no limit vs limit stress comparison

[kantu]

perhaps not the right forum............

i recently played live no limit for the first time at seneca casino. was a 1-2 blind max 100 buy in. i played for around 7 hours and ended up about a 50 dollar loser.
i found the game fun but really stressful compared to limit.
after a break i took a seat at the 3-6 full kill omaha 8 game and breathed a sigh of relief. i felt very relaxed , like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

the nl game was fun while i was in it but, after thinking about it, and how i felt when i stopped playing it, i'm not sure i want to play it much any more.
the constant pressure of paying attention to everyone's actions, contemplating my options, with the risk of betting all my chips, was taxing. i pay attention when i play limit....but it's a lot easier to call 8 more after a raise than say 48 more.
i play nl a lot online at lower limits ( .10/.20, and .25/.50) and enjoy it. but in person was a different beast.

maybe i was playing over my head....and the stress involved losing 100 in one hand. i usually play limit 3-6 or 4-8....so it's not like i have a problem with a 100 buy in or a little more.

comments?

drew

[TheJunkyardGod]

I've had the same experience. I played some NL at the Borgata for about 6 hours, I finished about 30 dollars short. by the 6th hour I was alot more relaxed than when I first sat down. The next night I sat down at a 3-6 and was alot more comfortable, even though there was times when I had more invested in a hand than at the NL table.

I suppose there's alot more to be thought about during a No Limit hand that there's never a time to be casual about things. Especially if you're a fairly high strung person like myself.

[coffeecrazy1]

I will agree that NL punishes stupidity more harshly than limit...in limit, you are not going to lose your entire roll on one hand(usually). Not so in NL, where no chip is ever truly safe.

That said, NL is better for more psychologically-driven players. It is not quite the grind that is limit...or to tip the hat to Doyle, it is the art to limit's science.

But, I find NL can be quite relaxing, since you can take solace in the fact that you can protect your made hands much better once you get there. Draws are less valued, and it is easier to play tight-aggressive(IMO, although tight-aggressive(or just playing any one style and nothing else) will get you killed against world class competition...but I digress.

I'd say it is more stressful mostly because we are more used to playing limit than no limit in cash games. Tournaments are one thing, but the only danger is losing your buyin(or rebuys, as the case may be). A cash game is more potent and the well can go much deeper. But, as you grow more experienced, I would guess that NL is no more stressful than limit(and in fact, less so) to experienced players.

[Ghazban]

Personally, I can't stand limit any more. Limit seems very mechanical and boring (to me, mind you-- this is not a dig at the many limit experts out there). No-limit, on the other hand, is constantly engaging and interesting. Even when I'm not in a hand, there's so much value in watching the other players and making mental notes that it just never gets old. Then when I'm in a hand, myself, I like the challenge to extract the maximum value for my hand (or pull off the best bluff, or get away from my hand losing the minimum, etc. etc.).

To me, no-limit isn't stressful, its exciting and dynamic. I have respect for great limit players but, to me, limit is fairly mechanical and the limiting (pun intended [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]) of the gain/loss on a given hand makes it far less enjoyable. To each his own, I suppose.

[TomCollins]

The question comes down to your personality.

People get stressed under two categories.

1) You become stressed because you are forced to take control and make a decision.

2) You become stressed because you CANNOT take control of a situation.

I personally find #2 must more frustrating than #1. I don't mind pressure. I can usually figure a way out. Although there is little control in poker, there is far more control in no limit poker. At least in my expiriences. In limit games, your actions mean so little individually and only collectively add up. There is little stress on any one action. But in no limit, a few great actions can make a big difference. Your actions are more likely to FEEL like you have done something.

An easy way to put it this way- are you more stressed as a driver or as a passenger? I always want to drive.

[AncientPC]

Tom hits it head on, stating exactly why I prefer playing NL to limit.

[Loci]

I find limit more grating, and therefore more stressful. To play perfectly, you have to calculate every percentage on every hand to know the ev of every bet and every raise and every potential bet and every potential raise by every potential caller on every flop and every turn and every river............................................. .
I just prefer no limit where I can get all your money at once. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
I feel that to be a perfect limit player you need to be a perfect calculator with a little intuition. To play no limit you need to be a little calculator with a perfect instinct. No limit needs an artists touch.

[fimbulwinter]

bingo. the fact that my flop bet into a 5BB pot in limit SHOULD make the two-pair draws call and that they're making the right move in doing so is certainly not something i consider relaxing. plus running over a table until they learn better is one of the purest joys in life.

fim

[kalooki45]

I'm new to the game in general, and even newer to NL.
My thoughts are:
If I wanted to be a professional poker player, I would play limit, definitely. And it WOULD be a job, cause it's boring as anything! lol
NL is more entertaining for sure, and I love the human factor because I'm much better at card reading (due to years playing bridge) than I am figuring out the given odds on a hand (not too hot yet).
What I especially like about NL is that when I finally DO get a good hand that actually hits the flop, I can make it pay!

[Dan Mezick]

Where you play, when you play, and what poker game, format and stakes you play at is a major determinant in how well you do, and how easy it is for you.

All of these choices are a matter of personal temperament and self-understanding. I've written a little bit about these ideas in the essays:



Poker, Style, and Stamina
...
...
Is There An Optimal Poker Personality Profile?



If NL stresses you (gets your emotions going,) and you are break even or worse but win at limit with lower overall emotional content, go with that. Play limit. Avoid NL, on purpose.

There is a little NL tourney here every Tuesday night. At this event, I had an interesting discussion with a really excellent player who told me he does fantastic at the NL tournament Foxwoods holds every 3rd Thursday. It starts at 10AM. This friend described how he kills this game but in the same exact place same game BUT different time of day, he does not do so well. He also discussed how he wins at certain games while not doing so hot at all in other types of poker games. Yes, the players will differ at 10AM, and this may be part of it. We discussed this. This player felt is was more about his personal metabolism-- much more energy (and correspondingly keener awareness) in the AM.

This is an example of my point. Pick an optimal where/when/what. This guy plays NL very well, and is in peak form in the morning but admittedly fades at night.

The key is, he understands this about himself very well. And he actively leverages that self-understanding.

And profits from it.

Know thyself.