Spread limit poker is a betting structure that allows players to raise up to a specified amount, which is often much larger in the later rounds of multi-round games. It allows players to indicate strength and weakness by their choice of bet sizing, but it is harder than no-limit to give away tells through bluffing and other types of unavoidable behavior.
In spread limit games, the minimum raise must be at least equal to the last player’s raise. This is a different rule from pot limit, where raises must be at least double the size of the previous bet or raise. The minimum raise is also less than the maximum bet in pot limit, which allows for a more fluid style of play in which the best players can take advantage of the fact that they can raise higher than the rest of the table and inflate the size of the pot with strong holdings.
Some spread limit games are played as “kill” games, where a kill hand is triggered when the player wins a pot over a predetermined amount, or a certain number of hands in a row. The player who triggers the kill must post a kill blind, which is usually 1.5 times (a half kill) or doubled (a full kill) the size of the big blind, and all bets and raises in the following betting round will be multiplied by that amount.
Most casinos have replaced any spread limit games with no-limit ones, as the popularity of no-limit grows, and many new players want to try out this exciting game. However, it is possible to find a few games in some casinos that offer spread limit poker.
