PLO, Variance and Profitability vs Furthering NLHE Game

[BluffTHIS!]

fim,

As the other posters noted, the variance is indeed higher at any limit of plo compared to nl. The tighter you play, especially in early positions, the less it will be. It does not usually pay to play lots of drawing hands in early positions with aggressive players behind you. I play mostly the 5/10 and 10/20 blind games and it is true there as well. At those levels, you don't have as many of the passive calling stations that make nut peddling so profitable at lower levels. But you do have a lot of passive/aggressive players who will pay for thin draws in position but who are also very aggressive bluffers when a different draw hits on the turn or river and you check. Thus it is imperative that you stick to the principle of 4 cards working together so that when you have a set or 2 pair you will also frequently have some draws as defense as well. Regarding having hands with overlays, it is not necessarily the amount of an overlay you have as the odds you are getting on your money that is important regarding draws. And it is critical to realize when other players are drawing with you and thus factor in splits, which would often dictate folding where you would be glad to play a big enough draw headsup with a player holding a set.

And as to ribbo's comments, forget them cuz he's a well-known prick. Being a winning player at a lower level doesn't translate into being one at a higher one and you already know that so he didn't need to state it. But just like in nl, the worst players at the higher levels are much better than the worst ones at lower levels, and sometimes even than the weak-tights at lower levels since they are very adept at using their position to pressure and bluff effectively.

Since I frequently see you in the high stakes nl forum I know you know that game well, but don't recall if you play much pl holdem. If you don't, then you do need to make sure you are aware of important differences between pl and nl and how that affects correct play. So rereading Ciaffone & Reuben's PL&NL Poker is recommended. Being a winner in plo basically comes down to how you play draws, sets and aces, as well as how you play against aces.

My final comment would be to advise you to play very tight at first and analyze the mistakes of others that you observe and check the hand histories and take their hands as your own and determine the correct play on each street. It's so much more fun to let others pay the price of your learning than for you to do so yourself.