Poker Game Variations: What are they?

There are a lot of different poker game variations that many people do not understand. If you are a poker player then it is important to know what a poker game variation is. Just about everyone knows about No Limit Texas Hold’em, but what about Pot Limit and Fixed Limit Texas Hold’em? While it is possible that you do understand variations, many people do not. If you want to truly be a successful poker player you have to understand variations of different poker games.

Each game comes with a different strategy. Within all the different poker games there are also different betting variations. Even if you only play Texas Hold’em, there are still three different variations of Texas Hold’em. Before you can truly call yourself a poker player, you have to know the different games and betting structures.

No Limit

The basics of poker game variations just has to do with the betting structure of the game. No Limit falls under the betting structure that has no limits. You can bet as much as you want as long as you are betting at least the size of the big blind. This is the most common type of variation and will be the most common in a lot of the casinos and poker rooms because of the increased popularity. While it may be the most popular, that doesn’t mean it is the best. The one thing you can say about No Limit is that it is the riskiest form of poker.

Pot Limit

The next type of poker game variation is pot limit. A lot of people have heard of pot limit, but they don’t really understand what it is. It is actually a lot easier to understand then a lot believe. All that this means is that you can only bet as much as what is in the pot. So if there is $30.00 in the pot; you can only bet as much as $30.00. This is a much more secure game; but it is a completely different strategy then No Limit. I would suggest starting off with Pot Limit before you move into No Limit.

Fixed Limit

The biggest misconception about fixed limit poker is that it is the same as pot limit. A lot of people just refer any poker game with a betting limit to “limit poker”. That is a mistake; there is pot limit poker and fixed limit poker. Fixed limit is the poker game variation that sets the most specific and strict betting structure. Fixed limit is going to have a set limit that you can bet.

Example:

If you are playing Fixed Limit Texas Hold’em $10/$20, that means that you can only bet within those specific increments. For the first two rounds you must bet in increments of $10.00. For the second round you must bet in increments of $20.00. That means that you cannot bet anymore then what the set bet is. If someone bets $20 in the third round and you want to raise them; you must raise it to $40.00. There is normally a max of 3 raised in one specific round.

Knowing the different poker game variations will make sure that you are not limiting yourself to one specific game. You wouldn’t want to miss out on a huge juicy game because you didn’t understand the variations that were being played. As long as you can understand these three betting variations, you will have no problem with getting into any game. Just do not make the mistake of thinking that all of the variations will have the same strategy. All of the poker game variations have different strategies; but you will figure that out as you go.