Does playing other card games help your Hold'em?

Freudian · #1 07-03-2005, 10:16 PM

I play a couple of Omaha Hi/lo SnGs each day. I find it helps my (HE) thinking since you have to look at your cards/the board from a lot of different directions to have an edge. Hopefully it will sharpen my card intuition in the long run. I find that 7 card stud is too different from hold'em to be of much use. Note it may be a placebo effect, hence the title of the thread.

Anyone have tips of other card games which are (first and foremost) fun to play and might help your HE play?

11t · #2 07-03-2005, 10:33 PM

I don't think that playing omaha h/l is going to directly improve your NL HE game (especially if it is limit omaha h/l) but it should improve your general poker skill which should improve your game over all.

Freudian · #3 07-03-2005, 10:41 PM

I think it is mainly beneficial in that you constantly have to think about the board in relation to your starting hand. When playing NLHE SnGs it is easy to go into autopilot since most situations are familiar and have a familiar 'solution'.

So if I am able to get better decision making discipline through trying other games it is a benefit in itself.

rr2000 · #4 07-05-2005, 03:58 AM

I playing other games basically to unwind myself which in turn helps improve my focus @HE. If you are looking for fun, hi-lo's are best IMO.

bones · #5 07-05-2005, 05:43 AM

I love playing non-hold em games as a break. I find that I learn more about poker than I do semi-autopiloting NL SNGS, especially considering that I have very little technical background in non-hold em games. Occasionally I get a little nugget that transfers to all poker games.

On a side note, I'm not sure how feasable it is as far as programming goes, but I'd love a low limit mixed game. Curious as to why I haven't seen any spread.

Freudian · #6 07-05-2005, 05:53 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I playing other games basically to unwind myself which in turn helps improve my focus @HE. If you are looking for fun, hi-lo's are best IMO.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is horribly frustrating when you have a gazillion outs that never hits though. Of course it's just math, but why does math have to be so mean.