Everyone should experience the thrill of a no-limit Texas Holdem tournament. The excitement you'll feel when you win a big hand and your chip stack begins to rise and the anguish that rushes over you when you find yourself all-in only to come up short on the river. There are no greater ups and downs than those in a no-limit tournament. But, you may also find yourself watching the clock as you gauge the size of your chip stack against the ever increasing blinds. One thing you can always count on is that the smaller the buy-in for the tournament, the faster the blinds will rise. And boy will they rise! Very, very quickly. Soon, luck will play nearly as large a role in the outcome as skill. With just a few bad rounds of cards, you may find yourself with little chance of victory. Of course, you can always shell out thousands of dollars for the larger no-limit tournaments. In these events, the blinds move at a snail's pace and give players plenty of time to play their best game. Unfortunately, not many people have that much disposal income. For those who love the thrill of no-limit Texas Holdem, there is indeed an alternative to tournament play. No limit offers players the ability to outplay their opponents in a way that limit holdem just can't do. It gives you the chance to say, "I'm in for everything I have, and what are you going to do about it?" Or, you have the flexibility to say, "My hand is best and it's going to be very costly if you want to chase cards on the turn and river." In limit holdem, your bets are limited by the structure of the game. While in no limit, there is freedom!!

The alternative to tournament play is the no-limit ring game. Many online poker sites and land based casinos have begun offering no-limit ring games. A ring game differs from tournament play in several aspects. First of all, players are only limited by the money they want to spend. If a player goes all in and loses, he is free to reach into his wallet and replenish his stack. Second, if you win a monster hand and triple your chip stack, you are free to pick up your chips and head to the cashier. Finally, the blinds do not increase forcing you to make decisions you wouldn't otherwise make.

At an online poker room, you may find that they offer a variety of no-limit ring games such as $25, $50, $100, or more. In a typical $25 no-limit ring game, a player can sit down at the table with a maximum of $25. The blinds will start and remain at $0.25/$0.50. As a player wins a hand and increases their stack above $25, these additional chips can also be played. So, it is indeed possible to find a hand where players are playing with much more than the minimum amount of chips. But, like tournament play, a player can always go all in and have rights to the amount of chips he has at stake.

No limit ring games are definitely not for everyone. You are no longer just throwing chips around that only have value if you are a top tournament finisher. Now, you are throwing around your hard earned money that can be cashed in at any time. If you have the nerve, you may enjoy the thrill.