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Improving your No-Limit Game
In the ‘Cadillac’ of all poker games, the skill require is enormous. Even seasoned professionals admit that they still have a lot to learn regarding no-limit Hold'em. Don't let us scare you though - no-limit Hold'em is, in our opinion, the most fun of all poker games. It can also be profitable at time for people of ALL skill levels.
After playing no-limit extensively on the Internet, we've noticed that there are 2 main keys to winning:
1) Knowledge of the game
2) Ability to adapt to the knowledge of the opposition.
You’ve got to know what your skills are at no-limit: which stages of the game you've mastered. Once you realize how good you are, you have to apply this to how badly others at your table play no-limit.
For the sake of simplicity, we've divided the skills of no-limit into six stages. After mastering each of these stages, you can expect your profit potential to go up.
I. Pot odds
You need to understand what odds you're facing if you call a bet with a draw. Since you can determine the size of the bet (it's not fixed), you should know if you're getting or giving good odds to someone.
For instance, calling an unraised pot pre-flop with 5-5 is good odds. If you hit a set, you can expect to make a lot of money. However, let's say it's on the turn and you have a flush draw. The pot is $10 and someone bets $20 all-in. Now you're getting horrible odds. You have, roughly a 20% shot of hitting, and you'd be betting $20 to win $50.
As basic as this may be, many no-limit players haven't even mastered this stage despite its importance! If you are still insecure about pot odds, don't worry, more comfort will come with practice.
II. Knowing the differences b/w limit and no-limit
Check-raising for value is far less valuable in no-limit than limit, because you may be giving your opponents a deadly and unnecessary free card. If you have the second-best hand in limit poker, you'll lose a little bit. In no-limit, you could lose your entire stack! So, no free lunches, ok?
III. Aggression
Betting is a much better idea than calling in no-limit. When you bet, you can win if you have the better hand or if your opponent folds whereas if you call, you can only win if you’ve beaten your opponent. Also, if you bet, you determine the bet size and thus, the pot odds. Calling means you're accepting someone else's odds. The difference in the importance of aggression is why tight-passive players are able to win a lot more at limit than they at no-limit.
IV. Adaptation
Different types of games require different amounts of aggression with shorter games requiring players to be looser and more aggressive. However, if you're up against several loose opponents, you have to tighten up and wait until you have a strong hand. Usually, doing the opposite of what the game is doing isn’t a bad idea; if the game is very loose, tighten up; if the game is very tight, take advantage and steal pots.
V. Reading skills
Getting an idea of your opponent's cards is very important although this takes time, experience, and practice. However, a way to improve your skills in this area is what we call the "3-question technique." Always ask yourself these 3 questions when someone makes or calls a bet:
What does he have?
What does he think I have?
What does he think I think he has?
VI. Psychology and traps
Once you hold the whopper and your opponent also has a good hand, what's the best way to double through him? As with most things in poker, learning to set and get out of traps is very difficult and only experience can really help you in this department.
At the most basic level, game psychology and traps are used to manipulate the three questions mentioned above. If you overbet the pot with a flush draw for instance, and then check when you hold the flush, either your opponent will fall for the trap, thinking you had top pair, or will realize the trap and check-fold to you on river. The slowplay was used to manipulate the variable: what does he think I have?
This sort of game pscyhology is to only be used on good players usually (players that have mastered the first four steps in this section). Against weaker players, you should just build a good hand and try to take their money from them bit-by-bit.
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