Four-time WSOP champ, Robert Mizrachi talks about his new book, Getting Started with HORSE Poker

2014 WSOP Main Event champ Greg “Fossilman” Raymer remembers dear friend, Rich Korbin

NOTE: PLEASE SUBSCRIBE To Bernard’s YouTube page AND LIKE any videos that you enjoy

Robert Mizrachi, plus Norman Chad, Joe Cada, Kevin Mathers, Greg Raymer

In this episode of The Bernard Lee Poker Show on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Podcast Family, Bernard Lee initially interviews four-time WSOP champ, Robert Mizrachi about his new book and then talks with others (Norman Chad, Joe Cada, Kevin Mathers, Greg Raymer) discussing the WSOP transition to Bally’s/Paris.

At the start of the interview, Robert shares his thoughts about the WSOP transition to Bally’s/Paris. Robert discusses how he became involved with Chris Wallace in writing the new book, Getting Started with HORSE Poker. Robert reveals which games he enjoys the most and strategies when playing HORSE. Follow Bernard on Twitter, Instagram (@BernardLeePoker) and Subscribe to his YouTube channel for a chance to win this book.

During the second part of the interview, Bernard speaks with Norman Chad, Joe Cada, Kevin Mathers, Greg Raymer about the WSOP transition to Bally’s/Paris from the Rio. Finally, Greg Raymer and Bernard also pay tribute to good friend, Rich Korbin who recently passed away.

Time Stamps

2014 WSOP $10,000 HORSE champ, Chris Wallace talks about his new book, Getting Started with HORSE

WSOP POY 2007 Tom Schneider recalls the WSOP at Binion’s, the Rio and the new home of Bally’s/Paris.

NOTE: PLEASE SUBSCRIBE To Bernard’s YouTube page AND LIKE any videos that you enjoy

Chris Wallace and Tom Schneider

In this episode of The Bernard Lee Poker Show on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Podcast Family, Bernard Lee initially interviews 2014 WSOP $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Champion, Chris Wallace and 2007 WSOP POY Tom Schneider.

At the start of the interview, Chris talks about his background in poker. Chris discusses how he became involved with the Mizrachi brothers in writing the new book,  Getting Started with HORSE Poker. Chris divulges some strategies of the different games in HORSE. Follow Bernard on Twitter, Instagram (@BernardLeePoker) and Subscribe to his YouTube page (www.YouTube.com/BernardLeePoker) for a chance to win this book.

During the second part of the interview, Tom talks about the transition from Binion’s to the Rio to the new venue of Bally’s/Paris for the WSOP. Tom talks about different strategies about the different games in HORSE and the situations that occur during HORSE tournaments. Tom talks about the rest of his 2022 WSOP schedule.

In this section, we’ll be covering the following 10 games: Pot Limit Omaha, Omaha 8 or Better, Pot Limit Omaha 8 or Better, Big O, Limit Omaha, Double Board Omaha, Short Deck, Courchevel, Drawmaha, and S.H.O.P. (a.k.a., S.O.H.E.)

Also, be sure to check out our other Mixed Games Poker Guide articles on Stud Games and Draw Games.

THE OMAHA FAMILY

Omaha almost needs it’s own section among flop games since there are so many varieties. So, we’ll be treating it as such, with the two most popular versions, Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha 8 or Better getting the majority of the stroke, with all its variations following.

Pot Limit Omaha

After No Limit Hold ‘em, Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is the most widespread game in poker rooms. If you ever feel like changing things up and taking a break from the 2-card game, PLO is a natural transition.

The rules are virtually identical to Hold ‘em, with the key difference of course being the four cards you are dealt instead of two. Players must use two (and only two) cards in their hand along with the five community cards to make their hand. That ace of spades in your hand along with the four spades on the board? Useless, except as a great bluff card! (More on that, below.)

The other key difference is that the maximum that can be bet on any street is the size of the pot (hence the name: Pot Limit Omaha), and that’s also the guideline for how to calculate pot odds, of course.

Other than that? Yup, same as Hold ‘em. That’s why there’s no need to be afraid of playing PLO. While strategies and hand strengths are impacted, the differences in the actual gameplay are quite minimal, and the added action and excitement provide a lot of appeal.

PLO Tip: Blockers, blockers, blockers!

Remember that ace of spades I just mentioned? Well, the concept of blockers really first gained steam from PLO before it became a part of No Limit Hold ‘em vernacular.

With wider ranges, and so many more possibilities to make hands based on your two extra hole cards, there is an added importance on making a truly premium hand. Small sets, low straights and weak flushes are all very vulnerable to being crushed by a player holding the nuts.

As such, if you hold the one key card that prevents your opponent from holding the nuts, who’s to say you don’t have the nuts?! If you have that nut card to the suit on a flush-y board, you can credibly represent holding that nut flush.

Bonus tip: Follow Joey Ingram on social media. There’s no bigger advocate for the “GREAT GAME OF POT LIMIT OMAHA”!

READ MORE: Interview with Joey Ingram

Limit Omaha 8 or Better

The next-most popular game in the Omaha family, Limit Omaha 8 or Better (O8) is a split pot game where players are also dealt four cards instead of two. At the conclusion of a hand, half the pot is awarded to the highest five-card hand, just like in Hold ‘em or Pot Limit Omaha, while half is also given to the lowest qualifying five card hand (the five cards must each be 8 or lower *better*). The goal, however, is to win both halves of the pot, known as “scooping”. If, however, there is no qualifying low hand, the best high hand is awarded the entire pot.

As in PLO, players must use two and only two of their cards at showdown for either side of the pot. For example, a player Holding A2KK on a board of 346KQ can use their two kings for the high, making three-of-a-kind, and then use their A2 to make 6432A for the nut low.

A player with A38K on a board of 2459K will use their A3 for both high and low, as along with the 245, they make a 5-high straight which is the nut high as well as the best possible low hand, a.k.a. the “wheel”.

“I have what’s known as the wheel. It’s got earthy tones a smooth draw and enough kick to win me the high and the low” Mike D #Rounders

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) September 22, 2013

O8 Tip: A2 is your best friend but…

As mentioned, the goal of split pot games is to win both halves of the pot. Well, there are many ways to do it, but a lot of them can also potentially get you in trouble. Not all low hands are created equal. However, A2 is essentially the low version of pocket aces in O8. Pretty much any starting hand containing A2 is playable. If connected with two other low cards like A235, or if the ace is suited, or paired with a high pair like A2KK, A2 has huge potential to scoop a pot for you.

Once the flop falls, however, things can change drastically. If you hold a relatively naked A2 like Ah2s7c9s and the flop comes with no cards 8 or lower, your hand is essentially useless, since a qualifying low hand won’t be possible.

Your A2 can also be counterfeited if an ace or deuce hits the board, and you don’t have other low cards as backup. A2QQ on a K32 flop has a big problem. Unless two more low cards fall, you won’t have a low, and even then, you could be beaten by a better low. If the board does run out K3247, you now lose to A5 and A6, since you only have 7432A. As for the queens, they lose to any king, so they’re in danger, too.

Love your A2 but know that sometimes you have to let that love go.

So, if PLO and Limit O8 are the Mama and Papa of Omaha games, lets check out some of their wacky kids…

Pot Limit Omaha 8 or Better

The least wacky variant, it’s exactly what it says. A merger of PLO and Omaha 8 or Better.

PLO8 is likely the next most well-known version of Omaha, but it is tough to find a regular game anywhere live. However, it is widely available online.

Hands that play well in Limit O8 also play well in Pot Limit O8, but the importance of having a good 2-way hand is magnified by the fact that the pots can get much larger with pot limit betting as opposed to limit.

As such, strong high hands and low hands with backup (A2 with another good low card) rise further in value. The ability to put more pressure on your opponents with larger bet sizing can put marginal and drawing hands in precarious situations.

Of note, there is also a No Limit version of O8 online (NLO8), that is quite popular. The game structure is the same as limit or pot limit, but the betting is No Limit.

PLO8 Tip: Don’t splash around with marginal low holdings

If you’re playing hands with low possibilities, make sure they’re good low possibilities. Starting hands that aren’t particularly great either high or low are absolute death in PLO8. In low stakes mixed games, players will be splashing around with all kinds of hands, even in the big bet games. It’s crucial to be able to make the nuts or very close to the nuts against very wide ranges.

Starting hands like 4578 or 2489 can make both high and low hands, but neither are going to be particularly good, and will be susceptible to being beaten by players with better highs and lows. Plus, even if you do make a strong hand one way, it’s unlikely to be the best hand the other way. You’ll be putting in a bunch of money drawing live to only half the pot. In big bet variations of Omaha it’s critical that you play to scoop the whole pot.

Big O / Really Big O (5- and 6-Card Omaha)

Even more cards, even more fun!

5-card Omaha games are growing in popularity, basically because as much action as regular 4-card Omaha games provide, the action grows exponentially if you add an extra hole card (or two with 6-card Omaha).

I’ll put these variants together because they can be played high only or hi/lo (8 or Better), and either Limit or Pot Limit (or even No Limit, but it’s very rare).

The 5-card versions are available online as well as in more and more live venues. By contrast, 6-card games can be found sporadically online, and very sporadically live, but can be called in a mixed game.

Big O Tip: Make the nuts

This may sound obvious, but the more cards you are dealt the more possibilities you have to make some sort of hand. As such, players are more incentivized to play. And if that’s the case, and many pots will be multi-way as a result, It’s on you to not be caught with a marginal hand while one of those opponents is likely making the nuts.

For the same reasons that in PLO8 it’s critical to start with a hand that can scoop, It’s even truer in 5- or 6-card versions. Starting hands with plenty of cards working together will set you up nicely for winning big.

Limit Omaha (High only)

Now we’re getting rare. Regular 4-card Omaha in limit form is really tough to find because frankly, there’s just not as much skill in it, compared to other poker variants (although if you ask the folks playing the $4/8 game at Boulder Station in Las Vegas, they’ll tell you otherwise).

Much like Limit Hold ‘em, Limit Omaha is very much a math-based game, as the combination of four cards with a limit betting structure really limits creativity and offers great pot odds throughout a hand. There is virtually no bluffing, as pots will go multi-way, many until the river, in which case without holding the super nuts, someone will almost always have something that could draw out on you.

Limit Omaha Tip: Know when the odds aren’t in your favor

If you insist on playing this crapshoot of a game, you have to know when that draw of yours is in trouble. There will be many instances when you’ll be getting ridiculous pot odds to draw to… well, a lot of things. The key to this game is knowing when despite those odds, you’re drawing dead to a better version of your hand. A higher flush, a better full house, etc. Reverse implied odds are a danger of limit games with multiway pots going to the river.

When you do have the best hand, you need to bet and raise to at least make an attempt to thin the field and protect your hand from these draws. But, yah, good luck with that.

Double Board Omaha (High only)

If you’ve gotten this far in our guide, you may have detected that we’re not necessarily the biggest fans of Limit Omaha. However, throw an extra board out there, and you have arguably the most splashy, fun and ridiculous version of poker available in a mixed game!

The issues that hamper regular Limit Omaha are precisely what make Double Board Omaha great.

It’s almost as if the first person who created this game decided while playing Limit Omaha, “welp, since we’re going to play a high variance game that people aren’t going to fold much in, the hell with it; let’s spread a second board, and crank that variance up to 11!”

Somehow it worked, and it’s amazing.

Following the preflop betting, the dealer will spread two flops (followed by a round of betting), two turns (followed by a round of betting), and finally two rivers (followed by a final round of betting).

We’re not going to lie to you and give you any tips or poker strategy for playing this game. We’re sure they exist, but we don’t know it, and we’re just fine with that.

Generally speaking, this game is primarily played in low-stakes mixed games where the priority is having fun.

There will be plenty of other games in the mix that you may know better and can invoke strategy in.

Take the opportunity to go crazy and have some fun when this game gets called. Use your best poker instincts, and if that fails, make sure you have a beverage in front of you.

OTHER FLOP GAMES

Short Deck (a.k.a., 6+ Hold ‘em)

Short Deck was basically born from action players who got tired of folding trash hands and wanted a higher percentage of playable holdings. How to do that? Tighten the deck by removing all the 2s through 5s! So instead of a standard 52-card deck, there are now only 36 cards in play!

Like regular No Limit Hold ‘em, aces also play high and low, so in short deck they can act as a 5 to form a straight with 6789.

The differences don’t stop there. Though the game can be played with standard small and big blinds, Short Deck is mostly played with antes from all players, with an extra ante posted by the button that rotates clockwise around the table. Preflop action starts to the left of the button, with players having the option to fold, call, or raise, just as in other flop games.

Other differences come in the actual rank of hands. With four fewer cards of each suit available, flushes are now mathematically more difficult to make than full houses, so they are ranked higher. Three-of-a-kind is also more difficult to make than a straight. Most rooms still rank straights higher though, but it can vary from room to room.

Short Deck Tip: Know your preflop odds and bet sizing

If you watch the Triton Series Short Deck cash games and tournaments featuring some of the best players in the world, you’ll see that their preflop betting strategy is different from that of standard No Limit Hold ‘em. You’ll see a lot of limping as well as raise sizes that appear huge compared to the ante.

The caveat though is that with the shorter deck flops will almost always be ‘wet’, with your hand likely to connect with the board in some way. Games are also generally played 6-handed, so an initial limper will be getting 7:1 on the pot. Raises will appear on the larger side, usually starting at the size of the pot and often much larger.

A common mistake made by Short Deck newbies is raising in 2.5-3x increments of the button ante, and not factoring in the full amount of antes in the pot.

With a 1,000 chip ante in a 6-handed game, there will be 7,000 chips in the pot before any betting has taken place. A standard raise to the size of the pot would then be to 7,000. However, many new players will “raise” 3x the ante to 3,000 (roughly 43% of 7,000), merely building the pot size to 10,000 and still providing opponents excellent odds to continue with virtually any playable hand.

In a 6-handed No Limit Hold ‘em tournament with 500/1000 blinds and a 100 ante, with 2,100 in the pot prior to preflop betting, this would be like putting in 900 (roughly 43% of 2,100) to continue if that was possible.

Bottom line: if your intention is to raise, make sure you’re raising the correct amount.

Courchevel

Courchevel is a rarely-played but interesting and fun game, with elements of 5-card PLO (or Big O), with one key difference. Before any preflop betting, a community card known as a ‘spit’ card is dealt. Standard betting with a small and big blind then continues in a normal fashion preflop before the now 2-card flop is dealt and further betting commences. From there, the turn and river are also played as in a normal flop game.

Courchevel can be played as a high only or hi/lo split pot game.

Courchevel Tip: The spit card has a huge impact

As you might expect, with a community card revealed before any betting commences, that spit card will have a huge impact on your hand strength immediately.

Combined with the contents of your five hole cards (you can only use two of your hole cards to make your final five-card hand), you could be dealt trips, three to a nut flush, or three to a straight (and/or a key card to a wrap), all of which are very playable and can be bet aggressively.

However, when you don’t connect with the spit card, you must have a very strong hand outside of it to continue. Something along the lines of a strong starting hand in 5-card PLO. If you’re playing the game hi/lo, this is especially important. You’ll need a strong Big O starting hand, and if the spit card is 8 or lower and you don’t have the possibility to make a low hand, your hand is vulnerable. That’s because other players will already have 60% of a low, and you’ll very likely only be playing for half the pot.

Dra(w)maha

As the name suggests, Dra(w)maha (a consensus on the proper spelling of the game is tough to find) is a split pot game merging Draw (in several forms) with Omaha.

Blinds are posted as in Omaha, then players are dealt five cards, followed by a round of limit or pot limit betting. A flop is dealt, followed by another round of betting.

Following the flop betting, players will have the opportunity to discard any of their hole cards and draw new ones.

From there a turn card is dealt, followed by a round of betting, then a river card is dealt with a final round of betting.

In all variations of Dra(w)maha, half the pot goes to the player with the best Omaha hand, using two of their hole cards. The other half goes to the player with the best Draw hand in their hole cards.

Note that the Draw side can be played in a variety of ways, as 5-Card Draw high, as a 2-7 low hand, or as a 4-card Badugi hand, whichever is determined before the hands are dealt.

Dra(w)maha Tip: straights, two-pairs are good starting hands in standard Dra(w)maha

Straights and two-pair combos in the hole will give you a great chance at winning the Draw half of the pot. From there, you just have to hope for a board of community cards that will help you win the entire pot.

As with all split pot games, you should be playing to scoop, but if you have a virtual lock on half the pot with your draw hand, don’t jeopardize it by breaking (and drawing) in hopes of improving your Omaha hand. If you have a huge Omaha hand on the flop, keep the two cards you need for that and discard as many of the other three as you need to improve your draw hand.

S.H.O.P.

An acronym for “Simultaneous Hold’em and Omaha Play”, S.H.O.P. (also known as S.O.H.E.; simultaneous Omaha and Hold’em) combines elements of both. You’re dealt six cards and need to split your hand into a (2-card) Hold’em hand and a (4-card) Omaha High hand.

It’s a split pot game, with half the pot going to the best Hold’em hand and the other half of the pot going to the best Omaha High hand. The game can be played either Limit or Pot Limit, those some wacky home games also play it No Limit.

Other than that, the game proceeds exactly like either Hold’em or Omaha, as far as the betting and community cards dealt.

S.H.O.P. Tip: The split is key

While you can’t control the cards you’re dealt, you CAN control how strong your two hands are in this game.

As in all split pot games, you want to give yourself the best chance of scooping. Thus, knowing what you know about both Hold’em and Omaha, you ought to try and coordinate your two hands as best as possible such that if the right board comes you’ll be in prime position to take advantage.

If you only have a strong Hold’em or Omaha hand, it’s often still worth at least seeing the flop, but if you don’t connect you ought to muck. If you’re dealt a random collection of six cards that won’t give you much of a chance to with either half of the pot, your best move is folding preflop.

When it comes to poker, that’s no different. Along with studying and dedicating yourself more to your game of choice (for most, No Limit Hold ‘em), It’s also a great time to take up a new game… or 8, or 10.

Anyone who knows me knows I love the mixed games, and it thrilled me to see over 16,000 players kicking off the year in a small stakes 8-game tourney on PokerStars recently.

Mixed games are alive, well, and growing, and I would love to see them grow even more this year with new players.

As such, I wanted to put together a quick guide of beginners’ tips for the games in a standard 8- to 10-game mix.

This will consist of some very fundamental advice for the newest of players (and like any strategy advice in poker, there are always exceptions), but at the end of this guide I’ll also point you towards some excellent resources that will go far more in depth than I will.

First, a general rule for all games: know the basic rules of whatever you’re playing before you jump in. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen beginners playing 2-7 draw games like they’re Five Card Draw or Ace to Five. Know the fundamentals and give yourself a fighting chance.

And since No Limit Hold ‘em is in an 8-game mix, I’ll just leave this here: Enough with the open limping!

I’m not going to get into it all, but where we’re at in 2021 when it comes to No Limit Hold ‘em theory, it’s universal (outside of the highest levels) that open limping is just not a good play.

Okay, mini-rant over. I’ve gone and calmed down a bit (read: dusted off some bankroll money, lol) by playing some live dealer casino 2021. Now, let’s get to the good stuff!

Pot Limit Omaha: No danglers!

One of the appeals for new players to the great game of Pot Limit Omaha (said with Joey Ingram emphasis) is the action provided by having four hole cards instead of two. Twice the cards = twice the fun, right?

Well, if you’re playing with 3 cards while everyone else is playing with 4, you’re instantly at a huge disadvantage.

Got a random low card along with those 3 sweet broadway cards? That dangling low card instantly kills a good chunk of your equity. Barring a crazy rare runout giving you trips or better with that random dangler, your starting hand is seriously hampered.

Plain and simple, you’re given 4 cards. Make sure they all work together in some fashion.

Limit Hold ‘em: Bet and raise small pairs, don’t limp and call

The structure of the game may be the same, but the differences between Limit and No Limit Hold ‘em are huge.

One of the major ways in which the games diverge in strategic approach is how to play hands that in No Limit you’d be happy seeing flops with, and cashing in on implied odds. Well in Limit, that’s just not a thing. You do not want to go multiway with small pairs, especially out of position. You want to play pots heads up as much as possible, and not give the big blind incentive to see the flop. As such, you need to be raising and 3-betting small pairs preflop.

Postflop, having position is huge because just like in No Limit Hold ‘em, way more often than not, you won’t flop a set. Pairs are great, but they can still be vulnerable to whatever your opponent had preflop, given that despite your 3-bet, they’ll still be getting tremendous odds on a call.

Be ready to keep up the aggression, but with great odds both preflop and on the flop, your opponent will rarely fold, so have an idea of how they play, and whether or not you’ll be able to get them off their hand with sustained aggression, (especially on the turn, where the bigger bet sizes begin) if the board doesn’t run out in your favour.

Many times that small pair may end up the winner at showdown vs. missed draws or overcards that missed.

Omaha 8 or Better: No middle card garbage

Split pot games cause new players a lot more problems than they should.

Although there are plenty of ways to have chips pushed to you with high and low possibilities, the goal is to scoop the entire pot. Along with generally playing WAAAAAAY too many hands, far too often new players start with hands that look enticing but give them no shot at scooping.

Hands like 679J or JT65 may look promising, with plenty of straight-y possibilities (and flush potential if suited), they have huge potential for disaster.

In small stakes games, you’re very likely to find yourself in multiway situations postflop. If you make a straight, and a 3-flush hits the board, someone likely has you beat with a flush. Even if you have a flush, its vulnerable to better flushes, and above all, if a low comes on board it’s VERY likely your weak low won’t be good.

Hands like these leave you praying to win half the pot at best with marginal made hands. These are situations you want to avoid. Start with hands that have good potential to win you both halves of the pot. Will it mean you have to fold a lot? Yup, but I’m sure you’d rather keep your chips than give ’em away to strangers, right?

Hands with aces in them are off to a great start. Add a low card like a 2 or a 3, sprinkle in some high hand potential with big pairs, suitedness to the ace, or another wheel card (2,3,4,5), and you’ve got a recipe for success more often than not in Omaha 8 or Better.

Razz: You need 5 cards to make a winning hand

Ok, this may seem obvious as a basic rule of most poker games, including Razz, but the point I want to make here is that on 3rd (and 4th) street in Razz, you have an incomplete hand. As such, piling in multiple bets on these streets is generally not a good play.

Equities run much closer than you might expect in the early streets of Razz. Sure, you may have A23 vs. your opponent’s door card 8, or even a defended bring in, but only 60% of your hand is made. Piling in bets based on the “strength” of your hand this early is dangerous. Here come the broadway cards and a paired 3 the rest of the way (seriously… why does that always seem to happen?!). Now how does that A23 look?

If you catch good on 4th and your opponent(s) catch bad, then you can start applying pressure, but unless you have a notable advantage in the hand, piling in bets on early streets is a pitfall that beginners should avoid.

7 Card Stud: Do not double bet on 4th street

The Tournament Director’s Association (TDA) actually removed this archaic rule (when an open pair is shown on 4th street, that player has the option to make a double bet; e.g., In a 5-10 game, you can bet 10 instead of 5) recently for TDA-approved tournament play, but you may still find this option available in cash games and online.

Don’t do it!

In a game with no exposed cards, a big bet could still represent a bluff, but in stud, where your cards are right there for everyone to see, why in the world would you want to scare away your opponents with a big bet holding an open pair?! The minimum you’re representing is two pair, and only a comparable hand or huge draw can reasonably continue. As always, there could be rare exceptions, but in general it’s a terrible play.

Stud 8 or better: 9s, 10s, and high cards kill your starting hand

Okay, straight up: If you have a 9 or a 10 as your door card, unless you’re rolled up (3-of-a-kind on 3rd street), maybe have buried aces, or maybe, MAYBE have a 3-card straight flush, FOLD!

Again, there can be exceptions based on who your opponents are and your position in the hand, but in general 9s and 10s are the very worst cards you can have in your hand in Stud 8. Picture cards usually pose the same problem if they’re unpaired to start the hand.

Essentially if you have two babies and a high card banana to start, your hand is trash. Forget about thinking about “well I have two low cards, I could maybe make a low.” Great, but unless you also pair that high card, or run out a low straight or flush, you’re very unlikely to win both sides of the pot.

Just like in Omaha 8, scooping the pot is your goal. And like in many small stakes games, there are likely to be more multiway pots with opponents making these mistakes. As such, you need to be the player starting strong and giving yourself the best chance to win the entire pot with stronger starting hands.

Bonus tip: Razz hands pose equal danger. Not all 3-low-card starting hands are created equal. Hands like 863 and 752 that are unconnected and unsuited may win you the low, but are very unlikely to win you the high as well.

Always be playing to scoop the pot in split pot games.

2-7 Triple Draw: Don’t leave home without a deuce

This is an easy one. The game is deuce to seven triple draw. Not three to eight, not four to nine. Deuce to Seven.

Therefore, if your starting hand does not have a deuce in it, you begin at a huge disadvantage. Simply because without a deuce, the best hand you can make is 86543, the ninth-best hand possible. Furthermore, if you don’t have a deuce, and your opponents are competent, they are likely to have one, limiting your ability to catch one.

As always, there are some rare exceptions. If you are dealt a pat 8 without a deuce for example, you do not want to break this hand, as it is quite strong, and you should be playing it aggressively before the first draw. However, if you are drawing, you should have that deuce in your hand.

Imagine if you have 7543x. Sure you have a draw to #1, the best hand you can make, but you can only draw that deuce. If you draw an 8, you have a good hand (87543), but it’s only the 13th best hand possible and can easily be outdrawn, especially against multiple opponents.

If you have 7432x, you’re in much better shape because you can draw one of four 5s or one of four 6s to make #1 (75432), or #2 (76432), or an 8 to at least make the 10th best hand (87432).

Of any game, it can safely be argued that a deuce in 2-7 Triple Draw is the most powerful card relative to the game. Even more so than an ace in Omaha 8 or Stud 8.

No Limit 2-7 Single Draw: A pat jack is a favourite against any 1 card draw

While the goal of making as low a hand as possible is the same as in the limit triple draw version, the methods and criteria for a quality hand is significantly different in the no limit single draw version.

With only one draw, and no limit betting, hand strengths differ greatly versus in triple draw. With only one crack at improving your hand, your initial hand strength is hugely significant.

There is a lot more to the game than one might think, and the more you study and play, you’ll quickly discover this. But when it comes to that initial hand strength, any pat Jack, (even JT986) is a favorite over any drawing hand (even 7432x).

Think of it like a coin flip preflop in Hold ‘em. A pair is a slight favorite against two overcards. This is also the case with pat Jacks in 2-7 Single Draw. Therefore, if you are dealt a made hand Jack low or better, and you think your opponent will be drawing, you should be patting it (not drawing) and playing it aggressively before the draw.

Badugi: Build up! (start with lower cards)

Badugi plays identically to triple draw in structure and drawing rounds, but building your hand from your lowest cards up is even more important because the best 3-card hand will be the winner if no one has made a badugi.

Equities run far wider than in triple draw. Unsuited A23 and A34 may look very close, but the A23 is actually a near 4-to-1 favorite because the A34 must improve, while the A23 does not need to, yet still could.

The smoother (lower) you start, the better chance of winning you’ll have even if you don’t improve. If you have a 359 for example, the best hand you can make is a 9 badugi. If you don’t improve, any 3-card hand lower than a 9 beats you. Even if you do improve to a 9 badugi, there’s no guarantee it’ll be the best hand by the final draw if your opponent is drawing smoother than you.

Bottom line, start and go low! Not only is ace-deuce is a great start in Omaha 8, but also in Badugi!

Mixed game resources

Poker Books

Mastering Mixed Games – Dylan Linde

If I could only recommend one resource for both beginners to mixed games, and existing players looking to improve, it is Dylan Linde’s outstanding book. Linde provides both basic and advanced strategies for all games, including some of the more obscure ones you may only find in a live setting (Badeucy, Badacey). For under $40, The amount of information provided is invaluable.

A Poker Player’s Guide to Mixed Games – Ken Lo

This 2014 book may have flown under the radar, but it’s still available and an outstanding resource for both beginners and experienced players alike. It is incredibly thorough, going through the basics of each game before diving into deeper strategy. It’s actually the biggest book I have in my poker library at almost 700 pages, but not a page is wasted. Don’t let the size scare you. It’s well worth the read, and a great value also at under $40.

Super System 2 – multiple authors

This was the first book I read that really had multiple great chapters on mixed games. The original Super System does as well, but the information is now quite dated, while SS2 was written by more contemporary players (in 2005), such as Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman and Todd Brunson, and still holds up quite well. Their sections (Negreanu, 2-7 Triple Draw; Harman, Limit Hold ‘em; Brunson, Stud 8 or better) I can still highly recommend.

Finding a physical copy of SS2 can be a bit difficult, but the Kindle version is available for under $10.

Run it Once Elite membership

This is on the pricier end of the spectrum at just under $1000/yr, but with coaches like Chris George, George Danzer and online mixed game wizard Iteopepe88, along with the huge amount of training RIO provides on No Limit Hold ‘em and PLO, a RIO membership will truly get you elite level training for all games.

Run It Up WCOOP review with Jason Somerville and Daniel Negreanu

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This is THE BEST free piece of content available on HORSE. In 2016, JCarver and DNegs sat down for a 4-hour video breakdown of Daniel’s WCOOP HORSE win. It’s awesome to hear Daniel go through his thoughts on the final table, and honestly, aside from the aforementioned Run It Once Elite content, its really the only place you can find a mixed game hand history review with an elite poker player. Oh, and have I mentioned that it’s FREE?!?!?

Twitch streams

Twitch has become a hugely popular source of poker entertainment, and learning. While the biggest streamers are generally No Limit Hold ‘em players, there are some streamers on the platform whose main focus is playing and growing mixed games. At the top of the list are PokerStars’ streamers Mason Pye (pyefacepoker), and Georgina James (GJReggie), along with Scott Kenyon (Pokerbrahs), who has crushed me both online and live, and is incredibly good at winning flips for table massages (but that’s another story).

Rec Poker PokerStars Home Games

The crew at Rec Poker are a great bunch of people, dedicated to growing poker for recreational players. Along with nightly No Limit Hold ‘em tournaments, a monthly series, and an international series, they run a monthly mixed game tournament series with a leaderboard and player of the year award. To prepare for the monthly mixed game, each Saturday they’ll run a warmup game of whichever the game of the month is.

It’s a great way to play and learn with a group of friendly folks, and as it’s a free home game, can be played from anywhere in the world, even the United States!

So be sure to check them out and jump on into the mixed games. You’ll find me there defending my Player of the Year title.

Good luck, and have fun in the ‘banana game’ streets!

via GIPHY