Can`t lay down a hand in O8 - help!!!

Hi all.

For someone who has been playing for 3 years I have possibly put this in the wrong section, but here goes.

I`m playing a lot of O8, mainly MTT, but I was tempted to play limit ring games by Stars recently.

I seem to have a problem with laying down a hand when playing limit ring games, but I do well playing MTT - bizzare!!!

I actualy find myself playing more loose in ring games than MTT. I think it is becuase when playing MTT`s I find I have a definate `goal` i.e. to win the tourny.

Playing ring games I think I am effected by how long to play.

I am gonna start another post relating to ring/ mtts games, but this thread is specifically for O8.

When playing ring games what is your aim with your hand?

Is it to build it to the nuts and that is about it? I don`t want to make it sound that simple, and I know about drawing odds, so I take that into account.

However, I will find myself calling down with 2 pair when there is an obvious lo out there.

Also, don`t bother to bluff???

I had a guy today acting before me. I knew he was just hanging on to the pot, but I had very little. I had bet every street and he had called. The community cards were something like 10dJd2hQd7c - he called me all the way with pair of 7`s (having said that, I had a pair of 2`s - I was repping the flush or straight.)

This happened on a few occassions with different guys. Any ideas please???

One thing that helps me is to leave the table after winning big hands. This keeps me focused on winning money instead of just playing poker. I've seen big improvements in my BB/100 since I started taking breaks after winning 50% of my buyin.

As I am sure you are aware your problem is a common occurrence in LO8 and that is what makes the game so lucrative for a good player. (So I've been told .)

A lot of players (especially new ones) seem to think LO8 is a game of luck where you play anything and hope you hit the flop. In fact the total opposite is true. You should play more tightly in Omaha than you do in Holdem.

Bluffing in LO8 is an art and should be attempted with care. You first need to have a good idea of how your opponents play. Obviously it's no good bluffing if you have opponents calling every street.

For me the best time to bluff is when flush cards hit the flop and I am first to act. However, if you bluff and get called be prepared to let it go.

I think the theme of half of my recent coversations and posts about poker have been my reluctance to lay down a hand. I too am better at it in a tourney but in ring games less so and I won't even start on Omaha... it is truly the bane of my bloody existence... OK truly any H/L games... I love HORSE tourneys partially because it keeps me from getting bored as much but find myself sitting out those rounds more and more...

AS far as ring games, I have stopped playing Omaha unless its NOT h/l but still its SO hard to lay down what SHOULD be a great hand! I guess what messes me up the most is trying to figure out odds... with everyone having 4 cards instead of two it just gets too deep for my shallow little brain to deal with... so when it comes to ANY game I have been trying to just work the nutz (god that sounds weird... LOL) but really, I have actually had better luck by only staying in when I actually have them! LOL I know there is some irony there but I am still going to let that one lay

Anyway, everyone is different and I am sure there are better players out there who can mess around with things but for me... i have come to realize that I just have to play every hand as if someone has outdrawn me or at least has come close... dunno if that makes sense but it did in my head... LOL

Also, another issue for me is that I concern myself too much with what is in my hand instead of what is on the board... that may be my biggest issue come to think of it.. HMMM....

Anyway, GL 2 you and see ya round the felts (UNLESS YOU ARE ONLY PLAYING Omaha H/L then you are on your own! LOL)