So i have been a limit holdem player and im looking to make the switch to no limit. Would a low buy in tournament be a good way to break into NLH without risking alot of money up front as i gain experience? Or is there a better way to learn in person? Thanks

If you've not really played no-limit at all and don't want to risk any money, then playing the play chips on pokerstars could be a good start. The other step would just be playing micros online. Typically lowest stakes are 2nl, but for tournaments/sngs there are games for ~< $1.

A low buy-in live MTT (<$100) is a good way to get used to the format and cadence of live poker. The game plays somewhat differently, though, than cash as well as deep stack, non-turbo high buy-in MTT's. I always like telling people who have never played in a cardroom to play a few low buy in MTT's, just to figure out the mechanics of how to play live. Then move to whatever game you want to specialize in (cash, MTT's, etc).



If you are already a limit player who knows how to handle himself in a cardroom, just go to whatever format you want to play in, and commit to losing some buy-ins while you figure out how to adapt your game.

I really think that cash games would be the place to start, rather than tournaments. Tournaments have stages, and you need to adapt your play to the particular stage. You are never going to be open-shoving A5s with 100 BB in a cash game, but there will certainly be times in a tournament that you will have only 10BB and it will be the correct play. I think you need to learn the fundamentals of bet sizing, etc. in static situation first. After you have that down, you can try tournaments and learn about how to adapt your basics to the situations that come up with increasing blinds, etc.

It doesn't hurt to learn by playing, but you will learn a whole lot more by reading books and online content, and watching instructional videos. There are basic concepts that can be learned in just a few minutes (by having them explained) that you might never grasp while playing.

So my recommendation is to start by playing for play money, just to get a feel for the game. As soon as you feel comfortable, switch to the lowest stakes cash games (and don't even think about your results in play money - it really is a different world and not very important). Check out some BlackRain videos for small stakes (or others - I just think his are pretty good). check your library for beginning books on NL, and then just do a combination of studying and playing.

I assume you know the ins and outs of live play already from your experience with limit poker. I would just deposit $50 or so at whatever online site is available to you and play 2NL for a while to gain some NL experience. If you have a basic understanding of poker fundamentals and do a little study, it should not be long before you are beating 2NL or at least breaking even.

If online is not an option, most 1/2 or 1/3 live games are pretty soft, but you will need some bankroll to play them without being scared money. Again with a bit of study you should not take long to start beating them, but if losing several hundred dollars at a time would cause financial hardship for you, probably you would not do well. You would be playing scared. If you have 10-15 buyins available, and a basic grasp of poker fundamentals, though, do not be afraid; go ahead and take a shot at a 1/2 or 1/3 game.

The fundamentals of limit and NL are not really all that different - pot odds, implied odds, counting outs, etc, all carry over. Naturally implied odds become more important in NL since you can expect to win more than just a few big blinds when you hit a draw (unlike limit). Of course the flip side is that (again unlike limit) you will rarely get proper direct pot odds to chase a draw. Focus your study on starting hands and bet sizings, as these are the areas where NL differs a bit. There are a lot of online resources for PF play. Just as a general rule of thumb, online PF raises are usually 2-3 bb, live it is typically larger, up to 5bb (plus add 1BB for each limper). Generally do NOT open limp.

Sizings on subsequent streets are more tricky, but generally you should be sizing in proportion to the pot size. There is a lot of strategy involved in sizing, but (overly)simplisticly use larger sizes (3/4 pot - pot) in spots where you are the player with more big hands in his range and/or you are likely to have a polarized range (ie either a big hand or a bluff). Use smaller sizings (1/3 - 1/2 pot) when you are less nutted and/or have a merged range (mostly decent to marginal hands, but not many bluffs or huge hands). It will take some practice and study to get the hang of things, but it really is not that much different; good poker is good poker. Play good starting hands, learn to put opponents on a range, and build your own ranges well and you will be ok.

Play micro-stakes NLHE cash games online.

You could go tournaments, but short stacking cash is fine too .. IMO tournaments can play like cash through the first 6-8 levels, then once the average stacks get to 40bb or less you can kick in your limit experience.

While you will be a mark, there's nothing wrong with sitting down with 40-50bb at a cash game in an effort to get a feel for how the game flow is different. Then you will gradually want to 'always' maintain a deeper stack in order to take advantage of the bigger range clashes. GL

NLH online is closer, while in PLO, if not used to loose games, there is a learning curve and there are still many loose PLO games and one can play 5-card and 6-card PLOs also. The hands in PLO needs to be bigger preflop also when it is a multiway pot, or 4+ players on the pot potentially. It makes sense to have bigger hands in NLH also before raising anywhere or even limping until it is an implied hand and it gets the odds or so to see the flop, and if it is passive on the flop, suited connectors do better, while pocket pairs in the opposite case. It would help to know how often they bluff in some game somewhere - the time of the week and day included. How aggro it is preflop also, tells how many and what kind of hands one can play with some stack sizes and from what positions. Loose tournament poker. Having a basic math clear for GTO, when unsure, so one won't be calling too often at least.