Moving Up Stakes in PLO

A lot of people hit a wall when it comes to moving up stakes. I've hit this wall many times, but also have had success going from .5/1 to as high as 50/100 so wanted to put in my two cents. Now by no means did I ever have good bank roll management. I've sat with my roll at one table many times, but this isn't about bank roll management. It is about tendencies in the low, mid, and high stake limits(not nosebleeds).

.5/1 and 1/2 for the most part are comprised of the tightest PLO players. They may like to see a lot of flops, but they are playing their hands str8 forward. There will be some tight aggro players from time to time, but for the most part it is check call draws, pot out nuts, and never play back. If you do start playing very aggressive, you will see more and more calls pre flop. People will try the approach of "i'm going to try and hit a hand and make him pay for being over aggressive". Playing tight aggressive seems to be the best way to handle these types of players, and frequent c bets will eventually get some lighter calls.

2/4 and 3/6 Here, players move into the more tight aggressive approach. They run with the power poker game, waiting for premium hands and attacking when they get them. Players here will always c bet, often 2 barrel if they are getting just a call, and there will be a wider 3 bet range (although still very premium hands). Loose aggressive can really work at these limits, but be careful about the C bet range. Don't get caught with a check raise on the turn when you have a decent draw. Position is also paramount against tight aggressive players. A min raise on the button with 10864 against AAxx when you are deep could yield some insane implied odds, but playing that same hand oop against an intelligent opponent with AAxx offers much less upside.

5/10, 10/20 Here, there is a mix of the tight aggressive and loose aggressive styles. Some players try to run over the tables while others wait for optimal situations. This is where player tendencies, ranging, and styles have to be observed more carefully. At these limits, you have to adapt to each individual player and get a hold of what they are capable of. Do they bluff the Ace blocker for the flush? Do they bluff str8 blockers? Do they bluff the Qs blocker on a 3 spade board? Do they ever slow play? Do they ever slow play two streets? Three?

I often find that people who are successful at one limit have trouble moving up to higher limits because they do not adapt. Their method that might have worked very well at 1/2 is crushed at 3/6, and they get frustrated because they can't figure out why they are "running bad". Try playing different styles in a session. Min reraise a ton, call down the nuts oop for two streets, bluff without a blocker. Exploring new strategies and spots (if you can afford it) is a great way to practice adapting to higher limits.

Author	Message
Posted 2012-11-21 13:01
CoolHand Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-19 Posts: 225, Visits: 644	Moving Up Stakes in PLO A lot of people hit a wall when it comes to moving up stakes. I've hit this wall many times, but also have had success going from .5/1 to as high as 50/100 so wanted to put in my two cents. Now by no means did I ever have good bank roll management. I've sat with my roll at one table many times, but this isn't about bank roll management. It is about tendencies in the low, mid, and high stake limits(not nosebleeds). .5/1 and 1/2 for the most part are comprised of the tightest PLO players. They may like to see a lot of flops, but they are playing their hands str8 forward. There will be some tight aggro players from time to time, but for the most part it is check call draws, pot out nuts, and never play back. If you do start playing very aggressive, you will see more and more calls pre flop. People will try the approach of "i'm going to try and hit a hand and make him pay for being over aggressive". Playing tight aggressive seems to be the best way to handle these types of players, and frequent c bets will eventually get some lighter calls. 2/4 and 3/6 Here, players move into the more tight aggressive approach. They run with the power poker game, waiting for premium hands and attacking when they get them. Players here will always c bet, often 2 barrel if they are getting just a call, and there will be a wider 3 bet range (although still very premium hands). Loose aggressive can really work at these limits, but be careful about the C bet range. Don't get caught with a check raise on the turn when you have a decent draw. Position is also paramount against tight aggressive players. A min raise on the button with 10864 against AAxx when you are deep could yield some insane implied odds, but playing that same hand oop against an intelligent opponent with AAxx offers much less upside. 5/10, 10/20 Here, there is a mix of the tight aggressive and loose aggressive styles. Some players try to run over the tables while others wait for optimal situations. This is where player tendencies, ranging, and styles have to be observed more carefully. At these limits, you have to adapt to each individual player and get a hold of what they are capable of. Do they bluff the Ace blocker for the flush? Do they bluff str8 blockers? Do they bluff the Qs blocker on a 3 spade board? Do they ever slow play? Do they ever slow play two streets? Three? I often find that people who are successful at one limit have trouble moving up to higher limits because they do not adapt. Their method that might have worked very well at 1/2 is crushed at 3/6, and they get frustrated because they can't figure out why they are "running bad". Try playing different styles in a session. Min reraise a ton, call down the nuts oop for two streets, bluff without a blocker. Exploring new strategies and spots (if you can afford it) is a great way to practice adapting to higher limits.
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Posted 2012-11-21 20:27
babbage Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-18 Posts: 771, Visits: 1 811	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO this is gold great post.
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Posted 2012-11-21 21:01
lofigr Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-21 Posts: 322, Visits: 1 498	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO babbage (2012-11-21) this is gold great post. I don't like to like posts, therefore I comment... I agree 100%. Wanted to write something, but after that post - it wouldn't be clever thing... Now I dare to.... Seems like OP is really good player, who knows - maybe I learn something reading his posts.. Regards to everyone.
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Posted 2012-11-21 21:26
flame4fame Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-23 Posts: 132, Visits: 798	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO i have played plo for long time and all i can say is that at almost every higher limit aggrersion is bigger
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Posted 2012-11-22 00:02
JynxTheLynx Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-15 Posts: 85, Visits: 238	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO Yes yes coolhand you play on bovada and are a winner bla bla, we heard this speech from you like 3 months ago where you gave advice to all plo playesr in a very lengthy well thought out thread.
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Posted 2012-11-22 01:33
aidobusto Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-20 Posts: 267, Visits: 1 130	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO JynxTheLynx (2012-11-21) Yes yes coolhand you play on bovada and are a winner bla bla, we heard this speech from you like 3 months ago where you gave advice to all plo playesr in a very lengthy well thought out thread. what a cynical ****ty post to put up. like seriously, why the fcuk did you even take the time to write this? this guy posts, like he has many times before to help others, and along comes a prick like you sneering his achievements and the insight he is offering. its no wonder this site is hated by alot of people and will never rival 2p2 with wankers like you here
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Posted 2012-11-22 01:33
aidobusto Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-20 Posts: 267, Visits: 1 130	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO JynxTheLynx (2012-11-21) Yes yes coolhand you play on bovada and are a winner bla bla, we heard this speech from you like 3 months ago where you gave advice to all plo playesr in a very lengthy well thought out thread. what a cynical ****ty post to put up. like seriously, why the fcuk did you even take the time to write this? this guy posts, like he has many times before to help others, and along comes a prick like you sneering his achievements and the insight he is offering. its no wonder this site is hated by alot of people and will never rival 2p2 with wankers like you here
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Posted 2012-11-22 03:30
babbage Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-18 Posts: 771, Visits: 1 811	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO aidobusto (2012-11-22) JynxTheLynx (2012-11-21) Yes yes coolhand you play on bovada and are a winner bla bla, we heard this speech from you like 3 months ago where you gave advice to all plo playesr in a very lengthy well thought out thread. what a cynical ****ty post to put up. like seriously, why the fcuk did you even take the time to write this? this guy posts, like he has many times before to help others, and along comes a prick like you sneering his achievements and the insight he is offering. its no wonder this site is hated by alot of people and will never rival 2p2 with wankers like you here +1
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Posted 2012-11-22 05:20
JynxTheLynx Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-15 Posts: 85, Visits: 238	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO Oh I see... your trying to actually use what he's said from this thread to make money, try it. Edited 2012-11-22 05:22 by JynxTheLynx
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Posted 2012-11-22 06:52
CoolHand Group: Forum Members Last login: 2013-05-19 Posts: 225, Visits: 644	RE: Moving Up Stakes in PLO I've been very bitter at times too Jynx with this game. I can't count how many times I wanted to smash my computer or yell at someone. I guess that is why I write this stuff. Sometimes we get stuck with our play in this game, and it is good to discuss ideas, issues, and problems. By talking with other players and hashing out these ideas, we are improving our chances of improving our game and alleviating some of this frustration. I've by no means had huge successes consistently in this game and am not a model poker player by any means, but I have overcome a lot of huge down swings and obstacles that I feel give me a perspective that might be helpful for other players.
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