All in during a 2/4 limit game - what's the rule?

[Charlutz]

During my monthly home game this week, we decided to change things up and play 2/4 limit holdem. I've played limit in casinos before and know that once you get head up, you can go no limit. But what is the rule? When I've seen it happen, there were usually the 3 allowed limit raises and if the dealer had the idea that the players would keep going, he'd mention that they could go all in.

It came up a few times during our game and what I said was that it was no limit when it got to head up, but I added some conditions. The bet either had to be $4 or all in, nothing in between. I allowed the person calling the bet to either call the all in, or call for $4. I felt ok about those. Is there anything else that should have been part of it? Should we have gone through the first bet and three raises before allowing the all in?

[Wedge Rock]

Chocolate fence.

[Shadow]

It isn't that you can go all in, it's that there is no cap on the number of raises. There IS a HUGE difference. Yes, you can continue to raise back and forth until someone is all in, but there is also the fact that someone can stop raising at some point and just call. Someone's highly likely to lose the pot, they may want to cut their loses at some point.

And my understanding is that the street had to start heads up. If there are 3 people that see the river, you will not be heads up when one folds.

[Charlutz]

Thanks Shadow. I saw the all in allowed the last time I played at MGM. There were a number of raises and then when it was clear it was going to keep on going, they just went all in. I know what you mean about cutting losses and that's why I allowed the $4 call of an all in. Guess it could vary by casino and be more of a house rule?

[Quads]

Yes, but if you raise, raise, raise, on the river, and a (one of three) person folds, then you're heads up. So the remaining players can raise till the chips are all in the middle.

I'd have to go back to read RROP to see, but I think that is the way it works. Typically 1 bet, plus 4 raises, unless heads up. If you drop a player the two remaining can have the swinging dick contest.

[Aust1227]

When we play in Biloxi we play exclusively limit.. I have seen the floor make the ruling that ANYTIME there are two players there is no cap on raises.. But, even if the players agree to go all in they have to follow protocol and raise the appropriate limit the entire time.

One time I saw a DICK move..

Player A "hey player B, lets just go all in"..
Player B "Yeah okay.. I call... I have the nuts", and he did
Player A "We can't go all in in this game, its limit, so I will check and call your bet, just cause I am a nice guy, so here's $8" (BTW, player A had second nuts)

Player B " FFFFFLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRR"

Floor "This is not a no limit game, there are $4 bets, and $8 bets, nothing more and nothing less. I am sorry about the situation, you win the pot, but not his whole stack"

[Randy2310]

I've had some dealers be inconsitant but I do recall a bunch of times where if the betting round on the river started with 3 even if one folds before the cap it's still a capped betting round. needs to start with 2 players from the get go. Other times the dealer has let the raising keep going after others folded on the river and it was heads up

[Quads]

Yeah, i think that comes down to the interpretation of the rule, and a room by room type thing.