Poker...casino lovers please help (texas hold em')?

Question

i am no stranger to holed em. i have actually won many tourneys locally. however, i am looking to branch away from the no limit tournements and try out regular hold em at the tables but not in an actuall tournement. It is the games where there are pot limits and the betting is different and slightly progressive.

i have only played tournemets so can someone please explain how to play casino style, non-tournement texas hold em. mainly explain the betting. please do not explain the rules of poker...i know them all.

thanks and its an easy 10 pts for the most descriptive and easy to understand example.

Answer 1

I strongly suggest to check this site, which contains many articles which give answer to your question.

http://www.spitrekop.com/v1/tips/

Answer 2

I think you are talking just cash games.

There isn't much difference between tournament play and cash games. There are only a couple of differences between the two:

1. Obviously, in tournament play, if you run out of chips, that's it. Game over. However, in a cash game, if you run out of chips, you can buy some more from the dealer.

2. The betting structure is the same. The blinds aren't. The blinds stay the same throughout the entire game.

That's pretty much it. Play is the same, but the players are looser. Be careful.

Answer 3

Welcome to "no foldem Holdem". It is called this because you have no leverage and will many times be chased to the river with a low pair like 7/2 off suit. Someone will always call so do not be prepared to bluff as  often. When you must show cards make sure you have the nuts. If you bluff occasionally in the future you may be successful. There is a difference of opinion as to whether a game such as $2/4 limit Holdem can be beaten. Some players feel that if you are a good player you can crush any game. Others feel that $2/4 is a game of luck that relies less on skill. It is difficult to say. I have taken down a huge pot in $8/16 (with a kill) holdem this way -  and I know it was bad play. A player raised pre-flop. I was sure she had a big pair. One 8 came on the flop. I held an 8 myself. The turn didn't change things. She kept raising so the pot odds supported continuing. At that point the pot was in excess of $240 - and these are $2 chips we are playing with. I called her raise on the turn. An 8 came on the river giving me trips. I took down a huge pot only because the pot odds supported it. If this can happen in an $8/16 game imagine what can happen at $2/4, $3/6, or $4/8? After that caution I will explain that the forced bets are the blinds. In a $2/4 game the blinds are $1 and $2. The person to the left of the dealer button is the small blind. Their forced bet is $1. The person second to the left of the button is the big blind. Their forced bet to guarantee action for the pot is $2. After players check their hole cards they proceed to call, raise, or fold. We then see the flop or the first three cards on the board. Players then call, raise, or fold post-flop. In this example their bet after the flop will be $2. The dealer button is the most powerful position because they are last to act except on the first betting round. After the flop the fourth or turn card is laid down. The bet is $4. The players call, raise, or fold. The river or fifth card bet is also $4. The players call, raise, or fold. We then have a winner. If two players are heads up (meaning there is no one else in the hand) the betting becomes no limit. They can then raise each other for all their chips. The main difference you are talking about is limit versus no limit. You have no leverage of putting your stack all in if you are playing limit Holdem. The bluff is usually less powerful and most pots see lots of callers on all three streets. If you are looking to make enough money to live on you have to play at least $15/30 limit holdem - $20/40 or $25/50 is better. You need at least 300 X the big blind in your entire bankroll which for $20/40 is $12,000. You really need enough money  so that you can sustain the "swings" in your bankroll that will occur. For a $2/4 game you can get away with sitting down with one rack - or $100 and have another hundred with you for a rebuy. For a $3/6 or $4/8 game it's better to have an initial $200 buy in. The 300 X the big blind is a standard formula for your bankroll. It is better to have this - but some people do not have that type of cash and have to manage their bankroll strictly. The initial bet is pre-flop before we see the flop. The next bet is post-flop. The third bet is after the turn card and the final bet is after the river card is dealt. The bet pre-flop and post-flop for a $2/4 game is $2. The bet on the turn and river is $4. You can raise in increments of the current bet. For example the first person in can raise pre-flop. Now it is $4 and not $2 to call. The next person can make it three bets. Now it is $6 to call. The next person can cap the betting which means it is now $8 to call. There can be one bet and three raises maximum. Another example. We see the turn card. Someone bets $4. The next person raises and now it is $8 to call. The third person makes it three bets and now it is $12 to call. The final person caps the betting on the turn and now it is $16 to call. There can also be one bet and three raises on the river. Raises can occur pre-flop, post-flop, on the turn, and on the river. So you can see how this progressive raising can build a huge pot. Good luck!