Fixed Limit Poker

The most common betting structure in casinos is the fixed limit betting structure. It is also very popular in the online poker rooms, and what most beginners appreciates, that is why this structure is used in the examples in the Poker School.

The fixed limit betting structure is the simplest betting structure. A player only has to decide whether to bet or not - the size of the bet is fixed (hence the name). All bets and raises comes in specified increments set for each round of betting. Usually there is a lower bet size for the first two rounds and a higher bet size for the final rounds.

Fixed Limit Example

In a $10/$20 fixed limit (FL) game, the "small bet" is $10 and the "big bet" is $20. In a four-round game (as Texas Hold'em) the betting would be carried out with the "small bets" of $10 on the first two betting rounds (before and on the flop) and all bets on the final two rounds (turn and river) would be made with "big bets" of $20.

The bet sizes applies to each individual bet or raise, not the total amount bet in a round. Say you are first to act on the second betting round and you wish to raise the stakes, then you bet, and the only amount you can bet is $10. For illustrative purposes say that the next two players also relish their situation, and they both raise. Their raises come in the increments of $10, making it $20 ($10 + $10) and $30 ($20 + $10) to go. The betting has been made in increments of $10 "small bets", but for any one who wishes to stay in the pot and has not yet made a bet, it is now three small bets to a total of $30 to call.

Four Bet Maximum

Most fixed limit games are played with a four bet maximum. This limits the amount that can go into the pot on a single betting round. It means there can be no more than three raises on a betting round, one bet and three raises makes it four bets of the current bet size.

One common exception to the four bet maximum rule is when two players are heads up. In this situation, many card rooms will allow these two players to reraise each other until one player is all in.

Another exception requires that the pot becomes heads up before the third bet has entered the pot on that betting round. The reasoning behind this exception is that it prevents two colluding players from raising a third player out of the pot. While this exception to the four bet maximum has been observed in nearly all card rooms in the USA, it has never been observed in Internet card rooms.

Another variation of the four bet maximum is that it can be a five bet maximum instead (allowing four raises).

Four Bet Maximum Example

The four bet maximum is easily illustrated by continuing the above example. There a player put in a third bet by making the second raise to $30. If all others before you fold, then you can put a "cap" on the betting for this round by making it four bets, $40. You initially bet $10, then put in $30 more, where of $20 is the call of the last raisor and $10 is your raise (the third in the betting round). The other two players still in the pot can not raise now, they can only call (two and one small bet respectively of $20 and $10). Now everyone has put in four small bets totaling $40 in the pot and the betting round is finished.

Final Note

With the written examples and variations mentioned, the betting structure can seem to be slightly complicated. However, fixed limit play is simple, it is intuitive. Basically when a player wishes to increase the stakes, there is only one option. What the amount that can be bet is, depends only on what betting round it is. It is that nice and simple.