New Member - Home Game Question

[NicktheManiac]

Hi, I'm a new user to the site. I'm a student in Indiana and play mainly in home games with a pretty competitive group of friends and online once in a while. Recently, we've tried to incorporate other poker games into our home games besides hold em. We just got burnt out on it. Do you think that this is common? Will the hold em boom end in favor of more variety? I have had a fun time trying out razz and omaha for the first time and playing stud and draw for the first time since I was a kid. Is this just us or do others feel the same way?

[Richard Tanner]

Welcome to the boards. My home game is NLHE, however, every once in a while we have a H.O.R.S.E. night (Hold em, Omaha, Razz, Seven card stud, Eight of better). These are fun, and, like you said, break up the monotoney.
Just out of curiousity, where in IN are you from.

Cody

[NicktheManiac]

I'm originally from Florida but currently finishing my education at Indiana University in Bloomington, about an hour south of Indianapolis and two hours away from the Caesars's Indiana casino.

Different home games I attend go between limit HE and NLHE. I've been encouraging different games now, probably because I feel that HE isn't my best game. I've done considerably better online playing PLO and razz then I ever do playing any hold em game.

[Nick_Foxx]

i commend you for attempting to promote poker games other than hold'em at your home game

however, please let razz die... please... we do a dealers choice holdem/omaha hi/omaha 8/stud hi/stud 8/a-5 lowball (joker)/jackpots draw (joker)/2-7 triple draw... but occasionally we still get a guy calling razz... next time someone calls that game, he will get kicked in the nuts repeatedly for the duration of the orbit

mike

[Richard Tanner]

I was just curious as to where because I am also at IU right now. Where are you living, I'm always up to gamble /images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Cody

[NicktheManiac]

Razz is too much fun to let it die. I love playing Razz sit-n-go's on Full Tilt with everyone who has no clue what they are doing. Nothing better than a little game of Razz to calm my nerves after a long day.

[warewulf]

Also try adding declare games. My current favorite is 7 stud High/low declare. The declare adds a whole new strategy to it. Sick of someone taking high and low? Deal declare. You can pig, but if you tie or lose on either end, you lose both! I had a wheel and a guy pigged also with a wheel so he lost it all! Ha ha! Another favorite at my game is Fubar -- Five stud, hi/low roll your own declare. Lots of strategy in that game! Just don't deal a declare game during a no-limit game. The odd man out (only guy going low/high) will screw everyone. In no limit, we make the odd man only raise as much as the highest previous raise. Otherwise he'd go all in every time. No peekie is another interesting one.

warewulf

[NicktheManiac]

Sorry for my ignorance but can you explain a little more about the declare aspect?

[SCfuji]

dealer's choice isn't an uncommon form of a home game, they have it at certain casino's as well. but, being the punk that i am i always pick NL holdem when it is my deal so i am always the button /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

[NicktheManiac]

When we play dealer's choice, we play a whole round of it so nobody gets screwed by having to post blinds. Everyone ends up posting their blinds as we go around the table. It's also fun to play six of seven hands of one game rather than just one.

[warewulf]

When all the cards are out, before the last betting round, everyone takes two chips under the table. You then decide High, low, or pig. No chips for low, 1 for high, two for pig. When everyone has decided, you hold your fist over the table. When everyone is ready, you open your hand to reveal if you're going high, low, or pig. Then the high starts the last round of betting. If you're the only one going high or low, you can muck your hand and continue betting. If you declare pig, you're going high and low. If you tie or lose either, you lose both! Pig is a big risk obviously. You better have it, or you're totally screwed. The strategy is figuring out who is going high and low. If you don't think anyone is going high, you could go high when you're low gets screwed up, etc. The ultimate is showing a high hand and having an excellent low. Like if you're showing a pair of aces or kings and you have a wheel or a 6, or other good low. The wheel can be a good pig hand, but if someone has a higher high, you're screwed. People usually whine about declare games until they get the hang of it and win a few.

warewulf

[warewulf]

Playing a whole round sucks if you have more than one favorite game. I might want to deal holdem one time, omaha the next, etc. If you're forced to play a full round, it actually limits the number of times you get to choose the game. Plus, if you hate the game someone else chooses, you're stuck with it for a whole round.

warewulf

[blank frank]

I don't think it's common, as I find it very hard to find a non-hold'em game together. Even small groups are playing hold'em exclusively. If you want to check out other ways to play poker, you might look at Poker Mike's (http://www.pokermike.com) or (shameless plug) my site (http://www.xenomind.com)