More Profitable: No-Limit or Limit Hold 'Em?

Search

MrJ

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
Messages
2,578
Tokens
Illini said:
When you lose at limit, your losses are limited. A hand is a hand is a hand, and each one is the same. NL can be brutal if you lose just one huge hand.

Actually you can lose nearly as much in a single hand of limit if the streets are capped, but that is irrelevent. What matters is that NL is a game of larger edges. You can get all of your money when your advantage is at it's largest. You charge people more when they make mistakes while making the most of your own opportunities. It is fact that NL as a game has lower variance.
 

MrJ

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
Messages
2,578
Tokens
HarryCaray said:
I like the fact that losing one hand cannot wipe you out. It is more of a grind, and if you play properly, luck will be less of a factor and you can succeed long-term.

Losing a single hand in NL won't come close to wiping you out if you are sensible with bankroll management. Luck is more of a factor in limit than NL as I have already pointed out that limit has greater variance.
 

New member
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
7,948
Tokens
I was going to say what Illini stated. Less swings in limit and you don't get that real bad beat on ONE hand. But in no limit, the person has a chance to make a large amount if he has the patience to wait.
 

EV Whore
Joined
Apr 18, 2006
Messages
19,916
Tokens
Mr J said:
Losing a single hand in NL won't come close to wiping you out if you are sensible with bankroll management.

I think you are saying that you should only sit with a small portion of your bankroll. Say you are a beginner and are starting out with a meager $300 BR. So sensible BR management would dictate that you should only sit at a NL table with $25 or so. I will agree that is true, but by sitting down with smaller amounts you lose that edge you were talking about here:

Mr J said:
What matters is that NL is a game of larger edges. You can get all of your money when your advantage is at it's largest. You charge people more when they make mistakes while making the most of your own opportunities

If you are saying the advantage at NL is you can get alot of money in on one hand, then naturally you must accept the fact that you can lose alot of money in one hand.
 

New member
Joined
Jan 1, 2001
Messages
4,517
Tokens
Mr J said:
Limit has greater variance than NL.

Correct.

Limit is a much more swingier game than NL for a skilled player. 500 big bet downswings will happen!
 

New member
Joined
Jan 1, 2001
Messages
4,517
Tokens
Illini said:
Less swings at limit. And less skill involved in being a good player. Really, all you have to do is learn what hands to start with, and then calculate odds to determine your actions. I like limit, but I'm in the minority.

I would say nothing is correct in this statement, unless you are talking about low low limit. Post-flop is the key to limit and its not exactly about calculating outs and pot odds.

I like limit better as well, the most fun I've ever had at a live game is at Bellagio 80/160.
 

FreeRyanFerguson.com
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
13,308
Tokens
Matt24 said:
I would say nothing is correct in this statement, unless you are talking about low low limit. Post-flop is the key to limit and its not exactly about calculating outs and pot odds.

I like limit better as well, the most fun I've ever had at a live game is at Bellagio 80/160.
Gee, can I have your autograph, high roller? :103631605 Most of us peasants only play 3/6 on this board. And at that level, whether you're online or at the Bellagio, a player that learns how to use outs and pot size to determine his actions is way ahead of most other players.
 

New member
Joined
Jan 1, 2001
Messages
4,517
Tokens
I play 3/6-20/40 online(current setup looks like 2 215 Speed SNGs, 2 109 Speed SNGs, 3 5/10s and a 3/6), but play way higher live because the games are surprisingly great and I actually enjoy playing them. I'm no high roller.
 

FreeRyanFerguson.com
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
13,308
Tokens
Matt24 said:
I play 3/6-20/40 online(current setup looks like 2 215 Speed SNGs, 2 109 Speed SNGs, 3 5/10s and a 3/6), but play way higher live because the games are surprisingly great and I actually enjoy playing them. I'm no high roller.
Didn't mean to be a dick, but you kinda rubbed me the wrong way, and I thought the tone of your post was to broadcast that you were a high roller. Continued success to you.
 

For G-Baby
Joined
Oct 22, 2004
Messages
18,919
Tokens
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Illini, I got your back...we'll get revenge on that stripper too.
 

New member
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
8,781
Tokens
Matt24 said:
Correct.

Limit is a much more swingier game than NL for a skilled player. 500 big bet downswings will happen!

Admit you are playing a pretty loose aggressive game there Matt. Very few good limit players will swing 500 big bets. Now playing at 80/160 I suppose it is a bit more likely, but playing 15/30 or 20/40 games I think 300 BB swings aren't too common. A 500 BB swing should be once in two or three lifetimes I would believe, but of course depends on your playing style.
 

MrJ

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
Messages
2,578
Tokens
f you are saying the advantage at NL is you can get alot of money in on one hand, then naturally you must accept the fact that you can lose alot of money in one hand.

That isn't what I said. You can get more money in when your edge is largest. How much you lose in a single hand is irrelevent anyway, what matters is the overall variance and it is higher in limit.

Compare the standard deviations and bankroll requirements.
 

SportsOptions/Line up with the pros
Joined
Jul 20, 2000
Messages
13,227
Tokens
Matt24 said:
Correct.

Limit is a much more swingier game than NL for a skilled player. 500 big bet downswings will happen!


Are you kidding me, 500BB swings? Never and I mean never ever came close to that. I played limit HE for many years (before it became real popular) and operated out of a bankroll that was 300BB and never came close to busting it. No offense but if you are seeing that kind of swings then you need to take a long hard look at what you are doing, something doesn't sound right.

I'll speak just from my own experience but both games to me were almost identical when broke down in an hourly rate. The difference was the NL had a much bigger fluctation than the limit in my play. Over time both would equal out but I would have some wild swings in the NL side of things I would not get in the limit. I won't say this is standard for everyone because lot of factors can go into this, maybe someone is playing in a wild NL games or vice versa, maybe the player plays one or the other better and so on. In short I don't think there is a universal answer, to me the NL was always a much bigger fluctuation than the limit.

PS - about that 500BB I do want to say I am speaking about my own experience in B & M games. In todays world with more and more playing strictly online perhaps 500BB downswings are easier since guys are usually playing several games at once and seeing a greater number of hands. I still think if you are going through that kind of fluctuation you are simply not playing limit the proper way but I do agree it would be much easier to do it online than you would in the brick and mortar games of old.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,117,946
Messages
13,549,657
Members
100,549
Latest member
apptaixiuonl
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com