Tips on Limit Hold'em
Tips on Limit Hold'em Advice from Erick Lindgren
Erick Lindgren is one of poker's young superstars. Only 28 years old, Lindgren has already won numerous World Poker Tour events and cashed well over two million dollars. Lindgren also took home the WPT "PartyPoker Million" title in 2004, playing limit hold'em and winning a million dollars.
Here are some tips from the man himself:
Question: How much does your strategy change when you are playing limit vs. playing no-limit?
Answer: It's a totally different game. In limit, you are just trying to maximize value out of a hand. In no-limit, you have to be much more cautious. In limit, you are going to pay that bet off on the end. If somebody bets on the end, you are probably going to call them, there's just too much money in the pot. If you have something, you need to call, but in no-limit it can be much bigger, so you need to make a big decision at that time to fold, call, or try to raise the pot. There are way more options in no-limit, limit is a much more straightforward game, a game of patience.
Question: How much do you bluff in limit?
Answer: Limit poker is more about semi-bluffing, it wouldn't be a complete bluff. I wouldn't just take two cards and say, "I'm a man. I'm gonna bully in this hand." There is a lot of semi-bluffing. For example, if I have a flush draw, and I missed on the end, I am probably going to try to steal. About half the time, I am still going to bet on the end when I missed, just so there is a chance they might fold.
Question: Do you decide when you are going to bluff based on a player, or is it based on the situation?
Answer: Actually, it's more based on the cards that come. When that river card would not have helped a draw, there's a decent chance they were drawing, and I might as well take a shot at it. At that point, there's like eight-to-one on that one bet that you might win a pot, where you could not win if it was a showdown. You still have your cards to win, so you'd better take a shot at it.
Question: What about the betting strategy pre-flop? When do you raise? What do you raise with?
Answer: I'm going to play a highly positioned game, so toward the button play more hands, pretty basic stuff. You are going to play big cards, just be very patient and try to take advantage of players you think are weaker. Before the flop, make bets to punish them by raising and play well from there.
Question: Do the cards matter, in that you are always going to raise a pair, or you are going to call a pair to see if you can make a set?
Answer: I like to mix it up. If your game is pretty loose and people are going to call, then it's good to raise a pair. Also, if your game is really tight, it's good to raise a low pair. If it is somewhere in the middle, oftentimes it is good to just take a flop and hope you hit it, and then hopefully get some action.
Question: Should you slow-play in limit or bet to build a pot?
Answer: In limit, you might go for the check raise, but typically you need to get some money in there while you are ahead in the hand. Like if you have an AQ and you did hit a Q, you should probably go ahead and bet it, typically. That hand should be raised before the flop just to continue with the lead. Unless you think you can be sneaky and the player behind you is aggressive. Then maybe you can check and check-raise. Basically, you are going to bet your hand a lot.
Which do you prefer, limit or no-limit?
I am a no-limit player now. I really enjoy it. But I enjoy mixed games that we play a lot at the Bellagio, the big mixed game. Stud, stud hi-lo, Omaha; when you play a bunch of games, then it's a lot of fun to play limit, I think. When you just play one game, it can get a little boring.
What limits do you play?
It depends how much money I have! No, I've played up to the $1,500/3,000 game, but normally you will find me at the $400/800 or $1,000/2,000. Sometimes I also play online games.