Its now time to talk about the 'cadillac of all poker games', No limit Texas hold 'em (NLH) and its little brother, Pot limit Texas hold 'em (PLH). No limit hold 'em allows you to bet any amount of money in front of you on the table at any time! If you want to bet $100,000 on a bluff, you can do it, you want to bet all your $2 million chip stack at the final table of the WSOP, you can do it. The only thing is, if your opponent only has $50,000 in front of them then they are allowed to call for that $50,000, making your bet effectively $50,000. Bluffing is a much bigger part of NLH and PLH than it is in limit play. The great bluffs, great 'reads' and the massive amount of strategy in NLH make it the most interesting and most strategic game that we have in poker.
PLH is very similar to NLH after the flop play, because after the flop the pot has grown that big that making huge bets is possible. Before the flop, however, there are a fair number of strategic differences between the two games, because big bets are not immediately possible in PLH.
This section will cover: The differences between NLH and PLH, introducing NLH into your game - "cash downs", NLH fifteen best hands, how to trap with AA and KK, different theories on how to play 22 to 88 and AQ. Also, the "bet it all" NLH strategy, a suited connectors NLH theory along with the "calling with nothing" theory for NLH will be covered too.

Pot-limit hold 'em (PLH)

In PLH, there is a good chance that you will often be able to look at a flop due to the fact that the pre flop raises are limited to the size of the pot. Through the whole game all bets are limited to the size of the pot but the pot is obviously smaller pre flop. So, if the blinds are $1-$2 then the first raiser can only make it $7 to go. $1 SB + $2 BB + $2 to call = $5 raise. So $2 call + a $5 raise makes it $7 to go.
Some world class players believe that PLH is a more skillful game than NLH because there is more play on the flop in PLH. The way some players play NLH today, folding or betting it all before the flop - without even taking a flop - does take some edge away from the more skilled hold 'em players.

No limit Texas hold 'em (NLH)

Of the ten most prestigious poker tournaments today, six are NLH. The biggest two being the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the Poker million with the WSOP paying $12million for 1st place in 2006!
Playing NLH in your home games can cost a lot of money pretty quickly for all players concerned. The money can escalate pretty quickly and before long the money in the pot can be more than you bargained for. It could be a good idea to introduce a "Cash down" format in your NLH game, which will allow players to take a portion of their chip stack off the table at a certain predetermined chip total. For example, you could require everyone to keep a total of $50 at the table and if one player had $110 at the table, they would be able to take $60 away, allowing them to only lose $50 at one time. This would keep control of the stakes in your NLH game and stop them escalating. This will also allow players to play an amount that they are comfortable with.
If you do introduce NLH to your home game, the other players would probably love it because NLH is the game in the poker world right now. You can now make bluffs that have teeth. If you smell weakness in someone, you can raise them right out of the pot even if you are weak. You can now bet so much money on your drawing hand that you can force your opponents to fold! NLH is poker at its best, because you don't necessarily have to hold or make a lot of good hands to come out a winner. You can win pots with your reads and understanding of your opponents.

Beginners strategy for NLH and PLH

Even though there are some differences, in this section, we'll treat NLH and PLH as if they were the same game. The first thing that we'll discuss is a base of hands you can use when you play NLH. As is always the case in hold 'em, super tight is right for beginners while they learn to get their feet wet. Therefore, it is recommended that you restrict yourself to playing the "top ten hand" strategy discussed in the limit beginner guide and pairs for when you are still learning the game. In simple terms, play the thirteen possible pairs plus AK and AQ before the flop in NLH. Although the "top ten hand" guide does not include small pairs, these pairs can win you far, far greater pots in NLH when you flop a "set" - much more than when you are playing limit poker.
The idea behind playing these fifteen hands only is that you will be playing hands that will win you big pots. It is a very conservative but effective strategy when used against other beginners and the best thing about playing to this strategy, at least in the near term, is that the game becomes easier when you play poker this tight.

If you hold hands such as AA, KK QQ or AK before the flop you can almost always justify shoving all your chips out there. There are very few exceptions to this advice, and virtually no exceptions for the beginner NLH player. The trapping theory for NLH applies mostly when you have AA or KK. Some players like to call someone else's raise or re-raise pre flop when holding these two types of hole cards in the hope of trapping someone into giving you all their chips after the flop. Most of the time you should just go ahead and re-raise with these hands in the hope that your opponent moves all-in with a lesser pair (where you would be more than a 4/1 favourite) or fold their hand. It is definitely a safer way to play than the trapping theory but if you do try it, obviously its safer to trap with aces than kings.

JJ, 1010 and 99 are also strong No limit hands and it is a good idea to re-raise with them before the flop when someone has raised in front of you. At this point you are looking to win the pot before the flop as there is a good chance your winning at this point but these hands are vulnerable to over cards on the flop. If it happens that someone then comes over the top of you then it would probably be time to fold your hand. Although you are more than a 4/1 fav with AA or KK against a lower pair, it would be reverse with JJ, 1010 or 99 against an over pair, you would be the 4/1 underdog. (Please note that these odds are estimates).

We'll now look at different theories with regards to pairs of 88 and under and including AQ. One theory would suggest that these hands are ones which you would like to see a flop with. Ideally, you want to call a small raise or make a pot sized raise yourself before the flop hoping that you can win the pot outright without seeing the flop at all. However, some players would like to see a flop at all times when calling one raise and not to win the pot outright before the flop hoping that they'll win a big pot if and when they flop a set. So it would be to lose small when you miss and win big when you hit the flop.
The third theory could be classed as the "crazy players" theory where its raise and re-raise before the flop. Don't discount this because it works very well for a lot of players. These players tend to do well in the NLH tournaments rather than the smaller side games as they are regularly picking up chips and stealing antes in the tournaments but the more patient pros that are playing in the side games sit and wait for these super aggressive players to over play their hand against them. So, there's three theories explaining the possibilities of playing small pairs and AQ. Different players are suited to different styles but the first theory seems to be the safest of the three.

Intermediate NLH theory

In the intermediate level, we will now add A-x suited to the list of hands to play pre flop. With a hand like this, however, you could get yourself into trouble if an ace comes on the flop but the up side is that sometimes you'll hit an ace high flush with your A-x suited. When playing this hand, try and not lose too much money when that ace comes, thinking you have hit a nice hand. Most value with A-x suited will come when you hit a flush, 2 pair or trips and when you hit an ace on the flop then watch out! If someone is putting in big bets against you it is likely they will have you beat, unless they are bluffing.
When you do hit your hand hard, you will need to work out what way is best to maximize the number of chips you get along with thinking of how you can protect your hand. If you hit your trips, for example, the flop could be of such that an opponent could be drawing to a straight or a flush of their own. Sure you want to lure your opponents into the pot but you want to protect your hand also.

It is possible that you take different parts of the theories in this section and mix them with your own, which is perfectly fine but to summarize, this is one way that you could play: When someone behind you is playing very tightly, in NLH, you could raise the pot to steal the blinds from them, whenever it is their big blind. You should trust your instincts on whether or not a player is bluffing and this will improve the more you study and read opponents. If you feel a player who has raised or re-raised is weak and you feel you want to fold anyway, watch the rest of the hand to see what they actually had and if you were right to fold. This information is something that you can use later on in the game if the situation arises again. Anyone who makes a weak raise once can be expected to make more weak raises in the future. If this comes about, re-raise them to see what their reaction is and to put pressure on them to fold their hand. The only thing with this is that you will be risking more if you re-raise with a bluff.

A lot of poker players use the "bet it all" strategy these days which pretty much means you raise all your chips to open a pot or re-raise a pot. For example, if the blinds are $10-$20 and its your turn to act in late position, then you go and open for your whole $1000 or whatever is your total stack. Your sure to win the $30 blinds quite often but for $30 your risking $1000. Crazy? You can decide for yourselves. There are long term implications to betting a lot to win a little and possibly the main reason players do this is that they are afraid to play their hand after the flop. On the other hand, the good side to this is that when you bet it all you are preventing someone with a marginal hand from raising or re-raising you before the flop.
Sliding all one's chips in is probably an acceptable strategy for a weak, inexperienced player. Still, for a good player, or someone aspiring to be a good player, anything that takes away your options in NLH is bad.

The suited connectors theory is an advanced one and could be dangerous to your bankroll's health. This theory is based on calling other players raises with suited connectors such as 6-7 or 8-9. These are excellent drawing hands in NLH. You possibly want to call a bet when your opponent has a lot of chips left in front of him, this way if you hit your hand you could get paid very nicely.
The downside to playing like this is that it leaves you in a lot of untenable situations. What can you do when the flop comes down 2-3-8 and you have 8-9 suited? Sure you have hit top pair which could be very powerful but what if your opponent has JJ in the hole? Basically, you could lose a lot of chips, or even all of your chips. You can expect a lot of severe chip swings when you play poker like this. If you do want to play poker this way, try not to risk more than 7% of your chip stack pre flop. It also requires an excellent read of your opponents, so that you don't get yourself into trouble when you hit some hands halfway. A final point about suited connectors is that you might end up drawing to the lower straight or flush and losing all your chips when when you hit what you think is a great hand. Recommending this theory to novice or intermediate players might not be advisable as you really need to be reading your opponents perfectly to play this well.

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