Many players enjoy the stability of limit Texas Holdem. In limit Holdem, bets are set at specific increments that double on the Turn and River. For example, if you are playing $2/$4 limit, the small blind would be $1 and the big blind would be $2. Each bet and raise preflop and immediately after the flop must be $2. Each bet and raise after the turn and river must be $4. Playing this style of Texas Holdem can reduce the large chip stack swings that a player may see when playing the more aggressive no-limit Texas Holdem. At the same time, it limits a players chances to win a huge hand when they flop the "nuts" and can only bet a specified amount. For many players, limit Holdem is too structured. In lower limit games, you will often find a large number of players in the hand until the final card is shown. This can become frustrating when your top hands lose repeatedly to players chasing flushes and inside straights.
Limit's radical cousin is no-limit Texas Holdem. When playing no-limit Holdem, the minimum bet or raise is the value of the big blind or the previous raise. However, no-limit gives players the opportunity to bet everything they have at any time. Therefore, the maximum bet is limited only by the amount of chips a player has in front of them. Many players cannot handle the swings associated with no-limit Holdem. Reckless players can put you on tilt and one bad call can cost you your entire chip stack.

This takes us to limit and no-limit's well organized and free thinking cousin, pot-limit. Pot-limit Texas Holdem offers the perfect combination of sanity and mayhem. It gives players the flexibility of making large raises, without risking their entire chip stack preflop. In pot-limit Holdem, the minimum allowable raise is the same as no-limit (the value of the big blind or previous raise). However, the maximum allowable raise is based on the size of the pot.

To bet the size of the pot, a player is able to call the previous bet and then raise the size of the pot, including that call. Confused?? An easier way to visualize the maximum bet is to add the value of a minimum raise to the amount already in the pot.

For example, let's assume there is $200 in the pot. The first player bets $150 and the next player calls the $150 for a total of $500 in the pot. You are the third player to act and want to make a pot-size raise. To figure out how much to bet, determine the value of a minimum raise and add the amount already in the pot (minimum raise would be $300 + $500 in the pot = $800 pot-size bet).

Pot-limit games are more common at on-line poker rooms than in live casinos. Lucky for us, the computer will accurately determine the value of the maximum bet and keep the game running smoothly.