List of Split-Pot Games to Play as Limit (1 Viewer)

My only experience of circus games has been at meet-ups but I have learned a lot. At SQM, I played badugi variants and that confused the hell out of me.

Instead of my trial by fire, personally, I would start with high only games with a single board:
  • Hold'em
  • Super hold'em
  • 3-hand hold'em
  • Omaha
  • Pineapple
  • Scrotum
  • ImPLOcean
Then you do split pot high only games
  • SHESHE
  • SOHE
  • Draw2maha
  • Route 66
Then progress to double board split pot games
  • Double board hold 'em
  • Double board Omaha
  • Double board 5-card Ohama (God's game)
  • Scarney (I had a lot of "low" confusion here so maybe leave this out)
So there are a bunch of games you can play here where it's still normal poker but with only variations to the numbers of cards in play.

After people are familiar with the above then introduce the 8-qualifier low games. For me the biggest challenge was the brain switch between looking only at the high to looking at both high and low.
  • Hold'em 8
  • Super hold'em 8
  • 3-hand Hold'em 8
  • Pineapple 8
  • Omaha 8
  • 5-card Omaha 8/BigO
  • ImPLOcean8
  • Scrotum 8
Then if you're a real glutton for punishment, the "ugis"
Thanks for that :)
I’m trying to get my limit set into play. Which games would be best for that do you think?
 
No 3-2-1, and recommend that you only play Draw2maha. 3-hand HoldEm is another good entry game, along with the pineapple variants. Here is a recommended evolution, with SHESHE needed in the HE section:

View attachment 395692

Ha!!!! Just came across your chart, Forrest, LOL!!!

Great job, although I wouldn't use the word "evolution" personally as NLHE is better than any of its derivations and so are PLO and PLO8. LOL!!!
 
If not mentioned, add route 66 to the list. It's now my favorite game. First hand i scooped this much.

20200221_225524.jpg
 
Thanks gents. I’ll go check that out.

Just read about drawmaha online (couldn’t find draw2maha) and it looks like great fun.
 
I couldn’t even get them to try double board hold’em! Long time friends that I’ve known for up to 20 years...but they are so nitty. We can only play micro stakes PLHE and $20 tourneys I guess.

Like I said, I need new friends.

I have been introducing new games to my players, one game per year.

To start, they were all tournament NLHE. Period.

  1. First I introduced cash games. most were indifferent to not liking it, though there were a few fans.
  2. Then we played Crazy Pineapple. I heard no negative comments, and there has been a desire to play it again, even though that was a few years ago.
  3. Next was a limit poker cash game. Yep, Limit holdem. It was either loved or hated. Look, not everyone is a degenerate that wants to throw hundos in the air and see where they land. At least this way they could play a cash game without fear of getting their wallet emptied.
  4. Year 4, I went back to a NLHE cash game. Again mixed reviews. But hey, I have four of cash game sets. I'm going to keep trying.
  5. Year 5 will be Omaha. High only. I broke it out for a couple guys that drove their female counterparts in for ladies night, and they both loved it. As ladies got KO'ed, they would join the men's table, but they did not share the Omaha love. It will be interesting to see what the full group thinks.
Despite @inca911 's flowchart, I would never go double board early. Double board introduces an incredibly high variance. I still do not like split-pot games, because they can get incredibly expensive, in a fucking hurry - for an experienced player. Don't believe me, read nearly any early-mid game report from @detroitdad . He's down 3 buy-ins. A lot of people want to quit after 2 buy-ins. But 3 buy-ins is nothing to a split-pot game player. What's more, he'll finish up 4-5 buy-in for the night! that's a massive swing for a holdem, tournament-only player, and that-s pot limit. I can only imagine that split-pot NLHE would felt a NLHE Tournament-only player in... about 90 seconds.

Your friends are fine. They know how to doggy-paddle, and you are asking them to go cliff diving.
 
I have been introducing new games to my players, one game per year.

To start, they were all tournament NLHE. Period.

  1. First I introduced cash games. most were indifferent to not liking it, though there were a few fans.
  2. Then we played Crazy Pineapple. I heard no negative comments, and there has been a desire to play it again, even though that was a few years ago.
  3. Next was a limit poker cash game. Yep, Limit holdem. It was either loved or hated. Look, not everyone is a degenerate that wants to throw hundos in the air and see where they land. At least this way they could play a cash game without fear of getting their wallet emptied.
  4. Year 4, I went back to a NLHE cash game. Again mixed reviews. But hey, I have four of cash game sets. I'm going to keep trying.
  5. Year 5 will be Omaha. High only. I broke it out for a couple guys that drove their female counterparts in for ladies night, and they both loved it. As ladies got KO'ed, they would join the men's table, but they did not share the Omaha love. It will be interesting to see what the full group thinks.
Despite @inca911 's flowchart, I would never go double board early. Double board introduces an incredibly high variance. I still do not like split-pot games, because they can get incredibly expensive, in a fucking hurry - for an experienced player. Don't believe me, read nearly any early-mid game report from @detroitdad . He's down 3 buy-ins. A lot of people want to quit after 2 buy-ins. But 3 buy-ins is nothing to a split-pot game player. What's more, he'll finish up 4-5 buy-in for the night! that's a massive swing for a holdem, tournament-only player, and that-s pot limit. I can only imagine that split-pot NLHE would felt a NLHE Tournament-only player in... about 90 seconds.

Your friends are fine. They know how to doggy-paddle, and you are asking them to go cliff diving.
That’s good advice. I’ve managed to introduce Omaha high and crazy pineapple and it wasn’t too bad. For each of those I did one orbit a couple of times a night. The big problem I have is one player outright refuses to play limit. He hates the fact he can’t go all in and push other players out of a hand. I think that raising the blinds to £0.50 / £1 might help but then again it might not.
 
I have been introducing new games to my players, one game per year.

This gave me a chuckle. I've followed your threads for a while and appreciate how much thought you put into your game. I appreciate how welcoming you are to new players and how you teach them in a friendly environment. That’s a lesson in how to grow this game many of us love.

I also suspect some of your players might be able to pick up and enjoy some of these other games faster than one addition per year.

Another option might be to once a year play a number of these games in a micro stakes limit format. That way players can try a bunch of stuff and you might be surprised what they like.

of course, you know your players and should do what is best for them regardless of suggestions. :)
 
Another option might be to once a year play a number of these games in a micro stakes limit format. That way players can try a bunch of stuff and you might be surprised what they like.
This is mostly what I was trying to do. Because most of my players rarely buy-in for more then $20 or $40, I thought that playing limit instead of pot limit would be good...keeping the same blinds of 25¢/25¢ but with 25¢/50¢ betting instead of pot limit. I thought that introducing some new games, all as split pot, would make things more exciting, allowing for more action but not crushing anyone.

I don’t think that the group would have played any new games that night. The vibe was a little weird from the start. So I just rolled with plan B (or what we regularly do). I will try again on a different night, making it clear ahead of time that is what we are playing. I thought that it was communicated well enough, but I guess not.
 
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This gave me a chuckle. I've followed your threads for a while and appreciate how much thought you put into your game. I appreciate how welcoming you are to new players and how you teach them in a friendly environment. That’s a lesson in how to grow this game many of us love.

I also suspect some of your players might be able to pick up and enjoy some of these other games faster than one addition per year.

Another option might be to once a year play a number of these games in a micro stakes limit format. That way players can try a bunch of stuff and you might be surprised what they like.

of course, you know your players and should do what is best for them regardless of suggestions. :)
Sadly, I'm lucky to get in 8 games a year. The median attendance figure is around 75%. So you could say that I'm teaching them a new game once every 6 games. :oops:

When running cash games, I give an option of a 5¢ / 10¢ table and a 25¢ / 25¢ (going to be 25¢ / 50¢ next time) table. Really can't get much more micro in the stakes.
 
That’s good advice. I’ve managed to introduce Omaha high and crazy pineapple and it wasn’t too bad. For each of those I did one orbit a couple of times a night. The big problem I have is one player outright refuses to play limit. He hates the fact he can’t go all in and push other players out of a hand. I think that raising the blinds to £0.50 / £1 might help but then again it might not.
I have the same thing - one player really hates limit. But hey, I bought a limit set, so it will come out occasionally.
 
Don't believe me, read nearly any early-mid game report from @detroitdad . He's down 3 buy-ins

If we count the most recent meet up. It was 8 buy ins deep before I was able to get back to even. I was almost always making the right plays. When your always 55/45, maybe 60/40 you have to weather the swings :)

In the first half of 2019 I rarely went down 3 buy ins, hell, I rarely had to rebuy. Lets be real, we know that was an anomaly lol. I do get what your saying. I'm a mixed games addict. I've lost a few players that aren't comfortable playing these games at the .25/.50 stakes. Nothing I can do about that.

The good thing in our area of South Michigan is that we have numerous hosts that all rotate different games. Some guys host a two game rotation of NLHE/PLO or PLO8. Others do HOPE. Then some of us do Dealers Choice (which is where its at imo).

Now if one of my buds hosts a NLHE only cash game. I'll still play. The priority about poker night is hanging out with some cool dudes, bullshitting, eating, drinking, ect.... However, if its NLHE only I won't be staying all night. I honestly don't want to play any one game all night long. I get bored. When I get bored I tend to do stupid shit. I'll show up, share a drink, play for a few hours, and go home.

Sorry for the rambling since most of it probably doesn't apply. Once I get going, fuck it.
 
For double board Omaha do you have to use two of your cards for one board and the other two for the second board? Or do you just pick your best two cards out the four for each board? Hope that makes sense...
 

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