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Originally Posted by Souleh
As a new player to 08 (less than 500 hands) should I be sitting at the micro 6max games or full ring? Or better yet would I be better sitting HU?
In my humble opinion, full ring is probably best for you as you learn the game.
I think you have to learn how to play tightly. Being able to play tightly when prudent requires self discipline and is easier for some than others. My idea is you start out playing very tightly, squeaky clean tightly, as you learn, and then gradually expand your range of starting hands. You can't do that heads-up, and I don't think you even can do that in six max.
As a beginner to Omaha-8, voluntarily play only about ten per cent of your starting hands, just the ones that tend to make the nuts on the river. A2**, A3** with a suited ace, AA**. Just that group. Fold everything else.
Carefully watch what your opponents do and take notes about your opponents. You especially want to know how tenacious they are, in addition to the obvious how aggressively and how tightly they play. If you can figure out what hands they seem to voluntarily play as starting hands, and how they react to raises at various stages and from whom, that's good note material too.
Be aware that Omaha-8 is quite a different poker game than Texas hold 'em. The general principles of poker apply to both games, but the emphasis in how some principles are applied is somewhat different in Omaha-8 than in Texas hold 'em. That should be, and probably is, obvious. But old habits, especially winning habits, are hard to break.
Your primary goal during the initial learning period should be learning how your opponents play. Thus when you're not playing a hand yourself, you should be carefully observing your opponents to learn how they play.
Since you're already a successful Texas hold 'em player, I imagine you already observe your opponents. I imagine you already either do or don't enjoy watching your opponents and trying to figure out how they play.
In my humble opinion, it's
hard work to observe your opponents. But it's not as much of a chore if you enjoy watching how they play. I happen to enjoy watching how people play and I happen to enjoy trying to figure out what they're thinking.
If you don't enjoy watching how they play, watching what works for them and what doesn't work, then maybe you'll never figure out how to beat them enough to be long term successful at this game.
That's my idea. Other people have different ideas. If you do it my way, as a beginner to Omaha-8 you'll be passing up lots of playable hands. As a beginner, you'll be leaving cash behind on the table.
But I think you'll learn some self discipline, I think you'll learn the fundamentals of the game and I think you'll become a better observer of your opponents - and I think all three of those are important for long term success.
On the other hand, if you can hit upon some way to play to consistently beat your opponents, do that. Do whatever works for you.
Where you have a specific question, post a hand history here in this forum. Make sure you include your question. Try to be as specific as possible. You'll get various perspectives. It will take you a while to learn who to believe.
Different successful Omaha-8 players who post here have different successful strategies. Alas, we also have unsuccessful Omaha-8 players who post advice. Sometimes that advice is right and sometimes it's wrong. (That's probably also true of successful Omaha-8 players, but their advice is more likely to be correct than those who are unsuccessful). It simply is up to the reader to learn who to believe.
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I'm a winning play at NLHE HUSNG and Cash (by far mostly HUSNG) and I believe HU has improved my ring game abilities and hand reading just a ton more than playing 6max ever did. Does this same principle apply to 08?
I don't know what "principle" you're talking about. Do you mean will heads-up play improve your ring game play more than six-max will? If so, I think heads-up play may cause you to focus on individual opponents more than multi-opponent play will - and I think if you originally were unable to focus on individuals in your multi-game play, focusing on individuals in heads-up play may ultimately help your multi-opponent play.
But obviously, once you have learned how to focus on individuals, six-max play more resembles full-game play than heads-up play does.
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Is there even much action in 08 HU or is it just regs like LHE?
I don't know. I could guess, but your guess is probably as good as mine. Perhaps someone else reading this knows.
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Finally are 08 HUSNG worth playing or are they a total crap shoot like PLO HUSNG?
I have not played any pot-limit Omaha-high-only sit 'n go tournaments. Are they total crap shoots? I wouldn't know. Omaha-8 play seems quite different to me than Omaha-high-only play. In addition, fixed-limit Omaha-8, pot-limit Omaha-8, and no-limit Omaha-8 all also seem quite different to me (although obviously some general poker principles apply to all three of these).
Buzz