No-Limit Betting Rules. The term 'no-limit' seems simple enough. In any no-limit poker game, players can bet all of their chips at any time. Most no-limit games use a system of blinds and a button, and for more on that system check out the 'Blinds, button, and antes' tab above. For example, let's say we're observing a no-limit hold'em cash game. The no-limit betting form is used in the widely televised main event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the World Poker Tour (WPT). Hold 'em's simplicity and popularity have inspired a wide variety of strategy books which provide recommendations for proper play. A bet on the flop in Limit Holdem is the amount of the big blind. In No-Limit it has to be at least twice the size of the big blind but can be as much as all of a player's chips. In our Limit Hold'em game as described above, a player must put out 25¢ to make a bet in the first post-flop betting round. Texas Holdem Betting Rules – The Turn.
- Texas Holdem Betting Order
- Poker Betting Tips
- Betting In Texas Holdem
- No Limit Betting Rules
- No Limit Sports Betting
Having your betting account limited is a frustrating inevitability for profitable sports bettors.
A ‘no limit bookmaker' would be a godsend. Well.. ask and you shall receive. They do exist.
Personally, I think it's pretty poor form to cut someone off for winning. Shouldn't the possibility of losing be inherent in any company that's built on competing with people? That's what a bookmaker is, a company vs consumer proposition where they set every metric, aiming to stack it in their favour to win. Yet when they fail to do so, they don't try and win, they call you a name and run away.
Let me be crystal clear – If you are a bookmaker with max bet limits for all users (as they all have to) that is fine, it's necessary as to not over-leverage yourself. What I have a gripe with is bookmakers identifying winners then limiting their accounts, individually, to unusable bet limits.
But you can hear me fire up at bookmaker limits here – Are Betting Account Limits Illegal?
For now, I'm going to laud the few shining lights of the industry. Those bookies that don't limit accounts in that way.
First, I'll break down the top ‘no limit bookmakers', then I'll get into a few of the alternative options for punters who keep having their accounts crippled. Let's get into it!
The Good Bookies – Winners Welcome
This is a forever changing proposition, we've seen bookies change their policies within a day, we've seen people's accounts go from flourishing; to $1 max bets, or even closed, with no warning.
Again, we're looking for bookies that don't limit individual accounts to unusable limits, a max bet limit in place to insure against a $100k wager that will over-leverage the bookmaker is not nefarious, it's good sense. Let's start at the top:
Pinnacle
The gold standard. Pinnacle is where recreational punters get bored, and successful bettors prove themselves.
There is no question, Pinnacle is the highest esteemed bookmaker in the world. No bonus bets or regular promotions to market to recreational punters. Just low margins and a terrific platform.
But, what we're really here for is the ‘winners welcome' policy. Pinnacle will never limit your individual account. Ever. In fact, they even wrote about how winning bettors help them sharpen their odds – Pinnacle Winners Welcome.
You'll often hear profitable bettors brag about ‘beating Pinnacles closing line', that is because it's hard. With Pinnacle you aren't looking for early odds mistakes like you might at a soft bookmaker. You are going against an extremely diligent team of experts who set the price, have plenty of resources, and who don't publish their markets until they have done that research.
Prove yourself at Pinnacle, you've proven yourself everywhere. (Being profitable after just 50 bets and 1 month isn't proving yourself, by the way 🙃)
Betonline.ag
Betonline.ag has undergone a full rebrand (a nice one), but thankfully, they are still in the category of bookies that don't limit accounts.
What you're getting here is complete max bet transparency, here's their breakdown of the limits they have on each market – Betonline.ag Wagering Limits
I haven't been allowed to bet with Betonline.ag (Curse you Aus betting laws), but, with transparent limits, a clean interface and 20 years in the game – they have certainly risen to the top tier of my respected bookmakers.
As with any sharp bookmaker, the negative here is market volume – with this business model these no limit bookmakers aren't willing to compete against punters on markets they don't have the resources or information to analyse diligently, those more obscure markets. Understandable.
Betonline.ag is a valuable asset in an ever-shrinking sharp bookmaker pool.
Bookmaker.eu
Bookmaker.eu has all the same qualities as the former, but this one can be used by punters from the US – the two bookmakers above don't allow US punters.
Bookmaker.eu does not have a huge amount of alt-markets, less than those above in my experience. But I don't think US bettors will be complaining as long as they keep allowing winners.
Another good option in a small market.
TopSport
TopSport is an Australian only site (Sorry, my Aus bias is showing again), Australia is notorious for harsh bookmaker accreditation laws, a limited bookmaker supply, and being a country who absolutely loves to bet (poorly).
There is a sea of Aus bookies that are ready and willing to cripple your account at the first site of profitability, then there's TopSport. I had yet to hear of any profitable punters being crushed by their limits, so I reached out to the owner, Tristan, he had this to say regarding their limiting policies:
At TopSport we are very proud of the fairness we provide to all customers. We have never closed an account in our history, and we offer very fair limits to all players regardless of their profitability as we believe it is important for the industry to ensure sharp punters are able to get set to fair limits on all events. On premier events like the AFL and NRL, we guarantee all players can get set to win at least $10,000 on win and line options after the final teams have been confirmed on all games throughout the year!
Very much an ‘old school' bookmaker, they cannot guarantee that they won't monitor individuals, but they do have a fairness policy in place and high limit allowance for ALL punters.
They manage to have more markets than your traditional ‘Sharp' bookmaker but a policy that still allows successful bettors to thrive. A welcome balance in Australia. Not a ‘no limit bookie', but in context, a ‘fair limit bookie'.
Bookmaker Alternatives – No Limits?
As the online betting landscape developed, other options developed. Different types of bookies, and new ways to bet with completely different philosophies. If you can't access bookies without limits, try your hand at these non-traditional options:
Betting Brokers
Betting brokers have taken a while to break into the mainstream among sports bettors, but over the last few years, they have been able to gain some trust and become a really viable option.
The concept is this; A bet broker is a middle man, you deposit your money with the broker, they place all bets for you as they have access to all the bookmakers you are limited on or that aren't available in your country. Without limits. Usually.
Too good to be true? It does seem that way, multiple bookmakers and no limits – A bit suss.
But, despite the fact that some can charge commissions for non-affiliated bookmakers. Most of them are actually affiliated with the Bookmakers and earn commissions purely from the bookmakers. You're free to bet commissionless – most of the time. A small caveat would be fees for deposits or withdrawals in some instances, be aware of that possibility.
The largest concern would be financial security. Brokers don't have to jump through the same licensing hoops that bookmakers do, if they go bust, there are fewer legal systems in place and your money could be a bit in limbo. Having said that, SportMarket and BetInAsia have long-term reliability and plenty of people to vouch for them.
If you need no-limit betting, certainly consider betting brokers.
Betting Exchanges
This one seems obvious, betting exchanges don't win when you lose so they are happy to accept your volume. This is true, I've written about Why You Should Use Betting Exchanges here, and Best Betting Exchanges here. But right now I'm going to argue the opposite.
It's true, you have no max bet limits. But you can still be penalised for winning, have your income potential limited. Exchanges like Betfair, have rules in place that allow them to set higher commissions, often absurdly higher, for the top bracket of successful exchange bettors.
You may not fall into that top category, or you may still be able to find profit with those higher commissions – but, I would consider that a limit to your income potential, just for winning.
Now, back to the good. You can still bet with them, you'll never have an account closed and they do benefit from your activity in the market. For Most, betting exchanges are a really good option to get away from the bookmakers that have limited you.
CryptoCurrency Bookmakers
The future is here. Okay, this one is speculative. There really isn't a lot of information, or verifiable information, that can prove or disprove the reliability of Crypto bookmakers.
Let's start with the good, this is completely anonymous. When doing my research for this article I decided to try and signup for a Bitcoin bookmaker, here, in the incredibly stringent and strict bookmaker licensing country of Australia, It took 30 seconds and all I had to give was a nickname. The law hasn't caught up with Crypto, this is an anonymous currency that's hard to account for within the law.
So I signed up anonymously and if I were to be limited (Which they claim not to do) I could simply make another account. So, seemingly they can be used without limits.
Now, the bad. You are sending a currency that the law hasn't accounted for to a ‘bookmaker' that isn't licensed as a bookmaker.
I have already heard horror stories – So, all this is more of an idea and talking point, than it is a recommendation.
Tread extremely carefully and watch this space – this could be a whole new frontier of sports betting, or… fuel for 100's of ‘they stole all my money' stories.
Will There Be More Or Less ‘No Limit Bookmakers' In 10 Years?
It's a working business model – why wouldn't there be?
There could be one big reason we don't see more of them popping up over the next 10 years: The Law.
Texas Holdem Betting Order
Bookmaker licensing used to be one of the things that lawmakers hadn't caught up with, they definitely have now. If bookmakers continue to be banned in different countries, are hit with more national operational taxes, and have to jump through more hoops; country by country – there just won't be enough profit in it for those low margin, non-restrictive bookmakers. It may no longer be a working business model. It paves the way for more and more bookmaker monopolies – none of which will be non-limiting monopolies.
But, I'm optimistic it won't get to that point – Sharp, no limit, bookmakers work. It doesn't hinge on weekly bonuses or their marketing budget, sharp bookmakers are a sustainable business model if the balance is struck correctly. So, in 10 years I think we will have more options.
More people are pushing back against bookmakers and the improper ways they discard winners and manipulate losers – as the debate continues, the stories come out, and the law adjusts; I expect to see even some of the current biggest limiting bookmakers, being pulled into line and forced to adjust their methods.
But, maybe I'm just a dreamer.
Bookies That Don't Limit: Conclusion
It is a bit of a minefield navigating your way through bookmaker restrictions, changing laws, and changing bookmaker protocols as a profitable bettor. But, it can be done; It is done, by many.
If you disagree with any of the above, let us know – if any of the above have limited you, let us know. I don't want to be wrong for a second longer than I have to be. If you know of any other verifiable bookies that don't limit accounts, let us know. We'll add them and share that information with everyone else that is sick of being limited.
Happy (Value) Betting
So, you want to learn about betting limits in poker? Let's start with a general idea of what we're talking about.
Betting limits refer to the different rules or structures you have to follow for betting and raising. These rules will affect how much you can bet or raise, and when, at any given point in a hand/round.
And it's a pretty big deal. If you jump from one limit to another – with no experience – you'll feel like a fish out of water. Because each one has a different strategy to learn. Each one has different mistakes to avoid. This page will cover all that in more detail.
One thing though – reading about different limits can be confusing. If you want to fully understand them, we suggest playing a few rounds of free money poker of each. Chances are you won't be any good by the time you're done. But at least you'll 'get it'.
Now let's get into it.
The Different Betting Limits or Formats in Poker
The different betting limits used in poker include:
What we'll do is explain each one and give you an example.
With fixed limit games everything from the amount you can bet or raise – if you can do either at all – is predetermined. There is a limit to both the amount you can bet or raise, and how many bets or raises can be made per round.
This is how limit games work:
Preflop and on the flop, you'll be able to bet and raise the small blind – in our case that'd be $1. And in many games the max number of times you can raise is 4. So, at most each person will put in $4.
On the turn and river (or later rounds in razz and stud), the big blind is doubled. In our case that'd be to $2. The 4 raises per round applies here too.
You'll only be able to make a bet/raise the size of the big blind. You can't bet in multiples or cap the betting at the same time.
For example, if you make a bet of $2, the next person can only raise it $2. Then the next guy $2. That's the gist, anyway.
Limit holdem used to be a real popular game. That is, until no limit games were shown on TV. Now limit is mostly used in poker games like stud and razz. It's one of the easiest betting formats to learn.
And because of the cap on every betting round, it's a bit easier on the bankroll. That said, limit games are the hardest to master.
For one thing, there's no room to bluff. Since you're only able to make a bet the size of the big blind, there's always odds to call. And it's almost always correct to do so. In fact, experts say a common mistake is to fold too much.
(This is opposite of no limit poker where players don't fold enough.)
Since you're only able to bet so much and so many times per round – and the fact that every player will have odds to call to draw – slow playing only means you're missing out on LOTS of value. You really need to maximize what you win when you have the best hand. This also helps make up for the times you draw to better hands (correctly) and lose.
The bottom line is fixed poker is more or less a passive math game rather than an aggressive game that often relies on guts and brute force – like no limit games often do.
This is arguably the most popular type of poker today. This is what you mostly see on TV. The exciting part is when you see someone say they're 'all in'. It's exciting because they're willing to put all their chips – sometimes their tournament life – on the line.
This encourages a brute force style of strategy that many players use. Very much UNLIKE fixed limit poker. Not only that, but there are no limits as to how much you can bet. So long as you meet the blinds with your bets and raises, you can do whatever you want.
For example:
The minimum raise is $4. From there the min raise is to $8. Then $16, and so on.
But so long as you meet the min raise, from there you can raise/bet whatever you want. You can raise from $2 to $10, $8 to $20 or $50, or $16 to $35.50. Or, you can shove all in.
You can do whatever you want.
This creates a different dynamic. One that is less focused on odds and the cards you hold (although both are still important), and instead a game that is more focused on player styles and stack sizes.
You can be a winning player simply due to being more aggressive. You can bet and raise more. Bluff more. Good players win more money by seeing fewer showdowns.
But this can also open the doors to more mistakes. It is possible to be overly aggressive – to bet or raise too often, play too many hands or stay in a hand longer than you should.
You got to learn when to fold, too.
And because you have the freedom to bet however much you want, you need to learn how much to bet. You need to bet enough to discourage people from drawing, while not over betting, because there's no sense in risking more than you have to to achieve the results you want.
This is sort of a mix between fixed and no limit poker. You have a cap on how much you can bet, but you're only limited by the size of the pot. As you can probably imagine, once you make a few bets and raises – or get a few streets in – the pot is big enough where you can go all in.
For example, if the pot is $2, that is the max you can bet. But once you bet $2 (and make the pot $4), the next person can raise another $4 (bringing it up to $8), then the next guy can raise $8 (making it $16), and so on.
(It's important to point out that you don't have to 'pot it' every time you raise. You can raise anywhere from the minimum (double the last bet/raise) to the size of the pot. Anywhere in between that is fine.)
Strategy is somewhere in the middle, too.
You want to be someone that can play the odds, bet for value (real important early on to build a bigger pot later), and still play the player.
It's a challenging, yet profitable betting limit for players up to challenge of mastering it.
The general idea with cap limit games is there's a limit to how much money you can put during a hand. This is relative to big blinds, and is often between 20 and 30. Once you've reached the cap it's treated as if you're 'all in.'
Poker Betting Tips
Experts say this can lead to more lively and aggressive games since your risk is capped more so than no limit and pot limit. Since you can only lose so much, it probably encourages more ‘screw it, let's run it' type moments.
Spread Limit Poker
Spread limit games are similar to fixed limit poker.
You'll have a range or spread – say $2 to $5 – that you can choose from for your bets and raises.
It's not a popular betting limit, based on the fact that we don't see it online (much) and when you Google the phrase the results are scarce. But these games do run.
Betting In Texas Holdem
No Limit Betting Rules
Beginners tend to make the mistake of betting the top of the spread with their best hands and at the bottom with weaker hands. But anyone paying attention will spot this.
So, you want to be more aware of how you size your bets relative to the strength of your hand.
Other than that, since this is so much like limit poker we'd recommend following those strategies. Bet for value, fold a little less often compared to pot and no limit poker, and bluff less.
If you're a visual person it's going to help to play a few rounds of each game to fully understand how it works.
But that's okay.
It also gives you a chance to see which formats you like best. Which formats you want to learn first – not just how to get through a hand, but all the strategies and tactics that are so different from one betting limit to the next.
No Limit Sports Betting
And that's a deep hole that'll keep you busy for the foreseeable future.
