| Topic | Limit | No Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Betting | Fixed bets, if stakes are 2/4, increments of bets & raises are 2 and 4 and can be capped unless heads up on the river. | A typical raise is 3-4 times big blind and a player can move all of his chips in at anytime. |
| Pre-flop | Protection of strong hands is difficult Incremental raises result in relatively more players to see flop Lots of action |
Protection of big hands with large raises Less players viewing flop Action increases with fewer players |
| Flop,Turn,River | Lots of betting and drawings hands involved in building a sizable pot | Mid to pot size bets are often used to eliminate opponents quickly with weaker hands |
| Money Variance | Since limit is fixed bets the variance is relatively less | Higher variance since betting/raising is only limited to players stack |
| Bad Beats | Since pot odds are typically higher with many players in the pot, often players chase 4th and 5th streets | Large bets with big hands can protect player''s hands Bad beats can be costly and put players on tilt quicker |
| Skill level | Calculating pot odds, difficult to bluff, solid poker will produce a winning player | Player analysis, shifting gears, impression building, requires a much larger skill level and patience |
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Poker has many possible variations but each follows a same pattern of play.
Here is an outline to contrast and compare the Limit and No-Limit ..em.
