2.1.3.4 Betting Amounts

There are many different ways to restrict the betting amounts and the various systems can produce very different games (requiring different strategies).

• No-limit poker: this is the format used for the World Series of Poker championship main event. The amount a player is allowed to bet/raise is limited only by the amount of money that they have.

• Pot-limit poker: this format normally has a minimum amount and the maximum raise is whatever is currently in the pot ( e.g. if the pot is at $50 and the amount to call is $20, a player can at most raise $70 by placing $90 in the pot).

• Spread limit: a format commonly used in friendly games. There is both a fixed minimum and maximum in each round ( e.g. 1-5 Stud is a game where the raise or bet size can be between $1 and $5 in any round).

• Fixed limit: a common format used in casinos. There is a fixed bet size in each round (same as spread limit with the minimum equal to the maximum). Usually the bet size is larger in the later rounds. Games that feature the same bet size in all rounds are called flat limit.