New to limit hold'em, have had a few years playing NLH. For context, I've had experience analyzing basic sims and doing some light solver work in NLH cash games.

This is a broad post asking about the general transition to/things to focus on/learn first in my journey to becoming a good limit player as well as what some good resources are for learning limit hold'em theory/strategy.

The same basic concepts apply in limit as in no limit. One big difference is the phenomenon of schooling in limit, especially if you are playing lower stakes limit games. This is the concept that a decision that is bad in isolation can be correct because of the actions of other players. It occurs a lot in limit games, especially if there are a lot of passive calling stations.

As an example, suppose you are dealt AA on the button. There are 4-5 players who limp ahead of you. Normally if a player raised into 4 or 5 opponents, flatting that raise would be a poor decision. However in the example described, with 5 limpers, your raise plus the blinds, the pot would be 8.5 small bets. The small blind is getting over 5:1 odds to call, so he is calling wide. If he calls the BB gets 9:1 on the call, and each limper gets even better odds (assuming the previous one calls). Long story short - your raise will build the pot, but probably will not thin the herd; that is schooling in action. You should still raise in a spot like this since you have an equity edge, but expect multi-way action.

Another limit technique that really does not apply is the free card play. Suppose you are in position on the flop with a flush draw. Betting that flush draw as a semi bluff probably does not make much sense - as discussed above, you will not thin the herd much. However if an opponent bets, raising does make sense for another reason. You almost always will have proper pot odds to call both the current bet and a turn bet with the flush draw. This costs you 3 small bets. However if you raise, it is likely that the turn will be checked to you. If you donÂ’t hit the flush on the turn you can then check and see a river at a total cost of 2 small bets, allowing you to fully realize your equity at less risk.

One of the biggest difference between LHE and NLHE happens OTR.

LHE on the river, you think your hand is good enough so you bet and get raised. Unless there has very little action the pot is now big enough that you should rarely fold. Let's say the pot is $100 in a 5/10 game. You bet $10 and get raised. Pot is now $130 and it's $10 to call. You're getting 13:1. Unless villain is the rock of friggin' Gibralter, you have have the best hand more than 7% of the time. Maybe not much more, but it's only a 1 big bet mistake if you're wrong. Folding the best hand is a 14 big bet mistake.

Now let's see NL. Pot is $100, you think you have a good chance of being good, so you bet $50. Villain raises to $200. Now you have to call $150 into $350. 7:3 odds. Now you have to be right 30% of the time to break even. Tougher decision.

Also in LHE, raising OTF as a semibluff is much more prevalent than in NL, since being reraised in that situation is an easy call in limit, a hard decision in NL.

Good point on river calls. Conversely then it makes sense to bluff much less often on rivers in limit than in NL since villain will be similarly incentivized to call. River bluffs rarely will succeed.