Limit Hold Em is a game where the value of a player’s cards comes with their size. Hands that have great implied odds in No Limit Hold Em such as suited connectors and small pairs lose much of their value in Limit Hold Em. Instead, medium to big pairs and high Broadway cards skyrocket in value in Limit Hold Em, and these are the hands players should be looking to play.
Trap hands in No Limit Hold Em, such as KJ and A10 now become very good hands in Limit Hold Em. This is a basic mindset that players should have when starting to play Limit Hold Em. Players such as Phil Ivey must further analyze and understand how their hands should be played, since the player can only bet a fixed amount.
The problem with hands like KJ or 99 for example, is that they only play well when they are heads up with one opponent. If those hands get in multi-way pots, their values drop significantly. So how can players make sure they get heads up with these hands? The way players get heads up in Limit Hold Em is by using the isolation play, possibly the most important play a player can make.
Here is a picture-perfect example of why isolating is so important in Limit Hold Em:
The blinds are 1-2, and the hero has 10-10 on the big blind. A player from middle position raises to 2 with AK. Action folds to 10-10. Should he raise, or just call?
The answer here is an automatic raise, and here is why:
Let’s assume that the big blind, has QJ. If the hero with 10-10 just calls, there will be 5.50 in the pot and it would cost the big blind with QJ only 1 to play for a 5.50 pot. He is therefore getting fine odds to call. However, if the 10-10 player reraises to 4, the player with QJ would fold, since he would have to call 3 to win a 7.50 pot. Here is why it is so important for 10-10 to raise.
10-10 is about 57-43 percent favorite to win heads up against AK. However, if the 10-10 hand just calls and allows the player with QJ to enter the pot, AK then becomes the favorite to win, with 41%. 10-10 drops to having a 31% chance to win and QJ has a 28% chance to win. Reraising is therefore a necessity to playing Limit Hold Em when trying to isolate.
