How do I get my friends interested in other types of poker games? (1 Viewer)

Thionite

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We have a little irregular home game that runs 5c/10c (yes it's a donkfest but it's fun), exclusively NLHE though.

I like to try new stuff out, e.g. running a little Turbo MTT to start the night off and whoever busts starts the cash game, Pineapple, or PLO. The thing is apart from one friend, maybe two they're pretty set on only playing No Limit Hold Em. Even though the money doesn't matter to us they can't seem to find interest in other games. How do I change that? I am sure they'd like more donk-friendly stuff haha
 
I would start with introducing games similar to hold em such as different variants of pineapple and PLO. Or maybe try and loosen things up with the occassional double board bomb pot.
 
Get new friends...
If it were that easy haha
While thinking about it, we could try playing a few rounds without money involved (or less, which is funny considering our $10 buyin). While that'd be a shitshow they might like one or two of the games presented.
 
I would start with introducing games similar to hold em such as different variants of pineapple and PLO. Or maybe try and loosen things up with the occassional double board bomb pot.

Yeah this is pretty good advice. Pineapple and Omaha are probably the next easiest games to pick up. You could try playing 0.25/0.50 limit when you first start so no one gets stacked but everyone learns the mechanics.
 
Start out with short low-cost tournament formats featuring alternating levels of two different games where the event ends once half the field has busted (remaining players all double-up) and you start a new tournament. Start the second event with the favorite game from the first event plus another new game.

This keeps everybody engaged, puts a hard stop on fixed costs while learning new games/strategy, and allows you to introduce many more games in a short period (and get feedback on each, for future reference).

Once people start getting comfortable with change, you can start adding them to the cash game rotation (2 orbits NLHE and 1 orbit 'other game', or dealer's choice orbits allowing them to pick).

Three-card games (Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple, Tahoe/Lazy Pineapple) make good tranistion games for NLHE players, as does Double-Board Hold'em and Two-Hand Hold'em (4 cards, split into two hands). That makes it easir to later start introducing Omaha variants and high/low split-pot games.
 
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Playing limit format is a great way to teach some of these games. I’d highly recommend a limit night. You might be surprised how much fun everyone has.
 
Playing limit format is a great way to teach some of these games. I’d highly recommend a limit night. You might be surprised how much fun everyone has.
I actually had a different experience when I tried teaching through limit poker...they learned that they hated limit poker. :)

I lowered the stakes and did a rotational game to introduce PLO. It quick became a staple and our cash game standard is rotating orbits of NHLE and PLO.

Circus games I think end up as a different deal - either you like them or you don't. They could potentially drive a lot of your players away in my opinion, so would echo the "get new friends" advice if that's where you are trying to get them to.

I converted one my friends to Big O8, and he eventually stopped playing it because he didn't like the swings.
 
We started a tourney structure with a "button calls it" on every Even blind structure. If it lands on someone, they can call any game. Might get holdem, might get PLO8 or Big O.... Eventually it's made the entire group like a few of the mixed games.
 
I have to keep reminding myself that you don't mean "get an entirely new circle of friends" but rather other people to play games other than NLHE with ... right? RIGHT?
 
I had the same issue with my group a couple of years ago. We started by adding Omaha 8, alternating full rounds with each game. After players got comfortable with Omaha 8, we added Crazy Pineapple to the mix, again with alternating rounds. Next to be added was Big O. Slowly, additional circus games were added. Now we play dealers choice, with a full round played of the selected game. After doing this for about two years now, no limit hold'em is rarely called, and when it is, it is usually double board.

Just take your time, adding one game at a time until players get comfortable with changes.
 
I have to keep reminding myself that you don't mean "get an entirely new circle of friends" but rather other people to play games other than NLHE with ... right? RIGHT?

Make lots of friends, and play lots of games! :)
 
Getting NLHE players to play limit is damn near impossible.

Getting new friends is probably the easiest route.

I started out many years ago as a limit tournament player due to the lack of nlhe tournaments at foxwoods and it was a big adjustment when I went exclusively nlhe, two different games for sure. I like limit but it would be a difficult sell for you I think, better off introducing fun and wacky variants.
 
From my point of view, it's a natural "life-cycle" for a poker player these days. These days everyone starts by playing and learning NLHE. And when someone's in that stage, that's pretty much all they want to play. It doesn't matter what other people what playing, what their friends want them to play... they just wanna play NLHE goddamn it!

And then eventually, after doing that for a while, people get bored. NLHE played properly is a pretty boring game. That's when I find people are more receptive to trying out other games. Then the PLO starts, the mixed games come, then comes the donk games like SOHE and five-card double board bomb pot drawmaha.

It just might be that your players haven't reached that stage.
 
I'm not sure if this is a Texas thing or national, but most of the games here do Bomb pots once an orbit. Basically, the button and the Bomb Pot Button move in opposite directions. When they reach each other, it's called a bomb pot. Everybody puts $5 in (those that don't want to play, don't). Each participating player is dealt 4 cards, then there is a burn card and two flops are dealt. Only one burn card, though, not two). Once the two flops are done, betting begins using pot limit format. Once betting is done for the flop, another burn card, then two turns, etc. Players MUST use two cards, any two cards, but two of their cards MUST be used. A player can be playing one board or both. Basically, each board is an independent hand. There are usually split pots most of the time. Once you get used to that format, and there are less players, you can get crazy with it. You can do three cards, with two boards and play a version of Pineapple or Crazy Pineapple, or deal five cards with two boards, etc. This is an easy way for people to learn different games while still doing Hold 'em. Folks love that around here.
 
I had the same issue with my group a couple of years ago. We started by adding Omaha 8, alternating full rounds with each game. After players got comfortable with Omaha 8, we added Crazy Pineapple to the mix, again with alternating rounds. Next to be added was Big O. Slowly, additional circus games were added. Now we play dealers choice, with a full round played of the selected game. After doing this for about two years now, no limit hold'em is rarely called, and when it is, it is usually double board.

Just take your time, adding one game at a time until players get comfortable with changes.

This seems like an easy, sensible away to approach it. For casual players (myself included) it may seem daunting to have to learn a bunch of different sets of rules and betting requirements for different games. If you add one new game that the players can learn slowly (and without losing too much money) it allows them to feel comfortable with it before the next game gets added.
 
If it were that easy haha
While thinking about it, we could try playing a few rounds without money involved (or less, which is funny considering our $10 buyin). While that'd be a shitshow they might like one or two of the games presented.
in all seriousness.. when i wanted to incorporate mix games, we sat around the table and played hands face up.
we discussed some strategy and explained what good starting hands are and what to look for...

when we played for cash, we played with a cap until everyone felt comfortable.
 
Growing up, no one played hold em. 7 stud, 5 card draw, jacks or better to open, sometimes trips to win, 7 no peek, baseball, criss cross, 44, 55, 44 bitch, 4 pass one ( straight beats a flush ) guts, even Indian. It was way more fun than hold em
 
Adding a tournament NLHE game to your rotation would be easy - you could also have aggressive blinds so that it only lasts an hour or two.

As for different games, I think a lot of this has to do with how often you play.
- With a weekly game (or more frequent) they players tend to be better and also tend to be willing to experiment with other games lest they get bored.
- With a monthly game (or less frequent) players are less experienced and probably not willing to learn something new that they will likely not need for another month or two.
So before trying to get your players interested in different games, first get a weekly regular game going.
 
This seems like an easy, sensible away to approach it. For casual players (myself included) it may seem daunting to have to learn a bunch of different sets of rules and betting requirements for different games. If you add one new game that the players can learn slowly (and without losing too much money) it allows them to feel comfortable with it before the next game gets added.
Now imagine people who feel like they'll lose too much money even this way while donking off 100BB with 2nd bottom pair in the worst bluff attempt against the biggest station. I guess I'll have to do lots of talking and convincing, not that I mind it, but they're as stubborn as donkeys (hehe).
 
My group has been a small stakes ($20) NLHE tournament. I've been breaking in my group with a once a year "Special Format" game. The first year was Crazy Pineapple (tournament), and they loved it. Then I introduced cash games, to less stellar results. Next was a limit cash game; most liked it, some did not. This year will be Omaha, and some are chomping at the bit to play, while others have openly stated that they don't like it.

In the end, changing games means some will and some won't like it. I do it for the variety, but honestly, I never get bored with NLHE, and I prefer it to all the other games.
 

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