Learning mixed games - where to start?

Poker Variants / Marcus Bateman / 04 May 2010 / Leave a Comment

Mixed games not only force a player to be competent in numerous games, but also competent in a slightly deeper form of game selection, player knowledge, and where to focus learning time on.

Mixed games are currently making a big impact on the poker scene - no doubt as players start to realise that mixed games nearly always provided the staple diet of the very highest stake players - and thinking about the best way to approach these games is crucial if you want to learn them.

The first key point about mixed games is that all the games within the rotation are not equal. More money is traded over the 'big bet' games (usually No Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha) than the limit games, and as a result these should be your first focus. A talented big bet player who is useless at limit would just about be able to beat a good limit player who struggled with big bet games, simply because although there are more limit games, the majority of money over all is still just traded on the big bet games.

The second notable point to remember is to try and learn Seven Card Stud and Limit Hold'em next. The Hi/Lo split games in the rotation (typically Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, Razz, and Omaha Hi/Lo), can be played using a pretty simple tight aggressive low orientated strategy if you are just starting out, and due to the reduced variance in these games, even if you are losing in them it will be at a much slower rate than the other games. With Stud Hi and Limit Hold'em this is not so much the case, and these have to be your next games of priority after the big bet games.

The final point worth mentioning is of game selection. Using the above criteria on what games you should be focussing on, it is also important that you try and observe what the table line ups strengths are. A table full of known big bet players is not the best place to sit down in - even if you know you are much better than them at limit. Conversely, a line up of very skilled limit players might actually represent a very juicy game for you if you are considerably better than them at big bet games - simply due to the extra amounts you can typically make in these games.

Mixed games not only force a player to be competent in numerous games, but also competent in a slightly deeper form of game selection, player knowledge, and where to focus learning time on. As a result, a skilled player typically has a larger edge in a mixed game if they can follow these points, but will also be a greater disadvantage if they cannot. This is why they have always represented the top of the tree in terms of the highest stake cash game, and they provide one of the richest and in depth poker experiences.

See More Poker Variants Articles