Hold'em Tips on Advanced No-Limit: Be Better

No-limit poker is the grandest poker type, says poker expert Doyle Brunson. Even veteran players admit they still have a long way to go as far as the game is concerned. Yet, it's the most challenging and fun to play.

There are actually two main factors in winning no-limit: our skill level and the opponent's. To be a skilled no-limit player, Hold'em tips advices mastery of the game by frequent live play with bets and advancing in game levels. This means we ought to often play with more advanced opponents. We have to master the highest skill level we have attained so far, and that of our opponent's.

When we have played a lot of games with highly skilled opponents and have seen a bird's eye view of the game, then we start really making profits by playing with lower skill levels. So let's take a look at different no-limit play levels. It is good to call a pot at perflop stage when it is yet unraised and we have a pair of 5. If we hit a set we can profit a lot from it because people are bound to call with a top pair. Now, say, after the turn a flush draw favors us and someone goes all in with a $20, and the pot is $10 full. We have a slim chance of a good hit on the river. We bet $20 for a $50 win.

Obvious, isn't it. Yet, surprisingly, many players fail at this elementary stage. The thing is to master pot odds. Hence, Hold'em tips say it is vital to master what is limit and what is no-limit poker. For instance, check-raising doesn't count much in no-limit—for all we know, we might be giving the opponent a big favor with a free card. In this kind of play, we might lose some with limit, but we might go home broke with no-limit.

With no-limit it's better to bet than to call often. Betting makes winning more probable with a better hand or when other players fold. Calling gives an edge only if the opponent loses. Betting makes us somewhat in charge of the bet amounts and most importantly, the pot odds. Calling is merely acknowledging another player's chances.

Hence, important Hold'em tips here are knowing our skill level, learning the skills of the game by hands-on learning, and noting well the skill level of the opponent. We must readily recognize our poker situation and act accordingly. In short, be better.