Today I didn't really feel like playing cash games, I played a couple of tournies, but those just pissed me off (even though I won one of them). So what is a poker prodigy to do? What else but try out some 6 handed PLO8!
I bought in for $10.00 at the .05-.10 6-handed table and tried my luck at it. I have now played it enough to be at least somewhat comfortable with it, as many of the concepts of the game are shared with other poker games. I did run into a few spots where I wasn't sure what to do though. Overall I just played very conservatively and picked my spots. I saw lots of flops though as my table was extremely passive preflop. I ended up getting visited by the quartering fairy quite a few times overall. I made it to about 15.00 pretty quickly, but over the course of the next hour or so lost it all back slowly. I rebought, and cashed out for 40.00 at the end of it all. Now the hands/questions:
On this hand I have 6644, I flop two sets, but when the action heats up a bit I call it quits. It seems like someone probably has a straight or something and I have no low. Thoughts? Is this being too passive?
On this hand I have Js Kh Jd 7c. I flop top set, but after getting significant heat from a player I know from the NLHE tables and have notes on that says he's a good player, I dumped it. Looking back it seems far too conservative to fold here, but I did. He is an aggressive player and I would have had to put all the rest in for sure, so I got out early. Also, earlier in the session I got into a hand with him where he pot bet the turn like that, I happened to have a set of Jacks that time too. I called him, and boated up on the river. He check folded to me with the nut straight. Anyway what is the play here?
I wasn't involved in this hand, but its kinda funny. The board ends up being a straight flush, but of course nobody can play it.
Here I have Tc 5c Qd 5h and flop middle set. I bet the pot on the flop, and get minraised. I and one other call that. Turn puts out a 7, and I am too wary of a straight to continue. I checked out my odds on this board. I had no low possible so I just gave my random opponent the nut low, and I also gave him a straight. Results not pretty.
Is this typical of the spot I am in there with middle set and no low? What a horrible spot, that seems good.
Any other feedback is appreciated.
Up over $80
13 years ago
4 comments:
Marsh, I am delighted, surprised, and proud of your efforts. For someone who is crushing the NL tables in the cake challenge to come out and try another game is great, O8 will help you become even a better NL Hold'm player as you really have to think in this game, even more so in my opinion than Hold'm.
I think Ryan and I can give you some good insight how to improve your game here. I respect Ryan's game and I have done very well on cake. The other players can certainly chime in as well.
Here are my insights.
First of all, you are seeing way too many flops. I know you are a great post flop player in NL Hold'm, but it is a bit different in O8, In NL Hold'm you can use betting patterns, position, and taking the lead to win pots. In O8, there are tons of showdowns so cards really do matter.
Use your pokerstove software as a guide but then adapt it to hands that are easy to play. Is K,2 os ahead of 5,6 suited in hold'm. Of course it is but which hand would you rather play. Same logic in O8.
Here is my guideline of hands I hate to play.
Double paired hands unless they are also double suited or both high pairs. Playing sets, if you are lucky enough to hit a set are just so tricky in O8 as you have to dodge straights, flushes and lows.
Any hand with a low pocket pair unless it comes along with premium cards like A,2, or A,3.
Any hand with a bunch of middle cards like 5-10 unless it comes with premium cards.
This guideline makes my comments easy. I would not have played the hand with 66,44. Flopping a double set is cool, but you are best going to end up splitting a pot here and could get scooped on. If you decide to play this hand, you played it correctly in the example you gave.
Way too conservative with the JJ hand where you flop a set. Lots of heat on the turn, but what are you scared of 6,8. If the guy really is a good aggressive player he should not be playing these cards anyways. He probably has a pair and A2 or A3 and is betting his draw. There also is no made low out there. I would have gone to the mat with this hand.
Same thing on the 55 hand. I hate low pockets in O8. You hit the set and are then scared of higher sets and sharing the pot with a low. Fold low pockets preflop.
Got to go get ready for Vegas. Happy to give you more insight in person. Congrats to your winnings in O8.
Funny, if you read Jason’s comments just after finishing Sam Farha’s book on Omaha (as I have), you can’t help but hear Farha’s voice while reading the comment (even though he didn’t write Jason’s words, obviously, although he would agree with Jason’s sound advice).
I think the only thing Farha would disagree with is Jason’s spelling of the words hold'em. Jason -- there’s an "e" in there for a reason -- please use it. It’s not hold'm, it’s hold'em.
Dabbling in O8 is fun and profitable, keep it up! Hand comments:
6644: It is almost certain that someone had a straight by the turn. Four consecutive cards on board with that many players and *someone* has fallen into a straight, especially here, where A2, everyone's favorite O8 duo, makes a wheel. Seems like the villain has A2, and you would have been calling to draw to a chop on the turn, which you want to avoid.
KJJ7: Really tough hand. I think I would have raised the flop, make it $2, and see who salutes. A key here is that it's a rainbow flop with only one to a low. You can actually raise for information and get it in a way you can't if that 9c is an 8s instead. People will go to the mat with flush draws and low draws, so raising with top set on a board of Jd 8s 7s will produce confusing calls and reraises that are difficult to read. If you raise with top set on this board and get reraised, you are only left asking yourself if this is an underset, overpair, or the straight playing back at you.
Sets are super dangerous in O8, but this is about as good as it's going to get for a set, so raise the flop, and failing that, bet the turn when the no-flush diamond comes off. I think gotme smelled weakness and stole it, not betting a straight, as he would have raised the flop with the straight, which are also super vulnerable.
QT55: Perfect example of the suckitude that are sets (especially non-top sets) in Omaha. And a perfect example of *someone* having the straight when there are four in a row on board. Unless the board is pretty dry, treat sets like a drawing hand, you are really seeking the boat/quads. And the problem with middle set is, unless you quad up, you don't even have the nuts when your boat hits; you are in Crying Call Land, not Ram and Jam Land.
These are great back-to-back hands to discuss; they both show the vulnerability of sets, but also show what a massive difference there is between top set on a dry board and middle set on a wet one.
Not too crazy about seeing a flop with 6644. And then you not only make a set but two sets...including top set. The page is not working right now but as I recall you ended up boating on the river and you actually ended up having a spare out to Quads. My guess is that there is an A2 out there betting their low. So IF you are going to play 6644 and nail the flop like that and get halfway in then I think it is OK to ride it out.
Post a Comment