Preflop Fixed Limit Texas Holdem Strategy

Preflop fixed limit Texas Holdem strategy is a very important part of the game. Today's modern loose limit games enable you a significant amount of leeway in many situations but it is important to temper this freedom with an accurate understanding of the basic premises of preflop play. One fundamental principle is this : you do not cold call raises.

There are so few exceptions to this rule we can, for the sake of convenience, simply call it a law. If your hand is strong enough to play against a raise, you should be three betting; if it is not strong enough to warrant putting additional money into the pot (above and beyond the raise), you should be folding. The main exception to this you should be aware of is a speculative hand, such as 22 or 44 in a massive multiway pot.

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In a loose passive game, as one often finds in the casinos these days, it is quite acceptable and profitable to open limit small pocket pairs and even ace x suited. Limit is, by it's nature, more forgiving than no limit; the players tend to be looser, as each street can only cost them a bet or two, and more willing to call down with weaker hands than in the no limit games that are their counterpart. You can raise liberally, hands like AQ or even AJ after several loose limpers but you must remember to fold hands as strong as AJ or KQ against a raise, as you will inevitably lose money against all but the most aggressive raisers if you are frequently playing these hands in strongly contested pots.

After several loose limpers you have significantly more leeway in which hands you play, broadway suited cards, strong aces, suited connectors and any pair can be limped in under these conditions, but you must remember to avoid dominated off suit broadway hands or weaker. Being suited plays a significant role in multiway limit pots because while it only adds another 5% winning ability, if the hand has only 10% to begin with that's actually 50%.

In a tighter, more aggressive game, you will want to shore up your standards. Drop most hands from early position and abandon a limping philosophy; turn more and more to raise or fold. Pay attention to opportunities to steal the blinds from late position and be aware of the blind stealers attempting to steal your blinds.

The fact remains that in order to succeed in fixed limit Texas holdem you have to take advantage of strong starting hands by betting before the flop. There are so many weak players out there that as long as there is a few other players at the table you will get a call a majority of the time. Some situations may call for you to slow play your big starting hand but in order you win you have to use the right FL Texas Holdem preflop strategy.