The $5 Buy In

[HoldingFolding]

I'm learning on the lowest limit pot limit tables on Party. The maximum buy in is $25, but I see a lot of people buy in for just $5, often repeatedly (so it's not that they don't have the cash online). I would have thought being adequately br'ed in, particularly PL, Omaha, was essential, after all, (and may be it only happens at this level) I've found myself holding the mortal nuts with players betting into me [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] plenty of times.

Anyhoo, any idea why they do this?

[chaos]

They only have enough money to play the earlier streets. They don't have to worry about facing a difficult pot sized bet on the river and determining if they are being bluffed.

- chaos

[steamboatin]

It is a short stack strategy. If they are doing it correctly, they play super tight and then try to get all in early.

If they don't play tight then push, with a short stack, then they really suck.

That is how I play PLO, short stack, then shove.

sorry, my reply was for PLO high. I guess short stack strategy would work for PLO8.

[brimelian]

[ QUOTE ]

That is how I play PLO, short stack, then shove.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm curious this is profitable for you (and others) in the long run. I don't play short stacks myself, but I have observed - particularly at the $200PL tables - that short stack players have a huge target on their back and are pushed around by the bigger stacks. Short stacks also have no ammunition to manipulate the pot odds making it difficult (or at least unprofitable) for drawing hands to call - so they tend to get "sucked out" on quite a bit.

In addition, I've found it beneficial to my bottom line to have a stack close to the maximum buy-in so that I maximize my profit on those occasions when I push with the nuts. This certainly increases my short-term variance when I get a caller who hits a 1 or 2 outer, but the long-term profit justifies these painful outcomes.

Am I missing something?

[redmarion]

I think you are looking at two diferent situations.

Minimum buy-ins are usually a characteristic of inexperienced players. They have played Limit O8b and use the lost limit to reduce cost in case they loose. With $5 they really can't win much & as soon as they post blinds a few rounds they are next to insignificant. They have no implied odds & don't give any implied odds. Just playing limit omaha 8b with minimum risk. Just watch'm chase to chop pots and pay rake. They usually prevent scoops unless they counterfiet low or they get lucky playing middle connectors.

Short stack strategy would be buy-in for $10 to $15 in a $25 table. Play tight get your money in as a favorite. Hope it holds up if someone plays with you. Much like PLO-hi.

Minimum buy-ins are loosers. Most don't know O8b & fewer know PLO8b. They are there for giggles when they scoop miracles for $2 to $4.

If the tables have more than 2 mini-buy-ins, it's a waste of time to play the table,unless you have someone else throwing a party.

[I dunno]

I've only ever seen one person that played a good shortstack game. His name was Uhhleo or something like that on bodog. I have no idea if he's still on there, my guess is no. Everyone else that I've ever run into that buys in for the min is pretty clueless. I donated a decent chunk to him until I realized that he had done a good job of applying a sloftboom shortstacking style to PLO8. After I realized this I only started raising premium hands when he limped in preflop.

I think you can show a profit shortstacking PLO8 if you use game selection, but there aren't as many laggy deepstacked games lately that make this strategy worth playing, especially at the lower limits.

[HoldingFolding]

[ QUOTE ]
a sloftboom shortstacking style

[/ QUOTE ]

What is this a reference to? (Did a search couldn't find it)

[I dunno]

That was a typo. Search for Rolf Slotboom in the PLO forum, or even google it. He published his shortstacking strategy in a book he wrote, which pissed off a lot of mid and high stakes PL players. There are tons of threads about it I'm sure.

[chaos]

How big are the blinds in this PLO8 game?

- chaos

[Cooker]

In my experience on the average at the $25 on party zero players per table have any clue about how to play PLO8. This is true even for shortstacks.

There are some theoretical advantages to being a short stack especially if there are multiple big stacks at the table. You will often be all in and therefore win pots that you might have been bluffed out of. Also, one big stack might bluff out the winner after you are all in allowing you more equity than you should have had. It basically allows you to start with a strong hand and if the flop looks decent go with it never facing tough turn and river decisions. At the small stakes a decent player that has a clue (probably easily through the $200 buy in) will usually be best off with a full stack unless all the other big stacks play better than you.