Mixed Hold'em

The premise behind Mixed Hold’em is simple: take the two most popular forms of poker online, put them in a blender, and voila—a fancy new mixed game. At the Mixed Hold’em table, you’ll be cycling back and forth between Limit Hold’em and No Limit Hold’em. As far as mixed games go, that’s a pretty simple structure. The games switch with every button rotation; in other words, after everyone gets a chance to play. Though this seems simple, you will need to know the nuances of each game in order to succeed. Let’s start with the rules of each Mixed Hold’em game.

Limit Hold’em

You’re dealt two cards face-down to start. These are your hole cards. You’ll use them in combination with the community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

In Limit Holdem, you’ve got two levels of betting: the small bet and the big bet. The small bet is equal to the lowest number in the game’s limit (e.g. $2/4 limit has a small bet of $2). The big bet is equal to the highest number (e.g. $2/4 limit has a big bet of $2).

For the first two rounds of betting—pre-flop and the flop—you’re dealing in small bets. For the final two—the turn and the river—you’re dealing in big bets.

The community cards are dealt in a specific way. On the flop, three cards will come down. On both the turn and the river, one card will come down.

After the river, the player with the highest hand wins.

No Limit Hold’em

Structurally, NL Hold’em is exactly the same as Limit. The only difference is the betting limit.

In No Limit, there is—you guessed it—no limit to the amount you can bet on any street. If you want to push in all your chips with 2-7 preflop, by all means—go for it.

Again, the player with the highest five-card hand after the river takes down the pot.

Mixed Hold’em Tip: It’s Not About You

Everyone hates to hear it, but it’s true—you are not as important as you think. This true in any form of poker, but especially true in mixed games.

To kill Mixed Hold’em, you need to pay attention to your opponents’ playing habits. You want to take stock of three attributes for each player at your table: aggression, betting, and showdown.

Opponent Aggression in Mixed Hold’em

First, aggression: how many hands are your opponents playing? Do you have a calling station at your table? If so, you’ll want to attack him relentlessly during the No Limit round, but back off during the Limit round. Do you have a LAG sitting to your left? If so, exploit that when Limit’s the game, and back off a bit during No Limit.

Opponent Betting in Mixed Hold’em

Second, betting. This is uniquely important in No Limit. Do your opponents betray any consistent betting patterns? Do you notice that one guy c-bets every single flop after a preflop raise? If so, take note—and more importantly, raise the next time you see him do it. Does an opponent in Limit make a habit of pushing 3rd street to the max, regardless of his hand strength? If so, choose between checking and betting accordingly. It’s all about pot control.

Opponent Showdown Values in Mixed Hold’em

Finally, showdown. This one’s pretty obvious. Pay attention to the cards you see opponents showing down with. Connect showdown hands with betting patterns. For example, if a guy shows down AA after check-calling three streets, note his passivity. Fire into him with care in the future.