A Limit Holdem Experiment

September 19, 2005

Recently I had the opportunity to play poker at a new casino (new to me at least) and the only seat available was at a limit holdem table. I rarely play limit holdem and was surprised at not only how well I did but also how much fun I had. For some reason this experience made me think of a contest that I read about on a poker forum some time back and I decided to have a little fun and challenge myself at the same time.

I deposited $100 at one of my favorite online poker rooms and started playing two tables of 1/2 limit holdem. I bought into each table for 12.5 times the upper limit, $25 in this case, so I had four buy-ins to start. Each time I was able to accumulate enough to cover four buy-ins at the next level I would move up. At $200 I moved to 2/4, $300 to 3/6 and so on. The highest level I was able to play was 10/20 before the short-term variance reared its ugly head.

This is a fun experiment, especially if you usually play at lower limits or play mostly no limit. It gives you a chance to explore limit holdem and/or play at a higher level than you may be used to, without risking a large amount of money. Of course no matter how good you are, you will eventually hit a rough spot because you need 200-300 big bets at whatever level you are playing in order to ride out stretches of bad cards and the short-term variance and you are playing with 50.

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Here are a few things I found, at least at the times I was playing. There is a large difference between the qualities of players between 1/2 and 3/6, but I noticed very little difference between the 3/6 players and the 10/20 players. I also found that given the proper bankroll, I would be very comfortable, and I believe profitable at 10/20.

So much of good poker play involves a players mental tools and anything that bothers a player mentally can cause problems at the poker table. This includes venturing outside of your comfort level. This experiment forced me outside of my comfort level for limit holdem, and I found that I could compete at much higher levels than I gave myself credit for.

Consider trying this, or something similar, to test your abilities and have some fun also. When you hit a rough spot, drop back down a level or two and start back up the ladder. You may very well surprise yourself. Until next week, good luck at the tables!

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