Recently I’ve been playing more pot limit cash games in place of no limit hold’em. On many online poker sites there just isn’t the choice of playing pot limit hold’em, so it’s really just limited to the two big sites; Full Tilt and Poker Stars. My preferred choice at the moment is Full Tilt, simply because it’s the best site for cash games due to offering rakeback.
The reason I like pot limit games rather than no limit is quite simple. I find it more skilful and there’s less players who are willing to make huge pre-flop bets – which I like to avoid. Usually players who make pre-flop bets that are 20x the big blind, usually fall into one single category; maniacs. Don’t get me wrong it’s good to play these donkeys, but I prefer to commit chips post-flop, rather than pre-flop. Calling huge bets pre-flop without premium hands is far too risky. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had QQ and faced someone holding AA or KK, who made massive oversized bets pre-flop. This just doesn’t happen in pot limit.
Now you might be thinking the players must be better at pot limit. But this isn’t what I’ve discovered at Full Tilt. There are a lot of players “playing scared” so it’s easy to win. I am finding a better win rate at pot limit than I have been with no limit.
If you’re used to playing no limit hold’em then you’ll have to learn to adjust to pot limit play. Obviously you are constrained and can only bet the size of the pot. Slow playing monster hands down to the river is a poor strategy. Because once you get to the river pot may be so small that it barely becomes worth winning. But as with any successful cash game strategy – you should be building big pots for the big hands, and keeping pots small for the not so big hands. So pot limit hold’em suits players who like to play the correct cash game strategy.
I started my poker career by playing low limt holdem cash games and sit n gos. The strategy required to excel at PLO is so much different. You are pushing much smaller edges and the draws are everything. I found it hard adapting to flopping the nuts but still not being the favorite or just a small dog. Ive started to re-read Jeff Hwangs 1st book on PLO, because I think its the game of the future, when people become sick of nl hold’em.
I personally just don’t feel PLO could be the best way for an up and coming poker player to build a steady bankroll. It really is the highest variance form of poker, with thin margins as pointed out earlier.
As well, I find quite the contrary that action in PLO gets much wilder post flop. A 9max table becomes virtual slaughter house, unless one learns to tighten up as much as humanely possible and fasten his seat belts on favourable flops for an all in roller-coaster ride. Even 6max tables are often nuts with on average half the table jumping off the cliff with their varying strength draws, often with the made hand loosing in the process.
I agree with you guys. But I was talking about pot limit hold’em, not PLO. Anyway, I’ve gone back to no limit now, since there are way more fish. They seem happier playing no limit – so that’s where the action is.
Yeah pot limit is a much better game to be playing atm. I actually think the games are far softer than the no limit tables that are infested with 12 tabling regs (certainly at SSNL and MSNL). pot limit is also a refreshing change of pace!