DailyVariance Forum: A Difficult Decision: PLO or No-Limit Holdem - DailyVariance Forum

This is a question that almost, if not all, players ask at one point in their careers. There are two things I am positive about. One is those who decided to learn both games aren't regretting their decisions. Two is these players won't ever question whether learning a new game is worth it.

Knowing how to play another game increases the number of quality tables you can play; it increases the number of fish you can fry; and most important of all, it improves your overall understanding of poker and keeps you ahead of the pack.

While I was working on my PLO game, I noticed my thinking process in NL improved drammatically. And I didn't even play NL during this time. The reason is with PLO, I get to play the river much more often. Since river play forces me to go over the hand street by street, my learning curve was definitely faster than when I was learning NL. Playing PLO also develop reads on human emotions and play profiling. Players who are nits are really nitty in PLO and you get to see that. Against these type of players, I run over them almost all the time. Although these type of players exists in NL, it's not as obvious because NL is a much tighter game.

Learning other games also keep poker interesting. Doing the same thing over and over again can take a toll on you so it's important to keep the mind curious and fresh. Learning a new game also remind you why you love poker so much that you want it as a job.

I understand that everyone's financial situation is different and some can't afford to learn a new game. Think back when you first played poker. Were you able to afford it? Now that you have a bankroll, which means you are better off than you were before, what financial situation are we talking about?

Of course, if you don't want to give up your current EV while learning another game, that is understanable. One thing you must consider is every year, there's a new crop of players and there will be some great players from this group. Since the pond cannot hold that many sharks, some players from the old regime must dissappear. Learning how to play an extra game extend your stay in this highly competitive market.

If you have bills and other financial obligations (mortgage, family), then play your current game at your normal stake and learn the other game at a stake where you can afford to lose without putting you in a bad mood. If you are the type of person who can only learn if you lose enough to put you in a bad mood, then dedicate a few hours per week learning this new game.

What if you are current playing micro- and small-stakes NL? If you can afford it, switch. But only do so once you have a good understanding of poker theory. The main reason is it's easy to learn poker concepts playing NL because it's an easier game to play than PLO; I don't think Doyle Brunson knew about PLO when he coined NL as the "Cadillac of poker." Switching from NL to PLO is also much easier than the other way around.

Most important of all, in the current poker environment, PLO is much easier to make money than NL and no one will say otherwise. The games are way softer than NL and you will see more people who don't know what they are doing. Of course, those who don't want to learn a new game will continue to find excuses to learn a new game and that's fine. Just remember who those players are a few years from now and there's a chance they will complain about their bad luck.

Every time I hear someone say those who play during the Party Poker Era were so lucky because everyone was so bad. If they were to go back in time, they would make a killing. I usually go on tilt upon hearing this because guess what, they can make the same killing playing PLO from now on!

But instead of learning a new game, they choose to sit and whine about the past and blame their bad luck. PLO in 2009 is still soft. It is comparable to NL in 2006 in terms of competition and relative knowledge of the game. You don't have to know how to play that well. You just have to be better than your competition. That's exactly what happen in 2004-2006. I wasn't that good at poker. It was mainly because a lot of people were bad.

Of course, the same excuses come up. It's tough to learn a new game. What did you think we were doing when we were playing NL during the Party Poker Era? Suprise suprise, learning a new game. There's also the "I'm passing up EV because I'm not playing NL." What this usually means is they can't figure out the game on their own and don't want to put the effort get good at it. There's not a lot of information available. Why not wait until more material is available so there's less growing pains. By the year 2012, I'm positive the same players will complain how PLO is solved and those who got to play PLO in 2008-present is so lucky. Party Poker all over again.

In fairness, there are some NL players who don't want to learn PLO. They can't handle the variance. They don't have the emotional control. They are sastified with their NL winnings. They have bills to pay. They can't move down and learn from scratch. Whatever the reason is, one thing I want to emphasize is if you are a professional poker player, you should figure out one way or another to improve your edge in your profession. The most effective way to do so is to learn a new game. After all, isn't that what a business does as time passes by, offer new ideas and products to stay in business?

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The above blog post is an excerpt from my upcoming poker psychology book. If you want to be notified when it is released, sign up to our mailing list.