Poker Articles

Jeff Williams, AKA "yellowsub," is a top online player, who won the 2006 European Poker Tour Grand Final for $1.1 Million.

Most online poker players today play either limit or no-limit Texas Hold-em.  They do this for a number of reasons, mainly because that’s what they see on television.  This huge influx of holdem players makes it far and away the most popular, and most lucrative, game spread on the internet. 

But what about other forms of poker, like seven card stud or Omaha?  It seems as though since the WSOP and WPT main events are all NL holdem, no one else wants to play other forms of poker.  Those who take timid steps outside of the holdem tables usually end up getting killed their first time out, so it reinforces that they should “stick to their main game,” and never give the other games a second chance.  This is flawed thinking, because with a bit of work on stud or Omaha basic strategy, both these games can become quite lucrative 2nd sources of income away from the holdem tables, as well as a welcome break from of holdem. 

Seven card stud

While it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a medium – high stakes seven stud game online, the lower limits are populated by HUGE amounts of fish who know nothing about even the simplest of stud concepts, and can be seen playing any three (starting cards) up until the river.  Games even up to 2/4 can be enormously profitable, if they can be played with discipline.  NOTE:  For players prone to suffer bad-beat tilt after getting outdrawn on the river, stud might not be for you.  For the rest, just know that if your opponents keep putting in their money with a 20% (sometimes less) chance, you WILL make money in the long run. 

Pot Limit Omaha Hi (PLO)

It seems as though the low limit PLO Hi tables online are filled to capacity.  This does not mean that these are difficult games; on the contrary, they are quite loose and easily exploitable.  Some PLO players will go broke playing as weak of a hand as TPTK (top pair top kicker, a garbage Omaha hand).  Playing PLO, a skilled player can capitalize on loose calls from clueless players, as well as those chasing outrageous draws, or those who do not draw to the nuts.  The swings in Omaha can be gut-wrenching, as it is not uncommon to get all in with the nuts on the flop, only to find yourself outdrawn by the river.  Playing tight, and only playing hands that work well together (i.e. try to fold 9TJ4, or other hands where you find yourself only using three of the four cards, “hands with hangers” as Cloutier says), and you will find the low limit PLO can be a profitable second game.

Aside from the obvious monetary benefits of playing a second form of poker, you can also use your experience playing these games to further your holdem skill set.  Seven stud is a good game for limit players, as it will teach you how to extract extra bets and maximum value from your hands, a central concept in limit holdem.  PLO Hi is great for NL holdem players, since most bets in NL are approximately pot sized, PLO plays like NL holdem, and it can teach how best to play drawing hands, and how to fold very good-looking hands (i.e. in PLO, if on the flop a pot has been Pot-bet and then Pot – raised, you will usually find that bottom set is no good, as well as some lower straights and flushes)

Give Seven Stud or PLO a try, and see if the change improves your overall game, as well as your bankroll.

See you at the tables.

Yellowsub