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Right now the hottest way to play
the hottest game is a Poker Tournament. So, you want to play an online Poker
tournament but don’t know where to start? Let’s start with the basics- the
type of game. Most Poker sites offer the following games:
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Texas Hold’em
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Omaha
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7-card stud
These are the most common games to be found online; some sites also feature
other games like Razz, 5-card stud, and variances of the Big Three, some as
Omaha Hi-Low. However for now, let’s focus on the most popular game- Texas
Hold’em.
Texas Hold’em is usually categorized based on the betting structure employed
during play. The three common betting structures are as follows, from most
restrictive to least:
a) Limit: The most structured form of Poker is a Limit game. A limit
game would be titled something like $2/$4, or whichever value the game happens
to be. What this means is that in the flop and preflop betting rounds, bets
and raises are made in the value of the lower limit (in our example, it would
be $2). After the flop betting round, bets and raises are made in the value of
the upper limit (in our example it would be $4). There is no limit on the
value of the Pot, however there is commonly a limit on the number of re-raises
permissible in a single betting round. This is generally considered the most
forgiving way to play for a beginner, as you can only lose so many chips in a
given hand.
b) Pot Limit: Somewhat less structured than a Limit game, but more
restricted than a No-Limit game, is a Pot Limit game. In Pot Limit, the
maximum bet varies and is calculated as follows: The maximum permissible bet
in Pot Limit is equivalent to the size of the pot, plus the amount you would
bet if you raised or re-raised. This structure allows for large bets but
doesn’t allow the free-for-all of No Limit. It also gives some degree of
structure, but generally produces larger bets and pots than a straight Limit
game.
c) No Limit: Branded the “Cadillac” of Poker, No Limit is the game of
choice of professionals due to the high stakes involved and the extravagantly
large pots. In No Limit, a player may bet as many chips as they wish at any
time, and of course may declare themselves to be “All In” at any time. The
only exception to this is that there is usually a minimum bet that must be
placed if a player wishes to raise. No Limit creates a very exciting brand of
Poker to watch because a player may risk their entire stack at any time. This
is generally a game preferred by more experienced players, and is not the best
choice for a beginner to start with because of the very high stakes involved.
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