Copyright 2006 Full
Tilt Poker
December 7, 2006
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Poker Lessons)
Poker Lesson: Playing Mixed Games
Author: Jennifer Harman
Despite what you see on TV, there's much more to
poker than just Hold
'em. The great players are judged by how they play all the
games. In the big cash games
at the Bellagio, we play
an assortment of games every night and at the World Series of
Poker, they've introduced a $50,000 buy-in HORSE tournament that
attracts many of the world's top professionals.
This week, Full
Tilt Poker will begin spreading mixed cash games for players
of all limits. It's a great opportunity to experience the fun
and challenge that comes from playing a variety of games in a
single session without putting a huge dent in your bankroll. While
a lot of fun, mixed games do have some challenges and, for this
tip, I want to give some suggestions that will help you starting
out.
One of the hardest things for new mixed games players to become
comfortable with is the flow of play. With games switching every
10 hands, it can be difficult to instantly adjust your thinking
in order to concentrate fully on the game at hand. It will take
some time and experience, but eventually, you'll be able to go
from Stud to Omaha
Hi/Lo and be ready to play your best as soon as the games
switch.
Until you're comfortable with the game flow, here are some pointers
that can help make the switch to mixed games a little easier:
- Be sure you're playing the right game! I play a lot of HORSE
Sit & Gos at Full
Tilt Poker and, in almost every one, there's a player or two
who makes the mistake of playing Razz when the game is Stud,
or vice-versa. Even in the big game at the Bellagio, this sort
of mix-up happens all the time.
- Work on your weakest games. If you find that your Stud
Hi/Lo game isn't as strong as it could be, spend some time
at the Stud
Hi/Lo tables and work on improving your skills. Put in enough
hours at each individual game so that you're grasping the subtleties
of all of them when you play a mixed game.
- Play stronger in your best
games than in your weaker games. You may be a master at Stud
and feel you can play a lot different hands well in that game.
But if your Omaha
Hi/Lo is relatively weak, you'll need to tighten up in that
game and play only premium starting hands. Look for starting hands
like A-A-2-3 suited or A-2-K-Q that offer the potential to make
both the nut high and nut low, allowing you to scoop as many pots
as possible. Or in Razz, for example, stick to starting
hands with three cards of 8 or less - if that game isn't your
strength.
If you're anything like me, you'll find that it's tough to go
back to any one game once you start playing mixed games. You'll
miss the mental challenge and fun that comes from this type of
poker.
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