live 08 player ages
 

I still don't get why every time I go to one of my local card rooms that there are hardly ever any people between the ages of 21-45 playing O8. Not a knock at all on retirees, but nobody seems very interested in playing O8 except the exact same group of 20 or so people playing it every day. I see the very same people every time I go which is uslly once a week on a different day each time. They all play tons of hands which is great for a tag like me but it would be nice to see some new faces and get some others intersted in the game. Guess it's bdecause of the very limited media coverage of O8?

Re: live 08 player ages
 

The TV revolution shows the excitement of playing big bet poker. Big bet poker for the young (hope of quick riches) is mezmerising. Talk to some young people getting out of high school or college and ask them where they expect to start salary wise with their first employment. They will have high expectations for starting out. Their parents and society have fostered them to expect to start out at the high end of the income chain and go up. None of them expect to start out in the training trenches and work their way up.

Why should they go into a game that offers a long term grind for a profit (once they have the experience).

They want to go for the high risk and high reward from NLHE. Go to any casino and the young guns go to (a) the NLHE tourny sign ups or (b) NLHE cash games. They bet big, make risky bluff plays and (a) go broke or (b) get a big stack. When they get a big stack, they move to a higher limit and try for the parlay up. Then they repeat the cycle. They move the money up the food chain. Occassionally one will get schooled along the way and begin to actually play poker but they rarely move into the diversity of poker. They are one trick poneys. When they go broke, they mooch off friends or use some other hustle to get back in the game.

They are "players." They don't spend time to "LEARN" poker.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

Heh, yeah. I'm 32 and when I occasionally play live at my local casino they look at me like I sat down at the wrong table. It always amazes me though how 70 year olds still play every damn hand. You'd think those are the guys who have been playing 40 years and would know better. For some it's probably the only excitement left in their lives [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: live 08 player ages
 

I want to play some live O8 but it seems like all the O8 games all have higher limits, and I just can't afford the risk. The only casino near me is the Argosy riverboat near Cincinnatti (Lawrenceburg actually) but when I went there there were a few 1-3 NLHE tables but only one O8 table and it was 10/20. I would love to play but I can't just take a thousand dollars out of my account and go play when I don't even have much experience with live play. I want to see something like a 1-2 or 2-4 O8 table and I wish they had pot limit.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

I guess that I am lucky in that there are a few casinos here in the So Cal area that spread 3-6 and above O8. There is even one that has 2-4 on their board but it rarely gets going. It is funny that the older o8 crowd does like to play lots of hands, but it is entirely a social thing for them and they are there to play lots and lots of hands. It is the same at every place I've played. I usually just sit and wait for some hands to play.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

I'm a new O8 player at the ripe young age of 52. If you want to bluff O8 ISN'T your game. If you want to be driven nuts counting outs, calculating pot odds, and facing a river full of possible nut draws, then you might find O8 entertaining.

It seems to me that the new player crowd WANTS to bluff A LOT. As a result NL has an easy time attracting the "more balls than brains" crowd. Since bluffing is out of the question at the low limit O8 tables, the new bluffer sits down at the 1/2 NL w/ the $40 buy-in instead.

At the same time, good O8 tables look VERY soft to me. The dinosaurs don't seem to mind a few new predators feeding at their tables as long as they can continue their social club of regularly passing chips back and forth between friends.

But as with low LHE, it is NO fold'em and bluffing is out of the question. You have to know and play quality cards AND catch some connection with some boards to win. But when the cards come, the money seems to come even easier than at a low LHE table.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

I agree with you Yak, when you do hit a hand you get paid off rather well. I think that one could simply be a nut peddler at lower limit O8 and do just fine. I try and look for 1-3 scoops per session. Lately for me it has been high only hands when a bunch of low chasers are in the mix. It is nice because in any given 3-6 pot there is a lot of dead money in there. In O8 for me, patience def. is a virtue.

Anyone else have any thoughts on playing live O8 and how the usually do at the game?

Re: live 08 player ages
 

oh how I want an O8 game. maybe I should move

Re: live 08 player ages
 

Argosy used to spread a $5-10 O/8 game with a full kill. I haven't been there for a long time so I don't know if it goes very often. I think there was a post in the B&M forum saying it often has a full list but they don't have enough tables to spread the game.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

The 3-6 game that I play in a bit is a ful lkill and the regulars love nothing better than telling everyone and the dealer at the table that it is a kill pot by the way they can count the stacks of chips oh so fast. They pride themselves in that skill! Anyways, as for bluffing, throw it out in this limit for sure.

Q: Wondere how some of you play the small blind in a 3-6 game where it is an additional $2 to complete to see the flop with no raises? I actually play pretty tight and throw away more hands than most would.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

The live 3-6 O8 game I have is like that, with 2 dollars to complete in the small blind. I play pretty tight from the small blind as well, because you really aren't getting much of a discount to see the flop.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

Yea, the way I look at the SB in a game like this is that it is more often than not, throwing away $2 here and there and that can really put a dent in your bank if you are sitting down for 2-3 hours at a time.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

But you need to be a litte careful. I've had a couple of "homegeezer" tables give no love to the newcomer. You lead out with a bet, they all fold, particularly if you are folding a bunch pre-flop. Sometimes I "sacrifice" and play a weaker small blind to be "one of the boys (geezers)."

Re: live 08 player ages
 

Good point, if you are the rock then you may not get too much action but I haven't found this yet at this level of play. Same goes for LLHE. The group that I see all the time is a really nice bunch of guys so it is a comfortable climate to play in at least.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

I'm also one of the few 20 somethings who play live O8. I am good friends with many of the "geezers" who like to play every hand. I formed the friendship and respect of the players by basically just being a counteous player and never berate a player or other such actions. Also something I occasioinally do is buy the table a round of ice cream bars or something else that is cheap. This has resulted in players just calling with nut nut and other various soft play, "because you're such a nice kid." I find this type of behavior is hugely beneficial for me in the long run, and anyone else who wants to employ this method.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

Good point there Walsh. The last time I played one of older regulars actaully told ne he had a flush when I held the nut str8. I thought for a minute and folded and sure enough he showed me the nut flush. I was going to fold the str8 anyways but a lot at this table wouldn't have folded it for sure. I said thanks to him and he smiled and said NP. I agree that being freindly is the way to go at any table for that matter, or at least courteous.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

I just broke my Live O8 cherry last night actually. $5/$10 Full Kill at Motor City Casino. I was by far the youngest person there. I'm 27 and I was at least 10 years younger than the next closest person.

And like everybody is saying, yes, the game was totally soft. Took out 20 BB's in 4 hours.

I agree about the being curteous thing. I made friends with a nice old lady named Kay on my left. She knew every single dealer by name and was giving hugs and waving to every single floor person. She also didn't raise me with the wheel when I bet into her with my top set on one hand. I saw that she wanted to and then pulled back. We ended up checking it out. She didn't once bet into me holding the nut/nut. I am definately convinced that she only did this because I was being so friendly with her.

It's one of the many elements of poker that I think a lot of people take for granted. Especially in the NLHE scene. Some people want to aggitate you and turn a card game into a unit measuring contest. These tactics may work in the short term, but, over the long haul it's just going to get you trapped for some serious cash. I firmly believe in the "catch more flies with honey" saying when it comes to cards.

G O N E F O R E V E R

Re: live 08 player ages
 

mostly its an old folk game because of a few things:

1. no press coverage to speak of
2. the game is really slow, some hands can take 5 minutes live
3. young players like action & fast games, bluffing & all that excitement that NL offers
4. the game requires a lot more thinking than HE
5. to play correctly, you sometimes have to sit for hours waiting for cards. this is true in HE as well, but even worse in O8

When I play live at the local card room, either 3/6 kill or 4/8 kill, the old timers now know and respect me. I am ALWAYS the youngest guy at the table(nearly 30), and occassionaly when someone is playing that doesn't know me, they ask if I'm at the right table. I then usually proceed to clean up nicely.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

Yeah I've only played live twice, I'm 28 and was the youngest there by at least 30 years both times I played...It was the weirdest experience I ever had...The players were all out for what seemed like "social hour", no going for the throat, which I totally don't get because I play the game to make money...The first time I played I wasn't the table favorite because I was taking their money at a 5-10 half kill game like it was going out of style...I don't think they appreciated any newcomer doing that...

Re: live 08 player ages
 

[ QUOTE ]
...The players were all out for what seemed like "social hour", no going for the throat...I don't think they appreciated any newcomer doing that...

[/ QUOTE ]

Because of this, when playing low limit O8 I often will forgo raising preflop. You will almost never get it heads up to the flop and it just tends to create animosity. I have found raising later in the hand to be better accepted. The pool of live low limit o8 players is pretty small, piss them off too much and they may stop playing with you. These games are very profitable for the patient. Be friendly to the guys and they will happily lose their money to you.

Re: live 08 player ages
 

[ QUOTE ]
They will have high expectations for starting out. Their parents and society have fostered them to expect to start out at the high end of the income chain and go up. None of them expect to start out in the training trenches and work their way up.



[/ QUOTE ]
What world do you live in??? The majority of people arent rich, you do know that.. don't you???

Re: live 08 player ages
 

I don't play too much live because Foxwoods spreads a 4-8 full kill game which is boring as hell...The 5-10 game was at the Mirage in Vegas...Was the sickest game I ever played in, made well over 100BBs in 12 hours of playing...I was pissed when all the old farts left...

Re: live 08 player ages
 

Before moving I played O8 in Iowa casinos from the age of 21-23 (now moved and 24) and I was either the only player or one of two players under the age of 50. I believe a lot of it was everyone wanted to play holdem. I got started in O8 as I was on a wait list for my HE game and was watching omaha and thought i saw some major spewage so i went out and bought Tenner/Kreigers book, read it, and within two weeks of seeing it for the first time I felt I was one of the best at the table and moved up to the bigger game within a few months (moved from 3-6 lim to 4-10 spread lim).

I think to play O8 and be young, you need to be the math/engineering type that really enjoys that kind of thing and can be super patient, I have seen so many other young players in Omaha8 games and very few of them have impressed me.

I also like to play a lot of mix games (god i miss iowa for that) like HOE and those were always 10-20 or 15-30 or 2-5 pot limit so you need a bigger roll to play it, I think that is what deters some people now from getting into it as I was lucky enough to start out in a straigh O8 game and move into the bigger mixed games but its a lot harder for people to now just jump into a bigger game

Re: live 08 player ages
 

"5. to play correctly, you sometimes have to sit for hours waiting for cards. this is true in HE as well, but even worse in O8

I agree with this statement completely. I have waited hours for a hand that is playable and havne't got anythuing close to an A2xx or A3xx hand at all in the few hours that I waited. A lot of times I was the only person not in on the hand. Same for LLHE

Re: live 08 player ages
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm also one of the few 20 somethings who play live O8. I am good friends with many of the "geezers" who like to play every hand. I formed the friendship and respect of the players by basically just being a counteous player and never berate a player or other such actions. Also something I occasioinally do is buy the table a round of ice cream bars or something else that is cheap. This has resulted in players just calling with nut nut and other various soft play, "because you're such a nice kid." I find this type of behavior is hugely beneficial for me in the long run, and anyone else who wants to employ this method.

[/ QUOTE ]

This actually hits it on the head - you get the table so loosened up if you get the waitress over and say you will buy them whatever snack bar item they want (ice cream, etc...) - they will absolutley love you

I have found it also very important to be a regular in the game in order for them to donate to me, they dont like to donate to guys that show up one night every couple months, if you are there a couple times a week, there is no problem as they grow to know you better and dont have a problem dumping off to you, I also think that some of them see me as a grandson type figure in the game and it makes it very enjoyable to play as the anger is less than in a similar HE game although on Friday nights when you have less regulars, you see a lot more of the "omaha anger" which i enjoy