Why I don’t love limit poker (2 Viewers)

mike32

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We played 3/6 limit poker last night, thanks for hosting @detroitdad and thanks for the wonderful ribs @Azcat! It was great to see everyone again and sit at the felt for a little while.
Laying in bed this morning I think I realized why I don’t really enjoy limit poker all that much. I’m a pretty boring and conservative guy. I over invest in bond index funds, and I have for years. However I love poker. I love the friends, the food and booze, the chips and the cards. I also finally realized I love the potential risk that comes when our gang plays no limit and pot limit games. I love the idea that I can do something kinda crazy if I want to, or that someone might try to do something kinda crazy to me. I might never bluff at a pot all night but damn it, I can if I want to. I also love the joy and pain of my pretend risks. I never want to play poker for a living or for life changing money, but I want the highs and lows of winning or losing a couple hundred bucks that last til about noon the next day. I want the ability to win or lose a hundred bucks in one hand. Then I want to realize about noon the next day that whether I won or lost last night my life is now back to normal.
After a couple hours of limit poker last night I realized all I was doing was trying to make the “correct” decision all the time and my temporary illusions of being a high stakes gambler were simply not there. The thrill was pretty much lost for me. Thankfully the other things I love were still there, but we only get to play poker once in a while and I think limit is just too dull for my tastes.
In summary I get the fact that we can play some crazy games we don’t normally play without risking our stack. But I think I need the ability to be able to risk my stack as long as it is enough money to feel the joy and or pain without really risking anything relevant to my lifestyle.
 
Sounds like you need to play higher stakes limit then.

I was convinced to play $2/4 limit the first time we played mixed limit games and it was boring because there wasn’t enough money moving around. Biggest winner/loser was about $100.

Now we play $4/8 with a 1/2 kill and the biggest winners/loser are around $600. There are huge pots and you can make bluffs, but they are different, usually over a multiple streets.

Perhaps because your group is used to playing circus games as PL/NL already playing $3/6 is too small of stakes to get the rush you are used to?
 
Mike, I agree with you 100%. There is zero adrenaline rush in limit. That is one of the things I really enjoy when playing NL and PL games.

There is definitely an adrenaline rush when you are in a 4 way hand that was capped betting on every street to the river and you hit your massive draw to scoop it all!!
 
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There is definitely an adrenaline rush when you are in a 4 way hand that was capped betting every betting on every street to the river and you hit your massive draw to scoop it all!!
I don’t know ... I don’t really get the rush unless a large amount is at risk in a single bet. More like a slow burn in limit. But that’s just me.
 
Sounds like you need to play higher stakes limit then.

I was convinced to play $2/4 limit the first time we played mixed limit games and it was boring because there wasn’t enough money moving around. Biggest winner/loser was about $100.

Now we play $4/8 with a 1/2 kill and the biggest winners/loser are around $600. There are huge pots and you can make bluffs, but they are different, usually over a multiple streets.

Perhaps because your group is used to playing circus games as PL/NL already playing $3/6 is too small of stakes to get the rush you are used to?
I don’t think I want to play higher stakes limit. The mantra last night was 3/6 limit pays similar to our .25/.50 NL PL games and this is probably true. On a bad night you can lose $200 on a good night you can win $200, so maybe it’s a little smaller. The problem for me is it seems to take forever to do it.
Bill made a post that said something like down $125, better than down $250. I’ll disagree with that because neither amount will make a difference to me in the long run, but my perceived gamble rush just isn’t there. I guess I just don’t like the slow burn of limit, like David said.
 
The trick is to adjust the limit stakes to make pot sizes similar to the nl/pl, or at least have that potential. I don’t think five times blinds is enough, and ten times seems too much. $3/$6 limit is like a .40/.80 NL game. If people aren’t reraising at all, it is more like .25/.50 NL. I’m a dealer’s choice mixed game junkie. I take great pleasure in watching a poker game, finding players’ worst games, limit or no limit, and picking them, while also surviving my worst games.
 
There were plenty of large pots, but there was usually 4-6 to the flop and the only bluff that was shown didn't get through... I can count on one hand the numbers of times betting was capped.

I think the way things played out was at least partly due the fact that we don't play limit alot. I think if we played it more, the strategy would develop.
 
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Bill made a post that said something like down $125, better than down $250

My reference had nothing to do with limit vs our PL games. I was specifically talking about last night. At one point I was down 270. I came back to only be stuck 125 :)

I also prefer our Dealers Choice PL games to the FL games. As you get bored playing limit. I get bored playing the same format every time. I don't need to play limit even once a month. I do think that some of our crazy games play better as FL (Scarney for example).

We played 5 handed until just after 3 am. I am beat the hell up.
 
There were plenty of large pots, but there was usually 4-6 to the flop and the only bluff that was shown didn't get through... I can count on one hand the numbers of times betting was capped.

I think the way things played out was at least partly due the fact that we don't play limit alot. I think if we played it more, the strategy would develop.

the first orbit or two each game we have played it is usually limped it single get and a bunch of calls preflop and flop.

By the third orbit most hands are capped preflop and not unusual of it 4-5 handed to have every street capped, especially in split pot games.

Definitely more action once players get more used to the way to make money in limit.
 
There is definitely an adrenaline rush when you are in a 4 way hand that was capped betting on every street to the river and you hit your massive draw to scoop it all!!
That sounds like a bunch of guys who wish they were playing no limit. Or that the stakes are two low. Or that the players are just maniacs.
i don’t have a ton of limit experience, but I’ve played my share, and I’ve never seen a 4-way hand capped on every street.
 
That sounds like a bunch of guys who wish they were playing no limit. Or that the stakes are two low. Or that the players are just maniacs.
i don’t have a ton of limit experience, but I’ve played my share, and I’ve never seen a 4-way hand capped on every street.

in split pot games where 2 people have a monster each way and other people see a way to win one way or the other, or possibly even scoop they are going to call!

By the river the missed hands fold but the made hands still will put in 4 bets.

$4/8 with a 1/2 kill to $6/12 is what we play. It is a little smaller compared to our $1/2 PLO/hold’em game but it makes it fun to splash around with more hands.

like I said the big winner/loser is around $600. Which is a decent night at out PL/NL game but nowhere near the normal big winners/losers.
 
We played 3/6 limit poker last night, thanks for hosting @detroitdad and thanks for the wonderful ribs @Azcat! It was great to see everyone again and sit at the felt for a little while.
Laying in bed this morning I think I realized why I don’t really enjoy limit poker all that much. I’m a pretty boring and conservative guy. I over invest in bond index funds, and I have for years. However I love poker. I love the friends, the food and booze, the chips and the cards. I also finally realized I love the potential risk that comes when our gang plays no limit and pot limit games. I love the idea that I can do something kinda crazy if I want to, or that someone might try to do something kinda crazy to me. I might never bluff at a pot all night but damn it, I can if I want to. I also love the joy and pain of my pretend risks. I never want to play poker for a living or for life changing money, but I want the highs and lows of winning or losing a couple hundred bucks that last til about noon the next day. I want the ability to win or lose a hundred bucks in one hand. Then I want to realize about noon the next day that whether I won or lost last night my life is now back to normal.
After a couple hours of limit poker last night I realized all I was doing was trying to make the “correct” decision all the time and my temporary illusions of being a high stakes gambler were simply not there. The thrill was pretty much lost for me. Thankfully the other things I love were still there, but we only get to play poker once in a while and I think limit is just too dull for my tastes.
In summary I get the fact that we can play some crazy games we don’t normally play without risking our stack. But I think I need the ability to be able to risk my stack as long as it is enough money to feel the joy and or pain without really risking anything relevant to my lifestyle.

Hmmm, you're probably not doing it right.

You might enjoy a mix of FL, NL, and PL orbits. An uncapped buy-in works if you cap the NL and PL hands.

i don’t have a ton of limit experience, but I’ve played my share, and I’ve never seen a 4-way hand capped on every street.
Oh, I have. Throw a straddle in and you've got 5 bets on the first betting round.
 
We played 3/6 limit poker last night, thanks for hosting @detroitdad and thanks for the wonderful ribs @Azcat! It was great to see everyone again and sit at the felt for a little while.
Laying in bed this morning I think I realized why I don’t really enjoy limit poker all that much. I’m a pretty boring and conservative guy. I over invest in bond index funds, and I have for years. However I love poker. I love the friends, the food and booze, the chips and the cards. I also finally realized I love the potential risk that comes when our gang plays no limit and pot limit games. I love the idea that I can do something kinda crazy if I want to, or that someone might try to do something kinda crazy to me. I might never bluff at a pot all night but damn it, I can if I want to. I also love the joy and pain of my pretend risks. I never want to play poker for a living or for life changing money, but I want the highs and lows of winning or losing a couple hundred bucks that last til about noon the next day. I want the ability to win or lose a hundred bucks in one hand. Then I want to realize about noon the next day that whether I won or lost last night my life is now back to normal.
After a couple hours of limit poker last night I realized all I was doing was trying to make the “correct” decision all the time and my temporary illusions of being a high stakes gambler were simply not there. The thrill was pretty much lost for me. Thankfully the other things I love were still there, but we only get to play poker once in a while and I think limit is just too dull for my tastes.
In summary I get the fact that we can play some crazy games we don’t normally play without risking our stack. But I think I need the ability to be able to risk my stack as long as it is enough money to feel the joy and or pain without really risking anything relevant to my lifestyle.

I enjoy limit for a couple hours, and i found it can be fun, but need to be winning to feel anything.

But after a couple of hours....

I need to feel the adrenaline rush of 3 way all in on the flop drawing to 3 outs on 2 boards.
 
Ancillary benefits of limit poker include:

The effect of player's buy-ins have less bearing on the play itself from hand to hand. Whereas in NL or PL, you're leaving theoretical money on the table if you're not covering or matching the largest buy-in when the game begins.

MORE chips on the table for everything! Betting, raising, or raking in a big pot of $1/$2/$5 chips is all possible in limit.

Limit poker allows the cream of the crop to rise to the top way more than big bet games. Anyone can smash a flop with set over set in NLH and be in the green for a lot. To be up a lot in a limit game, you need to be winning pot after pot, building your profit over a session. Yes, huge pots can be generated in limit, but those tend to be outliers if the stakes are appropriate for the group and you're not exclusively playing circus games.
 
Sounds like you need to play higher stakes limit then.

I was convinced to play $2/4 limit the first time we played mixed limit games and it was boring because there wasn’t enough money moving around. Biggest winner/loser was about $100.

Now we play $4/8 with a 1/2 kill and the biggest winners/loser are around $600. There are huge pots and you can make bluffs, but they are different, usually over a multiple streets.

Perhaps because your group is used to playing circus games as PL/NL already playing $3/6 is too small of stakes to get the rush you are used to?
Exactly what this guy says. Try $4/$8 or $5/$10 with a kill (or 1/2 kill) - much different game.
 
In every aspect of the the game, there are big differences between Fixed Limit and No limit.
That said, please consider the most sophisticated and civilized betting structure known to mankind...... Pot Limt
 
I've tried higher stakes limit and it doesn't suit my playing style. I need the ability to last a while in order to be sporadic in my play. Higher limits crush me on that. But they also prevent a huge all in from me at the right time (nuts or bluff).

That's why it's always lower stakes NLHE. I get the longer lasting session with the thrill and risk when I shove.
 
I'd be up for adding a Kill or a Half Kill/Kill. I have a lammer already.

Maybe we can discuss it at the next game in October... Or in 6 days.
 
sure we did. We limited it to a one table event
But I think the point was us 8 players did not social distance from each other. We were right next to each other well under social distance guidelines. This is in no way a criticism of you Bill, it’s just a decision we all made.
 
But I think the point was us 8 players did not social distance from each other. We were right next to each other well under social distance guidelines. This is in no way a criticism of you Bill, it’s just a decision we all made.

I was joking with my response
 

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