Mixed Holdem

David Williams explains how Limit and No Limit Holdem games are different and how they should be played

June 25, 2008

By David Williams
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

The WSOP kicked off in Vegas a couple weeks ago, and I started the first week off right, making the final table of the $5,000 Mixed Holdem event, which is a combination of Limit and No Limit Holdem.

I finished seventh, which I was not really happy about, considering the chip stack I went into the final table with. But sometimes, the luck is in the cards, and it wasn't my time that day.

I wanted to follow up with my thoughts on the differences between Limit and No Limit and how small adjustments, or the lack of, can really make or break you in a mixed event.

"Limit Holdem is a science... No Limit Holdem is an art." I think that's a great quote and the perfect way to describe the nuances of both Holdem games.

There are many good Limit Holdem players that can't play No Limit to save their life, and the same goes for some No Limit specialists when it comes to the Limit tables.

The games may have some of the same rules and some of the same name, but these two games should be played very differently from one another.

No Limit Holdem

One of the main differences in the games is that in No Limit Holdem, a player can make a bet that is large enough to protect his hand from getting drawn out on.

In No Limit Holdem, you can gain extra chips in a spot with the right value bet.

With No Limit, you are always trying to build a pot when you have the best hand and control the size of the pot when you are marginal at best. Another advantage in No Limit is that you can value bet the right amount and gain extra chips in a spot, whereas in Limit, you are limited to gaining only one extra bet.

The best player in a No Limit game should have a bigger advantage over a weak opponent compared to the advantage the best player in a Limit game would have going up against a weaker opponent simply because of pre-flop and flop play. John Juanda is always praised for being one of the best pre-flop No Limit players in the game, and guys like Daniel Negreanu are known for being the best post-flop players. The reason that these players have those distinctions and the reason those distinctions mean so much is because these players know which hands to play and what amounts to bet in order to get their opponents to make mistakes.

Mistakes in No Limit can cost your entire stack in one hand. In a No Limit tournament, one mistake deep in a tournament can basically end your chances to win.

Limit Holdem

In Limit Holdem, you can't ever protect your hand against being drawn out on.

Limit Holdem is all about saving bets when you're beat, since each bet means something to your stack.

Maximize wins and limit bet losses on the river to walk away with the money.

See the difference? No Limit is about building pots with good hands and getting paid off. Limit is about limiting losses when you are likely beat.

If you flop anything in Limit that gives you a chance of having the best hand at some point in the hand, there is a strong chance that you must see that hand down through the river. Folding would be a mistake because you are almost always getting the right odds to chase any sort of reasonable draw.

When you do finally reach the river, you can make a significant Limit Holdem mistake or a good decision. Saving a bet on the river in Limit Holdem is one of the keys to your overall results. The player who maximizes wins and limits bet losses on the river in Limit Holdem is the player who will walk away with the money the majority of the time.

Making adjustments between the games and realizing the importance of those adjustments is crucial if you hope to become a well-rounded Holdem player. Knowing each game individually improves your Holdem game as a whole.

TOP PHOTO: Bodog Poker pro David Williams.