7stud hi/lo vs. Omaha hi/lo

[Mike J]

Hey gang,

About a year ago, I got kinda burnt out at hold em, and started playing a lot of Omaha 8b. However, I have been playing more 7stud hi/lo lately, and I find it somewhat easier for me than Omaha 8b. I dont have enough hands to make any kind of Definate assessment, I could very well just be running good, but I seem to be able to recognize when my low is no good at 7stud, remember dead cards, and muck tempting hands accordingly and generally feel more comfortable making decisions. I am curious if any others out there feel the same, like the right way to play at 7stud hi/lo comes more naturally than Omaha 8b. I have read and re-read Ray Zee's book on High Low split poker, but mostly focused on the O8B chapter, but my results are better at 7stud hi/lo. I am intrigued by this mostly because I have never been all that good at 7stud high, compared to my results at Limit Hold-em, or any other game. Anyways, I would appreciate any experiences or opinions.
mj

[pipes]

I like them both. But I prefer Stud Hi/Lo. With dead ccards and exposed boards, you have much more information about what your opponents have and what you think your strategy should be.

In O8b, I try to play poker whenever I can as opposed to simply net peddling. But its hard to know whether they are high or low (or both) and thus harder to know what the greater EV move is IMO.

But people generally play looser at O8b than Stud8b, so O8b is generally much profitable.

[count1]

Stud hi/lo is a much better game in my opinion. In over 25,000 hands played I have been quartered for low only twice.

[Nick_Foxx]

These are the 2 games I play the most. I think Omaha/8 is more of a "feel" game because of the lack of information about other players' hands. You pretty much have to make a determination as to what they have based entirely on their betting pattern. Deception plays a much smaller role than it does in Stud/8, where your biggest pots will come when you have a hidden high hand and your board shows low. I think in general, Stud/8 is a more "rule-based" game where you are supposed to do certain things at certain times (i.e., betting on 4th when it appears your opponent has caught a brick), and that makes it easier to learn to play adequately. Obviously, there is a lot of play and subtlety to both games that goes well beyond learning basic strategy.

Psychologically speaking, I find Stud/8 to be a more frustrating game because of the brick factor. It is annoying to be in a multi-way hand and be the only person who catches a brick while everyone else appears to catch perfect. Then again, you don't have to deal with getting quartered or getting counterfeited, but I never found either of those things as frustrating as the brick factor.

Mike

[Aquarian]

I also made the same move: Holdem->Omaha8->Stud8
I think there are generally more bad players in
any given Stud8 game (at the low limits I play)
than in an O8 game at similar limits. Just that
fact alone makes it a more profitable game.

It's not so simple to 4-table at Stud8 though,
at O8 it's pretty much compulsory [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[dibbs]

I find S8 much more interesting than O8, but it seems there are much fewer good games at comparable levels. Also, you can't run a bunch of tables like can with O8.

[stickman]

Both games are great but like Stud8 better. As mentioned earlier, the brick factor in Stud8 can drive you crazy. I find in Omaha8 that players make more bad calls and make miracle draws, therefore, the swings seem to be greater in O8.
Still, in both games I cannot believe how many players chase for 1/2 (sometimes 1/4)of a pot.

[Mike J]

Excellent info. I see what you mean about the inherent differences of the two, I never really thought of that aspect.

Also, this is interesting, You mentioned how getting counterfited or quarted never frustrated you as much as catching a brick, for me it is the exact opposite. Weird huh? That would explain a lot about why I have done better, I am probably playing less frustrated all the time, hence the stud hi low seems to suit me better...

Deep thoughts...
Keep em comin all!
Much appreciated...

mj

[Backstabr]

IMO, stud8 is an easy game to beat (fold early; jam late) and a fun game to play (it's the jamming--ok, the jamming and then the scooping).

[stickman]

I could not have said it better.