Different kinds of betting limits are in effect in Las Vegas casinos. Most tables will have a defined "bet." People sometimes called this a minimum bet and sometimes a maximum bet. Do not be confused by this usage, as they are the same thing in "table limit" games.

If the table-defined bet is $2, then no one can bet only $1 or raise by only $1. A "bet" can be thought of as a unit of betting. The options in such games are to make a "bet" of $2, or not, or to raise by one "bet" or not. Everything with the exception of some antes and blinds (described below) will be in a "bet" unit, equal to $2 in this example.

In the later betting rounds, the "bet" unit is doubled. In the example, no one can bet or raise by more than $2 in the first betting rounds. (Raises are often limited by "house rules" to a maximum of three per betting round.)

Now the number of betting rounds depends on the game. In draw poker there are two rounds of betting (not counting the ante). The betting unit doubles in value for the second round. It is more common for five card draw to be played with antes, but it is also possible to use the blind bet system that is most common in Texas Hold'em.

In Hold'em there are four betting rounds: The first comes after the first two cards are dealt face down (the hole cards). The second is after the next three cards are dealt face up (the "flop"). The betting unit is then doubled for the betting that occurs after the sixth card (the "turn") and the seventh card (the "river"). In lieu of antes, betting is started by a one-half blind bet made by the person to the left of the dealer (small blind) and a full blind bet made by the person to the left of the small blind (big blind). Other blind combinations can take place (like having three blinds), but they are unusual.

In Seven-card stud there are five rounds: one after the first three cards, and then one after each of the next four board cards in succession. The betting unit doubles in the third round. Often there is an ante before the game commences, and then the player with the lowest visible card starts the first round of betting with a forced half bet or an optional full bet.

The doubling of the betting unit occurs almost without exception in table limit games. Thus, with four betting rounds in a $2 game, a player might risk as much as $16 in the first two rounds and $32 in the last two, for a total of $48. It is very unusual for a $2 game to go as high as that because games almost never have three raises in every round. Many games of Texas Hold'em or Stud even end early when all but one player folds.

Some poker tables will be defined as "spread limit" games, mainly when the maximum bet is $5 or more. This means that bets in any amount from some minimum (like $2) "up to" the table maximum will be accepted. The betting maximum doubles halfway through the hand, as usual. This variation allows gradations is betting, which adds more precise information to the game, as bettors can slice things more thinly.

Other poker tables will be defined as "pot limit" games. This means that there will be a minimum betting unit as usual, but a player may bet as much as is in the pot at the moment of betting. Often the "pot limit" rule only kicks in for the last round of betting. For example, if there is already $64 in the pot, and on the last round a player wants to bet as much as possible, the $4 betting unit will not be the ceiling (assuming this was a $2 game.) Instead, the pot defines the ceiling, and the player can bet $64.

Finally, there are "no limit" games. A minimum bet will still be enforced, but the rules will not forbid bets that exceed the pot even on the last round of betting. Like pot limit games, no limit games usually reserve the "free-for-all" rule for the last betting round.

Sometimes people will ask how there can be no-limit play in games designated as having betting limits. Among other things, "heads-up" play usually permits raises without limits, even if the game started out with betting limits. Heads up play occurs when there are three or more players in a game and all but two fold. In such a circumstance, a player can make an "all-in" (all or nothing) bet. This is commonly seen in the televised sessions of Texas Hold'em.

In no-limit games, "all-in" betting is allowed even if there are more than two players in the game. In that circumstance, a second pot is kept for the players who have matched the bets of others 100%. If the "all-in" player wins, he or she wins the amount covered by the "all-in" bet, but not any excess out of the other pot, which is won by the highest hand from among the 100% bettors.