Omaha >><< Hold 'em

Milo · Jan 02,2010, 03:49 PM

Is it possible to be a decent Omaha player without also being a decent Hold 'em player? Or is it simply easier to win at Omaha because so many people treat it like 4-card HE? Just curious for everyone's thoughts . . .

schabs · Jan 02,2010, 04:03 PM

I play PLO on a regular basis, I find that the low stakes omaha players are very weak...I enjoy omaha because it creates more action instead of waiting for KK or AA in holdem. I consider myself decent at both games tho.

GTA Poker · Jan 02,2010, 05:16 PM

Many holdem players are terrible at PLO for some reason...I'm pretty good at both but much prefer PLO because so many more spots are profitable. I think a winning NLH player should easily transition to PLO, but a break-even NLH player will lose at PLO because you are playing many more hands and it is to some extend less of a preflop game and much more of a flop game. 5-20bb/100hands (yes, 20 at lower limits) is definitely attainable multitabling PLO (I play 6 right now) whereas even the lower-end of profit is nowhere near attainable any longer in the nitfest that are NLH games online.

Milo · Jan 02,2010, 05:38 PM

Thanks GTA, this is what I am getting at, and why I hoped you'd respond, as I know you've been playing mostly Omaha for a while. I am playing limit Omaha while I try to build my BR (0.50/1.00), and have doubled my BR in a week. I recognize I will be heading for the inevitable variance downswing at some point, but I am enjoying the game.

Basically I am playing a fairly tight selection of starting hands (High Pairs, double suited, middle to high rundowns depending on position, no gappers above 1). If I lose 50% of my buy-in I go elsewhere, if I double up I stick around, but leave if I drop below 50% of my profit.

I'm only playing single tables right now. 6? No chance.
Thoughts?

GTA Poker · Jan 02,2010, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milo

Thanks GTA, this is what I am getting at, and why I hoped you'd respond, as I know you've been playing mostly Omaha for a while. I am playing limit Omaha while I try to build my BR (0.50/1.00), and have doubled my BR in a week. I recognize I will be heading for the inevitable variance downswing at some point, but I am enjoying the game.

Basically I am playing a fairly tight selection of starting hands (High Pairs, double suited, middle to high rundowns depending on position, no gappers above 1). If I lose 50% of my buy-in I go elsewhere, if I double up I stick around, but leave if I drop below 50% of my profit.

Thoughts?

I've never played limit omaha other than the occasional 20/40 session at Port Perry (have played tonnes of LO8). If you are playing full ring then it really is different from PLO in that you are relying heavily on preflop hand selection. Basically only draw to nut flushes, don't overplay nut straights, dump non-nut straights in multiway pots, dump non-nut fullhouses with much action in multiway pots...you get the idea. Preflop you want all of your cards working together -- 1 gap hands or runs without gaps preflop single or double suited (9875, 9876 etc), QQ+ with active sidecards, don't overvalue bad aces preflop multiways, etc, etc...I'm tired but if you have any specific questions let me know.

Edit -- free advice will require more pics of your car

Milo · Jan 02,2010, 05:51 PM

Nice try, you can get all the pix you want of my Cube off the web. I have the Slotboom book as well as Hwang's (sp?), so I have a fairly good idea of what constitutes strength PF. I have also heard of some sort of points system for hand strength. You know anything about that? It may be tourney related, not sure. Thanks for the info. regardless.

compuease · Jan 02,2010, 06:03 PM

Milo, I assume you've had a look at the PLO sticky at the beginning of this section. Shouldn't be much different than that.

Milo · Jan 02,2010, 06:17 PM

*blushes* Actually, no . . . me sorry.

GTA Poker · Jan 02,2010, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by compuease

Milo, I assume you've had a look at the PLO sticky at the beginning of this section. Shouldn't be much different than that.

I didn't see the sticky either -- there is some good advice and some utter useless and incorrect crap in that post

Milo · Jan 02,2010, 06:22 PM

Still going to read it all, but from what I skimmed, I think I am on the right track. I may be costing myself $$$ in good situations by leaving early, but I am prepared to live with that, for now. Thanks, guys.

DrTyore · Jan 02,2010, 06:27 PM

Hutchinson point system is what you`re thinking of Milo

Mark

Milo · Jan 02,2010, 06:40 PM

Thanks Mark. Before I go google it, does it apply to cash, or tourneys, or both.

Hobbes · Jan 02,2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrTyore

Hutchinson point system is what you`re thinking of Milo

Mark

Omaha

GTA Poker · Jan 02,2010, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hobbes

Omaha

common sense should get you further than this

BlondeFish · Jan 02,2010, 08:26 PM

Has anybody else noticed the same thing for PLO tournaments? When I'm not multi-tabling too many NLHE tourneys, I've been trying some PLO tourneys. Even though I only know a tiny fraction of Omaha strategies compared to NLHE, my ROI, ITM and first place percentages are higher in Omaha! If I ever find the time to read another poker book, I think it should be an Omaha book.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTA Poker

definitely attainable multitabling PLO (I play 6 right now) whereas even the lower-end of profit is nowhere near attainable any longer in the nitfest that are NLH games online.