At first glance, the average poker room lined with Texas hold’em tables appears to be filled with people all playing the same game: two cards are dealt, betting occurs, and a series of board cards and bets decides the winner. If not for the different colored chips used at tables on either side of the room, the uninformed observer would never suspect that two entirely different games were being contested.
In reality, a significant gulf exists between the fixed-limit and no-limit versions of hold’em, with the great leap in betting ability afforded to each player changing literally every aspect of the game.