Table Limit
While no-limit poker tournaments get all of the attention on televised events, table limit poker is by far the most popular variety of poker played in online poker rooms. With table limit poker each round has a set betting amount and a set number of times a bet can be raised, which results in more predictable play with much less bluffing than in no-limit games. For example a $5/$10 table limits betting to $5 for the first two rounds and $10 for the last two rounds. And with the number of times a bet can be raised limited to three times the maximum amount you would have to call in the early rounds would be $20 and in the last two rounds it would be $40 (this total is the original bet plus the maximum three raises allowed). With large bets at the end of the hand not being allowed players have to bet early in the round if they are to get the largest possible pot. This makes for a more predictable poker game than any other of the three limit types of poker you can choose from.

Pot Limit Games
In a pot limit game raises are tied to the amount in the pot at the time the bet is to be made, the amount in the pot determines the amount that can be bet. This leads to lower betting occurring earlier in the game when the pot is small and betting getting higher as each betting round increases the pot. The pot in pot limit poker is more than the pot on the table. For betting purposes the pot is the total of the pot on the table, plus the all bets on the table, plus the amount a player must call before being allowed to raise. This can be confusing, so as an example we will look at a round of betting involving three players where the pot contains $10 at the start of the betting.

• Player 1 bets the maximum allowed (the pot limit) the $10 in the pot. The pot now holds $20. Player 1 has put $10 in the pot.
• Player 2 calls costing him/her $10 so the pot now contains $30 and raises the maximum of $30. The pot now holds $60. Player 2 has put $40 in the pot.
• Player 3 calls costing him/her $40 so the pot now contains $100, he/she then raises the maximum of $100. The pot now holds $200. Player 3 has put $140 in the pot.
• Player 1 calls costing him $130 but does not raise. The pot now holds $330. Player 1 has put $140 to the pot matching the amount put in by player 3.
• Player 2 calls costing him/her $100 but does not raise. The pot now holds $430. Player 2 has put $140 in the pot matching the amounts put in by players 1 and 3.
• At this point all of the players have contributed equally to the pot. If no one re-raises the hand will be played to determine the winner.

No-Limit Betting
Large televised poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker Tournament play no-limit poker. Poker games played under no-limit betting rules basically have no limit on the amount that a player can bet when their turn comes up. For many fans of poker the no-limit game is the ultimate poker experience because players have the option of betting all of his/her chips on a hand. To keep the games a little bit fairer poker tables usually have a limit, a table maximum, a maximum number of chips allowed by a player to bring to the table. This maximum limits a players' potential loss per game and lets players with smaller bankrolls play at the same table as players with a larger bankrolls.

While in old movie clichés players had to match a bet to call (putting in car keys and the like in the pot) real poker rooms have a less dramatic method of handling a situation where a players hasn't enough chips to cover a large bet. When a player doesn't have enough chips he/she can still call the hand by going 'all in'. The pot is then simply split in two wit players betting what they can and winning only the amount that they bet (or being eliminated should they lose).

Which limit game should you play?
Your skill level, the size of your bankroll, and your personal preferences all are factors to consider when determining what type of limit poker you should play. When starting out a player would be well advised to avoid no-limit tables, but if comfortable they may be able get away with participating in pot-limit games with a low ante. Table limit games are for the most part good for beginners but tend to encourage a lot of 'loose' playing by players who call almost all bets even when they are holding a weak hand. This sort of playing makes it hard for players to learn how to bluff and practice betting strategies, skills you will need if you're planning to move up to more challenging games. A table limit game is a more predictable game to play and is less risky, it is probably the game best suited to new players. A pot limit game or a no-limit game can provide a good experience when players have a good night, but can be downright expensive when your luck turns sour or you find yourself at a table with players who are just that much better than you.