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Texas Holdem Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit & Pot-Limit

Texas Holdem Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit & Pot-Limit
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Alex Sakuta Content Editor
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: December 1, 2024 · 5 minutes to read

No-Limit poker only really took off once Doyle Brunson and his crew of Texas Road Gamblers introduced the game to Las Vegas casinos. Ever since then No-Limit has steadily increased in popularity. Exploding into the spotlight with Tennessee accountant Chris Moneymaker’s $2m win in the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Even though No-Limit Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker being played today. There are still many players who would rather play a Limit or Pot-Limit betting variant instead – with betting rules we’ll explain below. If Texas Hold’em is completely new to you, please check out our guide on how to play Texas Hold’em poker.

No-Limit Texas Hold’em Betting Rules

Given that No-Limit is the most popular betting variation today we’ll start with it first. People are drawn to No-Limit betting variations because of its unique mix of:

  • Skill
  • Chance
  • Action

Also, of course, because it’s a major adrenaline rush to bet all of your chips at any point during the hand. As far as betting goes in Texas Hold’em players are always faced with the choice of three options:

  • Check (or call).
  • Bet (or raise).
  • Fold (In a scenario where you can check, folding makes no sense. But it’s still an option.)
  1. To call is to match the previous bet (a check is the same thing, only when no bet has been made: in other words, a check is a call for free).
  2. To fold is to throw away your hand and wait until the next deal to play again. Folding is always free.
  3. If there’s been no bet yet, you can bet. Once a bet is made, players to follow now have the option to raise the bet.
  4. In No-Limit, a minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind, while a maximum bet is the total amount of all of your chips. (Only chips that were included in your stack before the cards were dealt for that hand count, meaning you can’t add (or remove) chips during a hand.)
  5. Once a bet has been made, the minimum you can raise is the size of the last bet. So if your opponent bets $5, the minimum raise you can make is $5 (for a total bet of $10). Again, the maximum raise is the total of whatever you have in front of you.
  6. How big a No-Limit Hold’em cash game is played is determined by its blind size. A $1/$2 game will have $1/$2 blinds, and the buy-in will vary from poker room to poker room.
  7. Generally the minimum buy-in will be 20 big blinds (so $40 in our example), and the maximum will be 100 big blinds ($200), though there are some casinos that spread games with no maximum buy-in.

Fixed-Limit Hold’em Betting Rules

String Bets - Don't!
String Bets – Don’t!

The second most popular form of Texas Hold’em is Limit Holdem. Whereas No-Limit is a game of brute force where players play big stacks and run up huge bluffs, Fixed Limit Hold’em is a more subtle, gentleman’s game where players look to exploit small edges: a game of finesse and well-timed aggression.

  1. Unlike in No-Limit where you can bet all your chips whenever you want, Limit Hold’em plays with fixed betting limits.
  2. The size of the game is determined by the bet size. If you are playing in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet $8. The blinds will be $2 and $4. The big blind is always equal to the size of the small bet.
  3. Play proceeds as it would in any Hold’em game; however, you bet and raise in increments. Before the flop and on the flop you bet in increments of the small bet. For example:
    • If you were the first to bet, you can only bet $4 and the next person could call or raise to a total of $8. Any player wanting to re-raise after that can make it a total bet of $12.
    • On the turn and river players bet in increments of the big bet. If you were to bet the turn it would be $8 and to raise it would be $16, etc.
  4. In Fixed-Limit Hold’em there is a set number of raises you can make before the betting is capped. Although it can vary from room to room, action is typically capped at four or five bets (always check the house rules before playing your first hand).
  5. When betting is capped it means that the players no longer have the option to raise; they can only call or fold until the next street is dealt.

Pot-Limit Hold’em Betting Rules

Pot-Limit Hold’em is a game in between No-Limit and Fixed-Limit. You can’t bet your stack whenever you want but you can bet however much is in the pot at the time. How you determine the maximum bet is by counting all the money in the pot and all of the bets on the table including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is.)

Two Examples:

  1. You’re first to act on the flop with a pot of $15. You have the option to check or bet. You can bet anywhere from as little as the amount of the big blind, to the full amount of the pot ($15). Any bet in between is a “legal bet.”
  2. You’re second to act on the flop with a pot of $15. The first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise.
    • Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20).
    • Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To do this, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot).
    • You can raise any amount in between the minimum and maximum raise amounts.

Pot-Limit Hold’em is not very popular and is mostly seen only in large tournament series such as the WSOP). But the Pot-Limit betting structure is used in Pot-Limit Omaha.

Because Pot-Limit Omaha is rapidly becoming one of the most popular poker variations it’s a good idea to get acquainted with the Pot-Limit structure anyway. Here’s a good beginner’s guide to Omaha poker.

Related Reading:

More on Texas Hold’em Rules

Poker Betting Etiquette FAQ

What Is a Bet?

A bet is officially a legal bet when: – Chips are moved forward and placed over the betting line on the table; – A verbal declaration of “bet” or “raise” is made when it is your turn to act. Moving your hand forward and then pulling it back before making a raise may still be considered a binding action depending on the ruling of the floor. If you put a single chip in the pot that is bigger than the bet but you don’t say “raise” it is considered a call. If you try to make a raise but put in less than the required amount you’ll be forced to add the remainder into the pot to make it a legal raise.

What is “splashing the pot”?

While it may look good in the movies to throw a bunch of chips into the middle or shove your whole stack into the pile, it’s considered poor etiquette and not encouraged in a real poker game or tournament. Simply say “all in” or slide the proper amount of chips over the betting line. The dealer will bring the chips in, confirm the amount and add them to the pot for you.

What is a String Bet?

String bets come in a couple of different forms but they all represent more or less the same thing – a bet that is not complete or done in one complete motion. One form of string bet, for example, is moving a stack of chips over the betting line and then reaching back and putting more chips over the line again. That is illegal as you might be trying to gauge the reaction of someone with the first bet/motion and then adding more once you see the information. Another form of string bet is announcing a bet of a certain size or a call first and then trying to add a raise on top. You must declare the full amount of the bet or put in the proper amount for it to be considered a legal raise. If a player first puts in enough chips to call and then tries to add a raise on top it will only be considered a call and the player will have to take the raising chips back.

What is a Straddle Bet?

A straddle bet is made by the player to the left of the big blind. It’s a bet that is twice the size of the big blind and must be made before the flop is dealt. A Sleeper is a straddle made by a player other than the player to the left of the big blind. A mandatory straddle bet is something high-stakes players use to juice up the action in a cash game but it must be agreed to by all players before it can be put into the game.

What is “Betting out of turn”?

Players are also expected to pay attention to the order of the action and not make any action, including betting, out of turn. Acting out of turn in particularly important because it gives the players still to act behind more information than other players have had access to. Players can also put out different bet sizes to alter or influence the hand before it even gets to them. The dealer or floor person on hand will be forced to rule on which actions are binding and which bets must be returned but it’s better to just not bet out of turn in the first place.

When can a player go all-in?

In a No-Limit game players can go all in for their entire stack at any time. If they have less than the current bet or pot they can still do so but they can win no more than their total investment in the pot from each player they beat. Anything above the total of the all in goes into a side pot for the other players to contest. If a player can’t cover the ante or blinds in a pot that player is automatically all-in for the hand. Any chips are first applied to paying the ante and any extra goes to the blind.

What is the minimum raise in Texas Holdem?

If you’re playing No Limit Holdem, the raise size must be double the previous bet / raise – or more. Example, if the previous player bet $5, so you must bet $10 or more. The maximum raise is all your chips (all-in)

In Fixed Limit Holdem, the minimum raise is the size of the big blind, but players can only raise up to the size of the pot at the time.

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