is omaha H/L easier than omaha High (pot limit)?

still a newbie but about 20,000 games under my belt so not a complete idiot either. Normally play 10/25 to 50/1$ games at pokerstars and UB.

I am up about 3BB/100 on H/L but down about the same on O/High. I am fairly tight/passive-agressive with a VPIP of about .41 (bit lower lately).

My typical omaha session goes something like this
20 hands in a row tossing in the bin pre or post flop. (none would have won even if I stayed in)
Couple of OK hands back to even. Another 20 crap hands.
After 2 hours maybe a little up. Real struggle. Then one ball breaker where you go all in and lose the lot (with the best hand!) .

H/L seems more controlled. Lots more bad players who can't evaluate their hands properly. Much fewer all-in decisions at an early stage (say before the turn when anything can happen). Often a back door escape if you are outclassed one way.

I am wondering if this is other people's experience or just mine? I only play high now when I get bored with H/L or there isnt a decent table available. [Obviously I need to improve or change my style but that is not the question here]
thanks

[joewatch]

I think there is a little more math involved in H/L, but once you have the math down, you have a significant edge over your opponents, and the game is straight forward. PLO is a more interesting game as there are greater bluffing opportunities. I think PLO is the tougher game.

I think H/L is just as difficult as Omaha, but they are played completely different. Where as you are fighting for the whole pot and only the whole pot (the very occasional split), in H/L u r sometimes playing for 1/2 the pot and trying to quarter and make sure ur not quartered. If the players are weaker in H/L than regular, this may be the reason why u r doing better in H/L than O. in that case keep playing H/L, I think it depends on the quality of players u r playing more than whether 1 game is more difficult than the other. I don't think results should judge why one would be easier. That would be like saying I make 10/100bb in HE and -2/100bb in Omaha so HE is easier than Omaha. I'm not saying that ur right or wrong, im just saying that ur results do not judge whether or not a game is easier overall (although it might be easier to u)

[PokerGoblin]

The biggest difference I think is that there is far more creativity in PLO than PLO8. With that also comes volitility.

PLO is a much tougher game to be a long term winner in. Once a player has a good understanding of the principles of PLO8, there are a lot of situations that are rather routine, and standard plays are common, much like in limit HE.

I will agree. I do believe there is more nut-peddling in PLO8 than PLO. I think it may be easier to be a "winner" in PLO8, but harder to be a big "winner" unless u can make those great bets and lay-downs.

[Spellmen]

For me PLO8 is more straightfoward and less variance. Often, a terrible beat is chopping the pot due to a 2 or 4 outer instead of scooping or getting quartered instead of doing the quartering

[beset7]

yes

thnaks for the replies - it confirms my impression that it is easier to make steady but not spectacular money on OH-H/L. I see players on O/high making lots of money fast - but I am never sure if they are having a lucky streak or are very good.

Looking at my stats more carefully I see that my winning sessions are not too different for both (about 60%). It is just when I lose big it tends to be in O/high, cancelling out a lot of small wins

[punter11235]

I think PLO/8 is easier to play on the basic level because there are more basic mistakes which newbies make (like drawing to weak lows, not folding nut lows without high potential etc.). So you can win in PLO/8 just by avoiding these mistakes (in fact even avoiding these two should make you big winner in small stakes PLO/8), PLO high is little more complicated.

[Tilt]

Wouldn't win rates have to be lower for good players in PLO8 just because so many more pots are split?

[punter11235]

[ QUOTE ]
Wouldn't win rates have to be lower for good players in PLO8

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont know.. It seems right.
What I wanted to say is that it is easier to be winning player in PLO/8 thatn it is in PLO... not that PLO/8 is more profitable for good players.