There are three main sets of rules which dictate the betting in poker – No Limit, Fixed Limit and Pot Limit. Although all three are different, they do have some traits in common; the smallest bet which a player can make is equal to the big blind; the smallest raise a player can make is equal to double the previous bet and each player must wait until the player to their left has finished betting before making their own move.

The most common set of rules which govern the betting in poker are those for No Limit, which is usually associated with Texas Hold’em. Under the terms of No Limit betting, only the common rules dictating the minimum amounts which must be bet and the order apply. Unlike Pot Limit and Fixed Limit poker, in No Limit a player is free to bet as much as they like when it is their turn to act.

Pot Limit and Fixed Limit, though, both have caps on how much a player can bet. In Fixed Limit poker, there is a pre-determined limit on how much a player can bet during each round. There is also no raising in Fixed Limit poker, with only the option being to place a ‘Big Bet’ of double the normal bet during the final two betting rounds.

Under Pot Limit rules, which are the standard for Omaha, a player can only bet a maximum of the chips already in the pot plus the same amount again.

May 02 2010