinds. The bets usually stay low, so it's usually more like pot limit, or even limit. Regardless, I don't really have a primer on how to play NL. I'm almost done reading TOP and have read Caro's Tells, but TOP only talks of limit poker. I think I'm going to buy Super/System, and another book on NL (any advice????), but for now, I just want a quick online quide to NL. Anybody have advice? Thanks in advance.

[AeonBlues]

I would discourage super system. The style is over agressive. I rcomend 1st Pot-limit & No-Limit Poker by Stewart Reuben & Bob Ciaffone. Then Chanmpionship No-Limit and Pot-Limit hold'em by T.J Cloutier.

As far as general advice, here are some tips,

You have to up rate QQ ~ AA, raise atleast 5 X the BB with these hands from any position, and AK AQs 99 to JJ from late postion. If someone raises big into you, reraise with AA or KK, but smooth call with JJ QQ or AK, and look at the flop. Fold AQ AJ or KQ if someone bets big into you before the flop. If your not getting enough action on your big hands, then DO NOT make smaller raises, just run more bluffs and then your big hands will get plenty of action.

You should devaluate hands like KQ off, and JJ from early postion, limping in and hoping to flop a big hand.

Take advantage of your opponets betting weak style, be agressive, and when you have a big hand bet the pot. Most of my NL bets are around the amount in the pot. Betting weaker may offten give up too much information about your hand. Mix up your play, bet the pot sometimes on the bluff when the situation feels right, and bet half the pot as offten with trips in early postion as you would with top pair and a weakish kicker. In general though, when I have a hand like J 10 on the BB, and J XX flops, I just check it, and see how the action goes before making any descisions with my money.

I think NL is much more about betting big and winning pots without showing, thus protecting your hand, than fixed limit, where you most offten have to show down with the best hand.

AeonBlues

[artman]

I have the book by Cloutier & McEvoy, and the one by Ciaffone & Reuben is on it's way. I think your advice is right on spot. At least that is the way i tend to play pre-flop. The problems mostly occur post-flop. I'm hoping Ciaffone & Reuben's book will give some good insight.

ARTMAN

[crockpot]

the best book for you depends on how your opponents play. if they are intimidated easily, super/system is a good read. the problem is that it was designed for a game where if you called a $100 bet on the flop, you could easily be forced for hundreds or thousands more on the later streets because of the deep buy-ins. thus a good hand would usually be folded in the face of the bet. this situation is rarely if ever present in a friendly game, or online.

PL and NL Poker by Ciaffone and Reuben is the best overall book on no-limit. Cloutier/McEvoy is better for tournaments, or if you want to be told exactly how to play rather than what to think about while you play.

as for online guides, i have one at my website, and a few essays on no-limit. how much money do you put on the table? if it's 50 big blinds or less, the game usually plays more like limit than no-limit.

[artman]

Hi crockpot,

Just finished browsing your website, and i must say i'm pretty impressed. Especially liked the no-limit and tournaments essays. Keep up the good work.

Greetings,

ARTMAN

[tewall]

It does. One of the really important things about NL is how the play changes as the stack sizes change, and the Ciaffone/Reuben book gives you a lot of food for thought regarding this, as well as dealing with many other aspects of the game.

Read the whole book, not just the hold-em section, as they discuss strategies that apply to all games throughout the different sections.