Omaha/8 Players?

(I wrote a really long post on this and I think I accidentally closed the window or something. Fail.)

So some history...I deposited $20, worked that up to about $120 in ~8,000(?) hands at 2NLHE. I'd like to entertain my ego by saying that's at least somewhat successful, but I don't know. I haven't been bankrolled for 5NL yet because I keep spending profits on tourneys and such that I shouldn't, so I'm at about $75 instead.

But sometimes the "small edge" nature of NLHE frustrates me. It seems like NLHE has such a small edge potential that variance is a very frequent and unwelcome guest.

Someone else mentioned PLO8 in another thread recently. Someone else commented that you'd have to be batshit insane to play PLO8 as your primary game. But PLO8 players often claim that it's a game that is more about developing a big edge and hitting people over the head with it as opposed to the small-edge style of NLHE.

Anyone who actually plays PLO8 think there's any truth to this? Am I batshit insane for thinking about it? Am I just batshit insane period? I just don't know! And if I'm not totally insane, are there any good resources that folks could point me toward to learn more about it? I've tried playing here and there and usually do "ok", but when I win it feels like it's because someone shoved all in with a hand like 9999 thinking they had quads. =O

Have you read Ray Zee's book? It's geared to limit play but is still relevant.

I can hardly bring myself to play anything else these days, and the $1 PL MTTs on Stars are my usual choice - lots of fun and experience to be had - and decent cash if you can get far enough.

The game can be frustrating, but at least the donkness of many lower limit HE tourneys is usually absent. I think you should give it a good go - learn the basics and keep studying and playing - you definitely need experience, but must also learn a few key concepts, such as when to fold the nuts, when to call/raise on the river, when to play a high only hand etc.

Tilt also has good SnGs, and I recently played a $5 MTT at Carbon - competition not too stiff there, fortunately for me.

Good luck to you in your endeavour, Bovinity.

I have not! I'll have to give it a looksee on Amazon and check it out.

I'm still trying to master HE as it is, but O8 seems to make me think a lot more and I get a kick out of that.

Thanks for your suggestions. =)

My (brief) experience with PLO8 is that yes, it's a game where sometimes you'll have a really big edge, but you've gotta fold a truckload of hands to get the one with the big edge and when you finally do get it there's no guarantee you're going to get paid off or not lose at least 25% of the pot to another player when you chop the low.

So like any other game you've got to be able to make some bluffs and play some marginal hands the right way in order to really profit.

Rake can be a killer in the low-stakes games too.

Super System 2 has a pretty decent Omaha-8 chapter:

http://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/omaha_hi_poker.cfm

That's also based on limit play.

There's some stuff on PLO/8 in here

And there are 4 articles here

I must be batshit insane then cause this is the only game I play these days. The variance can drive you absolutely insane but I still love to play the micros.