Choice is Everything

• October 2007
• |
• Greg Raymer

Although many of you readers have fallen in love with No Limit Texas Hold’em since the poker boom started in 2003, I’m here to tell you that the infatuation must end… for your own good. I’m not saying that Hold’em is an inferior game, but by playing only Hold’em, you are missing out on the variety, profit, and enjoyment of the non-Hold’em games that truly encompass the essence of the word poker.

Observers often ask me online at PokerStars why I chose the game I’m playing. Most of the time, I’m at a higher limit Eight-or- Better Stud or Omaha High/Low table, and many wonder why I spend my time there, asking if I’m learning the game, since I’m most notably well known for my No Limit Hold’em victory.

The truth is, I am learning (as all of us should always be while playing), but that’s just a byproduct of my real goal – to finetune my game in preparation for high stakes mixed games. Specialty games, such as Stud High/Low, are tougher as they tend to attract people who want to play only those games. The higher you go up in limits in these specialized games, the more often you’ll be playing against specialists who spend all their time at these tables. Once you move up to a high enough level, the juicy games stop and you’ll need to find an easier source of income – unless of course you are the best at your table.

So where do you go next if the higher limit games become tougher to crack? Mixed games. Ultra-high stakes Limit games are almost always a mix. The pros know that if you play just one game, there will be specialists; so if you mix it up, you’ll take advantage of those specialists in their weaker areas. Just imagine all the money they make on the  Hold’em round that they’ll give back (and more) in each of the other ones. You don’t find a lot of people who are competent-to-great in every game, and even though your opponents will be tough, if you’ve got a solid grasp on each game being played, you can do very well at these tables.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you just jump into a H.O.R.S.E. game, but I am recommending that you test other games to see which ones suit you best and which you need more time to study. Learn each of the games and prepare yourself for having additional choices the next time you enter a cardroom.

Once you feel like you are ready, the next time you play, ask yourself what limits you should be playing, given your bankroll. Notice that you didn’t ask yourself what game you are going to be playing. Walk into the cardroom and tell yourself that you want to play as high as a $5/$10 game. It could be Hold’em, Stud, or Omaha, as any of them could be the most profitable for you per hour. Only you can determine your optimal game choice.

Although I’m sure you’ve fine-tuned your Hold’em game the most out of all of them, it’s best not to limit yourself. You may be able to make $5 an hour at a Hold’em table, but if you’re a good Omaha High/Low player, you could make $10 an hour or more at the same limits. If you know how to play all the games, you can choose to play the most profitable game in the room given your bankroll – and I’ve noticed that most of the time, at least for me, it isn’t Hold’em. After all, you’re at the tables to maximize your wins.

Don’t forget that the same table selection choice applies to online poker, where you can always choose to take the best seat at the best possible table. I’ll keep quitting the game I’m in if I find a better game. I never stick to a game if there are more profitable alternatives. Lately, I’ve found that when I look at available No Limit Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha games, they just aren’t my best options.

Once you’ve mastered, or become competent in, each individual game, it’s time to put them all together for a mixed game. This is where you can really make your money and take advantage of the other players who really know only one or two games well and think they’re okay in all games (but they’re really not). To ease your transition, I’ll be teaching at the next WSOP Academy, which will focus on H.O.R.S.E. My job is to explain the “E” (Eight or Better Stud) and combine with the other instructors to ensure that when you leave the seminar, you’ll be ready to sit down at any game.

If you can’t make it to the Academy, here are three things players need to focus on to maximize their profit during the “E” round. The first, and most important, is starting hand selection on third street. That is the key to this game, and really every form of Limit poker. A close second is the ability to figure out what your opponent holds. What your opponent has is as important as what you have. Finally, you have to know when to push players out of pots and when to keep them involved. Winning or saving a bet here and there will definitely add up and make you a winning player.

So pick out some poker books or head to the WSOP Academy. Sharpen up on the wide variety of games out there and be ready to achieve more in a mixed game than you could in a specific one. Remember that if you want to win a WSOP bracelet, the mixed and non-Hold’em fields are smaller and you will have a better chance to win. Could you follow in Freddy Deeb’s footsteps next year and win the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. bracelet? It’s time to start practicing.

Greg “FossilMan” Raymer is the 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion. He is a lead instructor at the WSOP Academy, poker’s premier series of instructional events. For more information on the WSOP Academy, visit www.wsopa.com or call 1-800-989-WSOP.