Limit Hold’em · example hand · 9 players · BlindsTwo small bets that two players must put in before the cards are dealt, so there is always something to win. The small blind is 1 chip and the big blind is 2 chips. of 1 and 2 chips · everyone starts with 200 chips
Limit Hold’em. You have four hearts after the flop and nothing else. Two players keep betting and calling. With every bet a set size, the pot pays you to chase your flush until the last card.
King-Jack, same suit. The lesson: In Limit the bet is a set size, so as the pot grows the price of a call gets better. Count the cards that help you against that fixed price, then fold when the last card misses.
Before the flop
You have King-Jack, same suit. Kai, a wild player, raises to 4 and Bea, who calls a lot, calls. With a hand this good, calling one more small bet is easy.
- Marguerite🪨 Very carefulposts the small blind (1)
- Otis🐢 Relaxedposts the big blind (2)
- Kai🔥 Wildraises to 4
- Bea📞 Calls a lotcalls 4
- Jun🎯 Solidfolds
- Walt🐢 Relaxedfolds
- Youcall 4
- Rosa🐢 Relaxedfolds
- Dev📞 Calls a lotcalls 4
- Marguerite🪨 Very carefulfolds
- Otis🐢 Relaxedfolds
You call 4Clear
Coach: Call 4. King-Jack, same suit is one of the best 6% of starting hands. Kai (Wild) raised to 4 chips. About the best 18% of hands should keep going, so calling is reasonable.
The flop (3 shared cards)pot: 19 chips
The flop, 3♣ A♥ 2♥, gives you four hearts and nothing else. Kai bets 2 and Bea calls. You pay 2 to win a pot of 23, so you need to win only about 1 time in 12: call.
What beats you?
- You have ace high.
- Best possible hand right now: five-high straight (ace to five).
- 460 of the 1,081 hands another player could hold beat you: straight (16 ways), three of a kind (9 ways), two pair (27 ways).
- 15 cards would help you (your outs): a 32% chance on the next card.
- Kai🔥 Wildbets 2
- Bea📞 Calls a lotcalls 2
- Youcall 2
- Dev📞 Calls a lotfolds
You call 2Probably
Coach: Call 2. You need at least a 8% chance to win, and yours is about 38% (counting the 15 cards that help you). Raising would mostly get called by better hands.
The turn (4th card)pot: 25 chips
The 4♠ misses your flush. Kai bets Big bet (the big bet)In Limit Hold’em, the set size of every bet and raise on the turn and the river: twice the small bet, so 4 chips., 4, and Bea calls. You pay 4 to win 33, so you need only about 11%, and the nine hearts alone come about 20% of the time. Call again.
What beats you?
- You have ace high.
- Best possible hand right now: six-high straight.
- 654 of the 1,035 hands another player could hold beat you: straight (174 ways), three of a kind (12 ways), two pair (54 ways).
- 15 cards would help you (your outs): a 33% chance on the next card.
- Kai🔥 Wildbets 4
- Bea📞 Calls a lotcalls 4
- Youcall 4
You call 4Clear
Coach: Call 4. You need at least a 11% chance to win, and yours is about 23% (counting the 15 cards that help you). Raising would mostly get called by better hands.
The river (5th card)pot: 37 chips
The 7♣ misses too. Kai bets once more and Bea calls. You have only a high card, so fold.
What beats you?
- You have ace high.
- Best possible hand right now: seven-high straight.
- 713 of the 990 hands another player could hold beat you: straight (170 ways), three of a kind (15 ways), two pair (90 ways).
- Kai🔥 Wildbets 4
- Bea📞 Calls a lotcalls 4
- Youfold
You foldClear
Coach: Fold. Calling 4 needs at least a 8% chance to win. Against the hands they probably have, yours is about 0%.
Result
Bea wins 45 chips with a seven-high straight. You finish 10 chips down.
- KaiPair of Aces
- BeaSeven-high straight
Bea had 6♣ 5♥: a seven-high straight. Kai had a pair of aces. Calling the cheap rounds while your flush could still come was right; folding when the last card missed saved the final bet.
The coach’s numbers are estimates against these computer players, worked out by dealing the rest of the hand thousands of times. The “what beats you” counts are exact.
More example hands
- Two pair against a player who calls everything: bet, bet, betThe first three shared cards give you two pair, against a player who never folds. Make him pay at every step.
- Trips on a paired board: bet, then call the river raiseYou get a free look at the first three cards and make three of a kind. On the last card, a player who calls a lot suddenly raises. Call or fold?
- Chasing the nut flush draw: when the price is rightYou raise with Ace-King of the same suit and miss the first three cards. Then the fourth card gives you four spades, one away from the best possible flush. Is it worth calling?
- A small pair when a player who never bets suddenly bets: believe itEveryone checks after the first three cards. Then a player who almost never bets suddenly bets on the fourth card (the turn). You have the smallest possible pair.
- Omaha: the right two cards make a straightPot-Limit Omaha. You start with a high pair plus an ace and a three. The pair looks best, but on the fourth card a different two of your cards make a straight.
- Omaha Hi-Lo: win both halves of the potOmaha Hi-Lo splits the pot between the best high hand and the best low hand. You start with an ace and a two. By the fourth card you have the best low and a straight too.