Dipping a toe in the PLO (1 Viewer)

Dugthefish

3 of a Kind
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
525
Reaction score
1,050
Location
Iowa
Run a weekly cash game, usually NLHE .25/.50, $60 buy ins up to $100 when average stack is 200bb. Usually $2500 on the table for the night, swings of -$300 to +1000 are standard. Plays like a small $1/2. Also have occasional $2-4/3-6 HORSE game with smaller swings.

Last weeks mixed game I had a couple guys asking about PLO. In 15 years of hosting I think we've played maybe 2 orbits of Omaha that wasn't fixed limit and Hi/Low. I've heard the game plays much bigger, and my very limited experience confirms that. I don't want anyone getting out of their comfort zone, as far as win/loss goes. I've hit a real sweet spot with most of my regulars, and I don't want (relative) fortunes crossing the table.

What are some ways I can keep the game under control? I really don't want to drop the blind structure. I mean, I could go single .25 blind or two .25 blinds. I'm thinking more like limiting rebuys to 100bb for the entire session, but I see people not liking that when stacks get deep.

Any other thoughts?
 
Lowering the stakes and max rebuys are the best ways. Another option is to make Running it Twice mandatory if someone is all in before the river. More chopped pots happen, so less rebuys, in theory at least lol.
 
While I am a big fan of plo over holdem I will relay this true story. A friend of ours ran a 1-3 holdem game for many years (well over 10 years). I never played in that. It turned into a very nice supplemental income for him for many years. Then one day someone suggested that he start a plo night……..as u know if u build it the action guys will come! inside of a year the stakes went up, the holdem games stopped and were replaced by more plo nights, the host went into debt and could no longer sustain the game. Game over. Moral of the story….. just be careful with plo. It’s like a virus.
 
What are some ways I can keep the game under control?
You could do one hand of PLO per orbit, or an orbit of each, all night, or starting after a certain time.

I played in a game last month that had an unusual way to mix in a few hands of another game -- they played all no-limit hold'em for the first 2 hours, then after the first two hours, they played 2 hands of pot limit omaha (PLO) per orbit.

The host said they came upon this structure as a happy medium for their players who most preferred NL, but some wanted to go 1 round of PLO, one round of NL Holdem. And the PLO players wanted to play more than 1 hand per round.

The way they kept tracked it was with a separate PLO button (unique chip, toy figurine, etc.) they gave to one person to keep in front of his chip stack, and when the dealer button got around the table to that person (say SEAT 6), they put the PLO marker/button next to or on top of the dealer button.

Then the first hand of PLO was dealt. Then the button & PLO marker both moved together to the next person (SEAT 7), and the second hand of PLO was dealt.

After that the PLO button/marker stayed with that person (SEAT 7) until the Dealer button came back around the table. The next orbit would have NL hands, until the button got back to SEAT 7, then the button on SEAT 7 & button on SEAT 8 hands were PLO. (Dealer button moves, PLO button stays on seat 8. Repeat).
(Note, I think I remembered the button movements correctly.)
 
I really don't want to drop the blind structure.
Why not? Just hand out a stack of dimes and keep the PLO to .10/.25.
It’s a great game, but the only way I’ve been able to stomach it is at micro stakes. I can’t think of another way to limit losses without affecting the game.
 
Why not? Just hand out a stack of dimes and keep the PLO to .10/.25.
It’s a great game, but the only way I’ve been able to stomach it is at micro stakes. I can’t think of another way to limit losses without affecting the game.
10c/10c or 25c/25c or 50c/50c etc...

I hate to be THAT GUY, but for home games...PLO... blinds should be the same only to help the players calculate the pot-sized-bet.

Sounds dumb to most. I know. But sometimes that odd small blind in the pot makes it a tad harder. With the ol' chance of scaring players off because they don't want to look dumb pre-flop as well

If you're playing 25/50c NLHE, realistically try out 10c/10c PLO with like a $5/$20max buy-in. Unlimited rebuys with rebuy chips in your pocket lol. You might get new players overall too - and people will want bigger action as they learn. Where else are they gonna find a comfortable microstakes PLO game?

The shock and awe factor of PLO is what keeps people wanting to play - plus the fact you could win only one or two pots and have rent paid for the month, playing at a casino/cardroom
 
I only play plo. No limit boredom most mastered years ago. Instead of a notch fest people may actually learn something.

Make it 1/1 blinds and $100 max cap buy in. As the night goes deep count the “big stack at the table” and have that be the max you can buy in for. No straddles.
 
I only play plo. No limit boredom most mastered years ago. Instead of a notch fest people may actually learn something.

Make it a 1/1 blinds and $100 max. As the night goes deep count the “big stack at the table” and have that be the max you can buy in for. No straddles.
adam-sandler-holy-shit.gif
 
Dealer's choice is always good, provided everyone agrees obv.

If you're playing regular HORSE games, the players should be familiar enough with mixed games to do dealer's choice.
 
Introducing PLO to holdem players is like introducing heroine to alcoholics. I’d def recommend no more than round by round until players figure it out. It will be a bloodbath for awhile and you might lose some players. Run it twice required on all ins is a great suggestion as that will slow the speed of chip movement to the better players. Have fun and hold on!
 
Running it twice is advantageous for the better players as it ensures they don't get scooped by the bad players as often when they only have a few outs

PLO at the same stakes as nlhe generally plays higher, so I agree with others who mentioned lowering the stakes

Also agree with not permitting straddles to keep the game somewhat in check

You might consider adding some flips every 30 minutes to introduce the game and add some degen tingles, while also capping the possible action so no one gets hurt
 
@Lil Tuna ran a game that was a round of NLHE, then a round each of LIMIT O8 and stud 8.

the NLHE played 1/2, if I remember, the 08 and stud 8 played as limit 5/10.
Hey @grebe and @Dugthefish,
Man and I sure do miss running that game. I hosted it first Saturday of every month and it ran pretty solid for a couple years.
In reading your intro post it sounds like you’ve got it dialed in really nice. I understand concerns by some as the stacks get larger toward the end of the night.
The way I ran my game, we would play an orbit of $1/$2 NLHE, an orbit of $2-$10 spread limit Omaha 8 and and orbit of $2-$10 spread limit 5 card stud hi/lo or 7 card stud 8.
My buy ins were $100-$300 with the option to reload for up to $300 more any time your stack dropped below $300 and there was a stack of at least $500 on the table. If you went completely broke in a hand, you could reload for up to $600 as long as there was a stack that large on the table.
This is the format that worked best with my player pool. On the bigger nights there might be $8-$9k on the table. My players loved the spread limit because it prevented every hand from becoming a flip for stacks. If you played smart and raised the minimum, you could actually pot control to an extent when you knew the player across from you was going to make it $10 and you needed to see another street or two.
The better games of the night were the stud and Omaha games, I only did the orbit of NLHM to give the guys who were stuck the opportunity to get even in one hand.
Typically though, the NLHM orbit was the quickest orbit and built the smallest pots. Every now and then you’d get the big stacks going at it in that orbit but most of the action was in Omaha and stud.
I’d say you can probably dial in your spread limits to fit your tables comfortability. Most of my guys sat down with 1k in their pockets and always bought in for $300 when they first sat down. I only had one guy who would by in $100 at a time. He was typically $600 deep a few hours in but always did $100 at a time. ( Slow bleeder)
Biggest loss in one night by a player was $2200 and I believe that was also about the biggest win by a player in one night in that game.
If you haven’t played spread limit in your game, I’d say give it a shot one night. Maybe start with a $1-$5 range in the Omaha.
When I say spread limit, the betting gives you the option to open for as little as $1 or as much as $5. You cap your raises at 3 behind your initial opening bet. So the max a street could potentially cost in this scenario is $20 if it opened for $5 and got raised three more times for $5.
The spread limit is a great way to keep your pots juicy but also prevent your players from completely busting in one hand. Most players don’t mind losing from time to time but no one wants to be down 2-3 buy ins in the first hour.
Give spread limit a shot, I think your players will grow into it and really love it. You’ll also find that they’ll eventually become more comfortable playing for bigger stakes.
You’ll run the best game in town, I was told many times that I did.
Best of luck with it and keep this thread updated with how ever you decide to proceed.
Below are a few pictures from my old game, hope you enjoy.
92BD4266-5510-4B11-BF35-F9E00A89B941.jpeg
F5CA6DE6-9AE7-42F7-A4EE-48B19DD0A6A8.jpeg
B7371B92-B7C5-4F25-B01A-80A160976DDD.jpeg
65BD4191-E9B6-4703-882F-2FFD58DFFA51.jpeg
7191B19C-285A-4109-B21F-CCBEB2292A2D.jpeg
812B4454-04E3-4137-896A-316B55EF32A2.jpeg
C9B1B5E2-B8AD-479C-8601-4984B0E1D9F2.jpeg
906FFEFD-747B-410C-AFF4-C8A572BCEE96.jpeg
A37495D6-17A3-4FB8-A642-8B224444A733.jpeg
 
Last edited:
We’ve evolved to playing HOPE lately and it seems to keep everyone happy.

H - Hold’em
O - PLO
P - Pineapple
E - Omaha hi/lo

An orbit of each.

I found that Pineapple was the gateway drug that let us have Omaha be more accepted, and then hi/lo start to be accepted too.

Pineapple is easy because “it’s just like Hold’em with one extra card”. Start with normal (dump a card preflop), then crazy (post flop), then lazy (keep all 3 but can only use 2).

From there it’s easy to get them to try a four card game.

It’s like easing into cold water a toe at a time.
 
@Lil Tuna that sounds like a great game you had (although 1/2 stakes would be too high for me for a home game). Why don't you think the game lasted?
 
We typically play .25/.50 hold'em. When I run a mixed hold'em and PLO night, we do orbits of .25/.50 hold'em and .25/.25 PLO. Helps keep the PLO hands from getting too much crazier than the hold'em hands, but there is a lot more action playing PLO of course.
 
@Lil Tuna that sounds like a great game you had (although 1/2 stakes would be too high for me for a home game). Why don't you think the game lasted?
Most of it was due to the Covid outbreak. Once that settled down I was able on a couple of occasions to host the game again but it was tough getting more than 7 players.
I have since relocated to Amarillo Texas for a new job opportunity, pretty much the nail in the coffin.
But before Covid, I had myself and 9 committed regulars to that game. I had about 6 players chomping at the bit on my back up list every month wanting a seat if one of my seats became open. Could fill it on an hours notice.
Also half my players for that game drove more than 50 miles for those seats every month.
I had played off and on with many of these guys over the years. A few of them as far back as before the poker boom.
These guys were yearning for something new and not just the same old NLHE games that seemed to be all anyone hosted anymore.
If I was still in Virginia, I’m pretty sure by now the game would be alive and well again.
 
@Lil Tuna I hope you can rebuild that game in Texas!
I think it will be possible but probably never at the same stakes I was used to playing back east.
I’m currently building a new house and generally still getting kind of used to a different way of life and personalities out here.

My card table and most of my poker room stuff is still packed up and in storage. As I’ve made some new friends at work and such, I’ve floated the idea of eventually putting a little game together. Some of them seem pretty excited about the opportunity to play some cards.

Will see what happens. I’m not much in it for the money anymore, I really just enjoy playing cards and having a good time.
The days of making easy money in bigger games has long past. It’s hard to put the right combination of players together these days to create steady long term profits.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom