"Playing overs"

[DrPublo]

I was at a really good 10-20 1/2 kill HOE game the other night, and someone at the table asked me if I wanted to "play overs." Never heard of this before. Apparently if a few people at the table want to play bigger stakes, they can enter into an agreement by which if it's only those few players left in the pot at any point, the stakes double to 20/40 (or 30/60 if it was killed).

I declined and I never even saw an "overs" pot happen between the 3 players interested.

My question is has anyone heard of "playing overs" before, and is there any potential advantage to it? FWIW, this game was very loose passive, often with 4 or 5 players to a flop for 2 or 3 bets each.

The Doc

[Arbitrage]

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My question is has anyone heard of "playing overs" before, and is there any potential advantage to it?

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I've played with overs. There is an advantage if inferior players are playing overs.

[UprightCreature]

I've also played with overs. It can be pretty fun when the action players have overs buttons. It also adds an extra element where sometimes you try to knock out specific players so you can bet more on the next street.

There is definitely a positional advantage too, its always good to be betting higher stakes with people you have position on and less with people you don't. (assuming equal skill)

[donking]

There are a couple home games that use an OVERS button as a way to "raise" the stakes. The "action" players can play OVERS and the "beginners" can play without for a lower stakes game. The problem is if one of the non-OVERS players always goes to the river.

Good Luck,

[IgorSmiles]

If action players are playing overs, and you have the bank on you...do it. Sometimes, only the best players are willing to play overs, then you shouldnt. The game you describe, sounds like you should definitely have said yes.

[IgorSmiles]

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I never even saw an "overs" pot happen between the 3 players interested.



The Doc

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That doesnt surprise me at all. If the game is playing very loose then it rarely comes into play. Still, if those three guys were giving loose action, you should jump on the overs.

[bernie]

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they can enter into an agreement by which if it's only those few players left in the pot at any point, the stakes double to 20/40 (or 30/60 if it was killed).

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Usually the overs don't come into play in kill pots. But you can agree to play it that way.

Many times the ones I see playing overs are guys who like to splash money. It's not a sign of them being more skilled. Something to look for.

There's a very nice advantage to it if the other players suck. You also have to be aware of the better implied odds situations when they might be possible on later streets. Like say, 3 overs guys in with 1 guy not playing overs. If that one guy might fold on a street like, the flop, then the turn bets quadruple the flop bets size-wise.(from the $10 flop bets to $40 turn/river bets)

You'll also need a little bigger roll than you normally play with at that limit when playing overs.

b

[DrPublo]

Thanks all.

The Doc

[Siegmund]

Overs seem to be fairly common in smaller cardrooms that don't have much chance of supporting a separate higher limit game.

Every now and then the Overs limits are a bit odd, too. The Slopitch in Bellingham, WA spreads only 4/8 with a half kill most the time, but has a $5-25 spread-limit game once a week. (This spring it was 5-25; maybe it's 5-40 now, I don't know.) The 4/8 HK game had overs to 5-25 one of the nights I played. Funny thing about that is that if the overs come into play on the turn or river, the minimum bet size actually gets smaller! Not that any of the people wanting overs would have min-bet.

[bernie]

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Overs seem to be fairly common in smaller cardrooms that don't have much chance of supporting a separate higher limit game.


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It's not just smaller cardrooms. The higher game at Mucks almost always has overs in it.

b