starting hands

[Warren Whitmore]

Our hypothetical player at 10:20 limit is a $20./hour winner at stud, holdem, hilow split(8 or better), and Omaha hilow split(8 or better).
On average which game will he/she play the most starting hands? The least?

[huzitup2]

Of all the commonly spread games, your $20/hour 10-20 winner will play the most hands at Omaha/high only however, hi/only omaha doesn't get spread very often at the 10-20 level; in actuality, it doesn't get spread much at any level.

It is a popular game among pot-limit players, but HE won't be in that game.

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Because 10-20 stud is played with such a small ($1) ante he will play very few hands no matter how loose or passive the game is.

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He will play a few more hands at holdem, but not many more unless the game is very loose and passive.

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He won't play very many at omaha/hi-lo/8 or better.

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He'll play even fewer at hi-lo stud/8 or better - again due primarily to the small $1 ante.

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I haven't seen a hi-draw game at that level in years; if he finds one he'll play very few if it's Jacks or better simply because alot of pots don't GET played.

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If he finds a game of "anything opens" hi/draw, the number of hands he plays will be extremely dependent on what hands his opponents are playing; unless they're nitwits he probably won't play many hands here.

I can't say for sure how many he'll play at lo/draw (lowball); again it's very dependent on his opponents. However, because the common structure for limit lowball mandates that three of the eight players post a blind (1 chip-dealer, 2 chips-small [or middle] blind, 3 chips-big blind) he will probably play alot of hands... maybe even more than hi/only omaha.

Razz, to the best of my knowledge, isn't spread 10-20; there is a 15-30 version but the extremely small ($1) ante calls for very tight play.

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If you tell me your reason for wanting to know I might be able to give you a more accurate answer.

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BTW, these figures are for PERCENTAGES of hands played.

When I said that he will probably play the most hands at hi-only omaha I was NOT saying that this is the game where he will play the greatest NUMBER of hands.

Omaha tends to yield very few hands per hour; hi/lo omaha yields even fewer.

Hope that was of some help,

- Chris

[Dynasty]

He'll definitely play the least in the Omaha8 games. I think he'll play the most in hold 'em but stud will be close.

Of course, it doesn't matter from an EV perspective. He's making $20 per hour, not $x per hand. It's like asking how much weighs more, 100 pounds of steel or 100 pounds of feathers?