Poker Betting Structures

There are three main betting structures in poker: Fixed limit (FL), Pot Limit (PL) and No Limit (NL). Each has its own rules and format, which determine many other aspects of a poker game. Concepts like position and hand selection can be greatly affected by whichever structure is currently being played mainly due to the risk and exposure each entails.

Fixed Limit:

This is the most basic form of betting. A player will only ever have the choice of set betting amounts and a fixed number of possible raises. If we use a $2/$4 Hold’em cash (ring) game as an example:

The blinds will be $1/$2

Players pre-flop may only bet $2 or raise exactly $2 more than the previous bet. There may only be a maximum of 3 raises (4 total bets) after which players may only call or fold but not raise further.

After the flop a player once again may only bet in $2 increments. Once again raises may only bet exactly $2 more than the previous bet. Once again the maximum number of raises may be only 3 (4 bets in total).

On the turn card the limits increase, players may only bet in $4 increments, with raises exactly $4 more than the previous bet. The maximum number of raises still remains 3 (4 bets in total).

When the river card is dealt the previous betting rounds rules apply.

It is worth noting that in some games the maximum number of raises permitted has no limit when the betting round starts with only two players remaining.

With a Limit betting structure a player will have to showdown a hand more often than not. This is more often than not due to the relatively low amount a player may have to pay to make a call compared to the size of the pot on offer.

Pot Limit:

Pot limit refers to the maximum bet being the total of held in the pot at any given time. If we use a $1/$2 as an example:

Preflop the blinds are $1/$2, should the first player to act (Under The Gun) want to raise their options are: to at least raise the minimum which would be to make the total $4 (much in the same fashion as FL), or to raise anything up to the maximum of $7 in total. This is calculated by calling the $2 making the pot a total of $5 ($1sb, $2bb, $2call) and then raising that $5 making it $7 as a total bet.

The next player may then either fold, call the $7 or make a raise. Should this player wish to do so the raise will be either a minimum of $5 more (the previous raise) or anything up to the maximum, which is $24 total bet ($1sb, $2,bb $7 previous bet, $7call) so that’s the call of $7 and a raise of $17 creating a total bet of $24.

All other betting rounds apply the same principals; while a player may check on subsequent rounds, when calculating the amount in the pot its is always the same. The total + the call = the maximum raise or bet. There is no limit to the number of raises permitted. No player may be forced out of hand, should they not have enough money to cover the bet they may call with what they have a can only win pro-rata what they have contributed to the pot (in other words how much of the bet they have matched).

Bluffing is more possible in this structure but many players have a relatively cheap option to see the flop and so decisions in the structure maybe more so than any other require thought on all betting rounds and some tactics are required to ensure all aspects of a poker hand strategy are applied.

No Limit:

No limit is the most famous of the three structures and also the most volatile. Players may play more cautiously as any mistake can cost ‘the whole lot’. Similarly, players may play the most aggressively for the same reason.

Again we will take a $1/$2 Texas Hold em poker game as the example:

Pre-flop with the sb $1 and the bb $2, players may fold, call or raise and the only requirement of the raise is that it is at least the minimum of $2 (or whatever the previous raise was - note that it is not the total of the previous bet, only the amount of the previous raise). There is no upper limit; at any time when the action is on a player that player may bet everything they have.

All other streets follow the same format: at any time a player may either fold, check (if available), call or raise up to all the chips a player has.

In this betting structure, the potential profits are only limited by the amount of money the player has in front of them. Similarly the potential loss is also unlimited. Bluffing and aggression are most suited to this format of betting, however a mistimed bluff may cost a great amount. With the biggest risks and rewards this structure also requires the greatest control, understanding and courage.

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