poker-strategy-limit-holdem
Strategies for Limit Holdem Poker
My name is John D'Agostino and I play online poker at Full Tilt Poker. If you
want to learn more about my poker career, keep reading...
I'm from Seymour, Connecticut and I've been playing high-stakes cash poker games
since 2003. I cut my teeth at Foxwoods and I'm a Limit Hold 'em specialist,
but now I play all the major poker tournaments, and that usually means playing No
Limit poker.
My poker tournament career began within a few days of my 21st
birthday and I won more than $500K. Half of that came from my
second-place finish to Phil Ivey, broadcast live from Turning Stone. That show
earned me the respect of my peers. I'm 22 now, and I just earned the
biggest payday of my career with my recent fourth-place finish at the Borgata
Poker Open, so I think I'm proving that respect is well-deserved.
In last week's tip, I shared some strategies for playing short-handed no-limit
cash games. This week, I'm following up with some more short-handed
advice, this time concentrating on Limit Hold ‘em.
If you read last week's tip, you'll know that hand values change in short-
handed play and that it's proper to play a greater percentage of hands than
would be wise at a full ring game. In these games, I play a lot of hands. So
many, in fact, I've gotten the reputation of being something of a maniac. But
there is a method to my madness. By the end of this article, I think you'll
agree.
Button Play
In a three- or four-handed Limit Hold ‘em cash game, I will raise about two of
every three times I have the button. The quality of my hand is essentially
irrelevant. The position raise puts me in control of the hand and, even if I'm
holding total trash, the pressure puts the blinds in a spot where they need to
catch a piece of the flop.
For example, say I raise on the button and the big blind calls with a modest
but playable hand, maybe Qc-Td. Now, if the flop comes with any Ace or King,
the blind is going to have a very difficult time continuing with the hand if he
checks and I bet the flop. In fact, the blind is going to have a very difficult
time continuing on any board that doesn't contain a Queen or Ten.
If I follow up my raise and bet the flop with, say, 7-high, and get called or
check-raised, it's very easy to lay down the hand. I know this is going to
happen at times, but I pick up the pot often enough to make the constant
button aggression profitable.
Small Blind Play
When playing against opponents who raise frequently in position, I'm sure to
respond with aggression in the small blind. If I'm holding a hand that's likely
best at a three-handed table - something as modest as A-9 might qualify -
and I'm facing a button raise, I take control of the hand and three-bet. That
puts additional pressure on the big blind. If I only call the button raise, the
big blind will be getting great odds (5:1) to call the additional bet. And I'd far
prefer to play the hand heads-up.
After three-betting from the small blind, I follow up with a bet on the flop
almost 100 percent of the time. Since I represented a big hand pre-flop, I
want to put my opponent to a decision immediately. Once I see how my
opponent reacts, I can decide how I should proceed with the hand. I'll have
to give it up sometimes, but the pressure will force a lot of folds.
Big Blind Play
The big blind is the only place where I'm content to call bets pre-flop. In fact,
a call is my usual reaction to a button raise. If I start with a moderate hand, I
can see the flop and decide how to proceed. If I start with a strong hand, like
pocket Aces or Kings, I'll still call and look to check-raise the flop. I don't like
to three-bet from the big blind because it tends to announce my hand. My
opponents know that I'm starting with a very big hand.
Overall Goal
As you can probably tell by now, I believe that aggression is key to success in
short-handed Limit Hold ‘em. I think the constant bets and raises create two
dynamics that can be exploited for profit. First, by being the aggressor, I
have the opportunity to pick up a number of pots where both my opponent
and I miss the flop.
Second, the aggression has the tendency to lead opponents to make some
very bad decisions. After some time, opponents may call bets on every street
with nothing more than Ace- or King-high. When they start doing that, I can
tighten up and only bet hands that are likely to be winners at showdown.
