interview

How would you describe your general strategic approach to playing live plo?

I focus on playing hands cheaply in position against weak opponents (which is usually most of a live PLO table). Since equities run so close pre-flop, I prefer to see flops before committing too much money and hit the pedal hard when I flop a strong hand. Unlike no-limit hold-em, you’ll get paid often, so the fit for fold approach can work well. Also, live PLO is much more passive pre-flop than online PLO and so it’s easy to see a lot of flops, most of which will be multi-way.

Straddling is very common in live PLO games. Do you straddle? Or straddle in a game where a lot of people are straddling, if you are winning? Or straddle to give impression that you are an action player? Will you agree to a round of mandatory straddling if someone suggests it? 

I will occasionally straddle to encourage action and also if everyone else is doing it. Looser games tend to be the more lucrative ones. Plus, at every level you will find players uncomfortable playing the larger pots that occur with a straddle and that leads to more mistakes.

A basic axiom of professional poker playing is that you should open raise when you are first in the pot. PLO seems to have many exceptions to this rule. Do you open limp and do you do so on a regular basis? Why or why not?


My strategy seems to go against conventional poker wisdom but it works for me. A typical raise never thins the field in live PLO, it only serves to create a bigger pot. So I never raise for isolation and rarely raise unless I am in late position with a premium hand. And I do this knowing that the hand will still likely be multi-way, but I stand a good chance of winning and want to play for a bigger pot. I rarely open limp in no-limit hold’em, but I have no problem doing this in live PLO.

What is your buy in strategy?
I buy in for the max to have my opponents covered. The idea is that by playing well I can hopefully win the max with my good hands and avoid stacking off with my bad ones.



One general rule of thumb is that if you can get 33% of your stack all in preflop with aces, you should do so, and then just bet the flop afterwards. Do you follow this rule? Do you have any additions to it, perhaps on the class of aces (always raising AA44 ds, for example, or only committing with AAA7 rainbow if you can get > 70% of your stack in or whatever?)

If I can get 33% in preflop with any aces, then a majority of the time I will follow through and jam the flop unless it is extremely wet and I completely missed. However, I play mainly in deep stacked games where the opportunity to get this much in preflop does not occur that often. And a pair in your hand makes it harder to hit a good flop than a run-down hand so I prefer to keep pots smaller preflop without premium aces or if I’m out of position.

What is the weakest hand you will typically play from UTG in a loose passive afternoon game?

I try to avoid playing anything but premium hands UTG, even in a loose passive game. Position is everything so I don’t want to waste money pre-flop out of position.

What is the weakest hand you will open with from MP in a hyper aggro over night game?

If there are lots of 3 bets going on then I will only raise with a hand I am comfortable calling a 4-bet. And more often I will just limp expecting a raise in order to see the flop for less money than if I had bet and had to call a 4-bet.

Do you have any rules or guidelines governing your quitting decisions?

If I catch myself playing too many hands because I’m bored I’ll try to call it quits. Other than that I usually limit myself to 6 hour sessions because I know I tend lose focus any longer than that. 

In your games have you noticed or suspected any cheating, collusion or otherwise?

In a live poker room there is occasionally some light collusion. Usually this is just the regulars soft playing each other or checking down hands when no one else is in the pot. I steer clear of this myself, but it is usually not worth fighting about or calling the floor over and making enemies.

The variance in PLO can be sick. How do you handle it and how do you handle the swings? 

You definitely have to start with a bankroll big enough to handle the swings. That said, there’s a myth that you have to jam the flop every time you think you’re slightly better than a coin flip. Sometimes the smarter play is to avoid those coin flips and wait till the turn to bloat the pot if you become more of a favorite. Play a patient game and you will see more than enough opportunities to get your money in good.

What are concrete steps that you take to avoid tilt or playing badly?
If I lose a big pot, many times I’ll immediately step outside for some fresh air and to recalibrate. 


Is PLO the game of the future?

For sure. Aside from the fact that 4 cards are much more entertaining than 2, there are so many weak, uneducated PLO players out there and so much opportunity to make a killing. Once you try it, you’ll never want to go back to No-Limit Hold-em. 
-Geoff from www.CountingOuts.com