Spread Limit Texas Holdem

By Wesley R. Young

Most poker players have heard of and played limit and no-limit holdem, and the majority of them have experience with pot-limit as well. The holdem variation that many players aren’t familiar with is spread limit. Spread limit is played much the same as limit holdem and is most often spread at lower limits like 1-3, 2-6 and 2-10. The main difference is that each bet may be any amount between the lower and higher number. For example, in a 2-10 game, each bet and/or raise may be $2, $10 or anything in between. Spread limit is not widely available, but if you find yourself in a game, here are a few tips to help elevate your game quickly.

Though you will see many players making bets between the lower and upper limit, I recommend either betting the minimum or maximum 95% of the time you are in the pot. Bet the minimum when on a draw and/or when you want to encourage more players to enter/remain in the pot and bet the maximum when you have a made hand and/or want to limit the field. As with most forms of poker, game selection is vital in the amount of your profit. A spread limit game with many passive players can be a gold mine. They will let you draw to better hands for the minimum and pay you off when they are drawing against your made hands. As for the 5% of the time when you aren’t betting either the minimum or maximum, if you find yourself in a game with many tight players you may need to make mid-range bets to get action on your best hands.

One important note about the psychology involved in spread limit holdem is many times players will chase with their poor hands more than they will in a no-limit game. They do this because they feel safer in the spread limit game because there is a limit to the amount that they will have to put at risk. In no-limit, they may lose their entire stack at any time. For this reason, I often choose to sit in a spread limit game instead of a no-limit game because there is more money in most of the pots and it is easier to take advantage of my opponent’s poor play.

Like most forms of poker, becoming a good spread limit player will take practice and discipline, but if you are a good limit or no-limit player the transition to spread limit should be fast and smooth. Tight/aggressive play is still the winning strategy with the exception of; in a passive game you can enter the pot with drawing hands more often if your opponents aren’t making many pre-flop raises. Even with a passive game, you shouldn’t see more than 25% of the flops.

The next time you have an opportunity to join a spread limit game, sit down and give it a try. You may just find that it is more profitable than your normal game. Until next week, good luck!