Quote:
Originally Posted by smithinc49
We do $0.10/0.20. We play with $0.10 / $0.50 / $1.00 in chips. I guess we'll see how bad it really is. I don't want to change up the chip denoms this game as we're doing it tonight. I might for future games if it gets crazy.
Wow, the $0.50 is a great idea, actually, especially for a bb=0.10. This is even more reason to allow a $0.50 open raise in PLO (compared to a normal $0.40 pot bet); someone can open for a single chip rather than four dimes. Definitely consider this minor rule adjustment. If you do allow a $0.50 open, you might also want to make an exception to the one-chip rule for $0.50 chips. (My game does not use the 1-chip rule because opening for $1 is so common that the 1-chip rule creates more problems.)
Of course, it is somewhat inefficient to have 0.50 and 1.00, but it might seem too weird to have a $2.50 chip.
Good luck tonight. Give us a trip report.
Quote:
Originally Posted by psandman
This makes me want to pull out my hair. YOU DO NOT NEED TO COUNT THE CHIPS IN A POT. You count the bets and keep track.
If you can't do this ..... learn .... not just for playing PLO. knowing how much is in the pot is generally considered useful for playing all forms of poker.
I doubt someone would want to spend the night tracking the pot
exactly for all the players for every hand. It's tiring and definitely not fun. And realistically, the hold'em players (especially the casual ones) won't do it, certainly not exactly, out of habit. So they need something to fall back on.
Yes, knowing the approximate pot size is useful, but in PLO, players are going to say "pot", which requires an exact count. Even players who are consciously tracking the pot will usually have to double check by counting chips (especially when someone asks, "Are you sure?")
Add in beer, casual conversation, Words With Friends, and a late night, and people will lose track of the pot.
I've spent years playing with winning, 2+2, EV-calculating math/science nerds. Chips usually still need to be counted when there is significant action. Occasionally we'll have a "Rainman" at the table we can count on, but not always, and even then people often want verification.
By the way, serious NLHE players may track the pot exactly in part because under NL rules nobody is obligated to tell them pot size. Therefore, it's entirely up to that player to track the pot himself. However, in pot-limit, you are
entitled to know pot size. So I can imagine otherwise disciplined players slacking off on tracking pot since they know they can call for a count whenever they want. Perhaps this is what happened at my game, since we also play hold'em pot-limit.
One last point on psychology. Mental arithmetic is mentally taxing and will deplete the glucose in your pre-frontal cortex more quickly. The pre-frontal cortex monitors and regulates emotions. When it is depleted, you will tend to act more rashly. ("The pot is exactly $41.75, and he bet 83.8% pot, thus denying me proper odds... **** it, maybe he's bluffing, I call.")
So when playing a pot-limit session, it may be
optimal to not personally track the pot to conserve energy.
(Maybe this is why Stud players seem to be the grumpy types; tracking those cards is wearing them down.)