PLO > NLHE

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NewbSaibot United States. Mar 24 2026 21:26. Posts 4952

If you know anything about my eternal quest to loserdom you'll know I've tried my hand here and there at PLO without success. While I might be a failure, shockingly I truly enjoy the game. I've long considered the prospects of making the switch for that reason alone but always felt that NLHE was my bread & butter. Thing is I am still completely accepting of the fact that I may be a lifetime loser at NLHE who's profits are merely the result of sustained 'fish on heater' syndrome. I have to consider the possibility that because volume is so low it's entirely possible that I could have just been running good for a few years and it wasnt until now that equilibrium took it's hold. Am I even using that term correctly? Who knows.

The only thing I do know is how much I enjoy PLO, so much in fact that I must ALSO consider the possibility that I have some addictive tendencies towards the game. For the same reason every other whale/fish is turned on by the action, maybe thats all that's attracting me. However...

Despite the potential downfall of choosing all the wrong reasons to play, all I know is I simply do. not. tilt. Like ever. In fact I am so enthusiastic about the game I literally cheer and herald my opponents for giving me action. When they stack me I'm like "awww nice hand buddy! Sick 3bet! What a call!" And the thing is, this is exactly how you should behave towards live players. It's supposed to be fun. Only a bitch ass miserable reg whines about his AA getting cracked. But in PLO flopping top set + NFD and turning top straight only to lose to a backdoor flush draw is like no big deal to me. I literally laugh it off and even high five someone if they get there.

I started to understand why; from my observations PLO really feels like a game of transparency. My completely uneducated point of view is that the game is based upon constructing hands instead of constructing ranges like in NLHE, and I think that's where all my longterm NLHE struggles come from. I'm not really good at range analysis. Like I thought I was. I thought if I bet small to cap them then I had a pretty good idea where I'm at in terms of bluffing or value betting opportunities. Yet time and time again I either make absurd folds due to a total misread, or a terrible hero call just the same. I suck. I never know what anyone has. I only win when I flop well, which just turns my strategy in a rather mechanical game.

But in PLO, I feel like I'm doing a really good job of setting myself up to win big pots. 3betting double suited connectors HOPING that someone 4bets me so I can make a trivial call. Hitting board textures that I inherently understand I can work with and improve my hand whereas my opponent will usually never improve his. Even if they are outflopping me it's like I see how my hand will evolve and how I can control the pot to get there. Players are often stunned that I somehow outdrew them in what they think was an unlikely spot, or being able to just exert so much pressure with my backdoor draws on janky textures where they just cant compel themselves to call with much if all they have is TP.

But ultimately in the end the moral of the story is that I honestly feel I have all the ingredients to make a good PLO player. I give SO MUCH action at the table and I appreciate when they give it back to me. I've literally had regs tell me "thank you for actually raising" since it helps build a game from the typical limpfest that is most PLO games.

0 votes

bye now

drone666 Brasil. Apr 02 2026 15:13. Posts 1828

I've been playing PLO for the past 2 years and it sucks compared to holdem from a fun standpoint, at least NLHU which i used to play
but the competition is very low, even the regs at 1k and 2k online have no idea what they are doing lol
they all try to do hand read and have no clue how to range interactions work and how it affects general strategy

Dont listen to anything I say

NewbSaibot United States. Apr 14 2026 04:36. Posts 4952

It's so weird, so I guess you might as well say I'm self-taught by this point since I've never put a single ounce into real PLO study. Like I have a 4 or 5 books from paperback to pdf i've read halfway before getting bored, and some RIO content I pirated by random elite coaches that gave me a few nuggets that stuck, but nothing really mattered until I started just putting in the volume. Suddenly something clicked in my brain. I was no longer rigidly sticking to a range like 8x or better, and more felt like Russell Crowe in a beautiful mind where I could open, 3bet, or call a 4bet with a variety of speculative holdings recognizing how this hand is going to play out. When I finally took a shot at NLHE again it was like I was completely rewired and has absolutely no idea what I was doing anymore.

bye now

PuertoRican United States. Apr 17 2026 05:49. Posts 13250

Most people regret playing PLO in the long run.

Good luck, though.

Rekrul is a newb

RiKD

United States. Apr 18 2026 20:43. Posts 9847

Back in my day I put in a lot of work on the equity calculator that had PLO I don't even remember what it's called. I would imagine now a days one could just get RIO Vision and put in a ton of work and/or shell out the $2,500 to join Phil Galfond's "This is PLO" course. Or, just put in a ton of volume with skin in the game. You might get crushed if you play online but live it's always the best exploitive players that win the most. That may have changed but I doubt it for most live games.