Omaha book question and more

[Nima]

Matt (or anyone else),
I just finished re-reading my limit books, and want to start learning Omaha well and start playing... What books do you suggest?

Also any word on the new two plus two shorthanded limit (http://www.pokereagles.com/poker-strategy/shorthanded-limit.php) book?

Nima,

[Matt]

Here are some books that I would recommend, in order.

For Omaha High:

Omaha Poker by Bob Ciaffone:
A great book for beginners. It covers Limit Omaha, Pot-Limit Omaha and Limit Omaha Hi-Lo. This is a very short book, but I learned a lot from reading it. It's great for Hold'em players who want to give Omaha a try. Ciaffone does a good job explaining the differences between two games that, at first glance, seem similar.

Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker by Stewart Reuben and Bob Ciaffone:
This book applies to many forms of poker, including Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, and Lowball Draw. Despite the title, most of the book concentrates on Pot-Limit. The first section covers general big-bet poker concepts--the importance of stack size, betting, bluffing, psychology and so on. The second section covers specific poker forms, including Omaha. The final section covers odds and probability.

Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha by Rolf Slotboom:
I haven't read much of this book, but I can already tell that it's the most comprehensive PLO book available (although there aren't that many books on the subject). Slotboom discusses short-stack strategy before moving to deep-stack play. There are also sections on high-stakes internet games and shorthanded play. The book concludes with several previously-published magazine articles and some practice hands. This looks like a really great book. I can't wait to read the whole thing.

How Good Is Your Pot-Limit Omaha? by Stewart Reuben:
A book of hand quizzes, from the same publisher as How Good is Your Limit Hold'em? Many people have criticized some of Reuben's advice. He's a loose-aggressive player who advocates playing trashy hands like 6:clubs:3:diamonds:3:spades:2:clubs: (this is an actual example from the book). Inexperienced players could get into trouble playing hands like this. Still, quizzes are a great way to learn. Rolf Slotboom considers this a must-read, although he does criticize aspects of Reuben's strategy.

You may also want to check out T.J. Cloutier's Championship Omaha and Lyle Berman's PLO chapter in Super/System 2. Many have criticized Cloutier and Berman's advice as too basic and weak-tight. I have found Cloutier's book very informative though. If you decide to read these books, read them after Omaha Poker and before Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker.

I'm not an expert by any means. I'm mostly repeating advice that I've heard from more experienced players. Check out Rolf Slotboom's book reviews on his website, www.rolfslotboom.com (http://www.rolfslotboom.com).

I'll offer suggestions for Omaha Hi-Lo later on. I also have information about new Shorthanded Limit Hold'em resources.

-Matt

[Nima]

I just started reading "Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha by Rolf Slotboom". It seems like a good book to read, but certainly not enough..

It talks about general strategy rather than specific situations (at least as far as I've read in the book)...

Nima

[Matt]

I just started reading "Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha by Rolf Slotboom". It seems like a good book to read, but certainly not enough..

It talks about general strategy rather than specific situations (at least as far as I've read in the book)...

Nima

Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha is probably the most advanced book you will find on Omaha. The early chapters, which deal with short-stack strategy, are fairly basic. The later chapters on deep-stack play and hand match-ups are more complex. I strongly recommend reading Ciaffone's Omaha Poker first.

[Nima]

I was watching Mike Matusow playing PLO and he was using many of the Rolf Slotboom strategies...

[Matt]

I was watching Mike Matusow playing PLO and he was using many of the Rolf Slotboom strategies...

Haha. Maybe you should stop reading the book.

[Nima]

I know, he seems to be losing a lot in that game...

[Matt]

I know, he seems to be losing a lot in that game...

I wouldn't worry about it. Rolf plays in those games and does fine. Mike seems to lack self-control. I think he loses at the other games too.

I thought of some more PLO resources.

Improve Your Poker by Bob Ciaffone:
This is a book of short essays that cover a lot of different topics and games. There's only one chapter devoted exclusively to Omaha (about 6 pages). However, the later chapters on big-bet poker contain a lot of great PLO advice.

Starting Out In Poker by Stewart Reuben:
This is obviously a beginner's book, but it supposedly covers big-bet (mostly Pot-Limit) poker. I haven't read this book, only heard about it.

Stoxtrader (http://www.pokereagles.com/poker-forum/www.stoxpoker.com) has three Omaha videos on his site. There's one on Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, one on PL and NL Omaha Hi-Lo, and one on Pot-Limit Omaha High. He should be adding some more in the near future.

-Matt

[Nima]

I saw this one guy "Zig..." on FTP clean everybody out and I thought he played stupid... But again I dont know much..

Does Rolf play on FTP? do you know his SN?

Also, I wana take video of some of my own sessions and put it online to discuss my mistakes perhaps... Do you know how the privacy laws work around it? I guess I could blur my own name and other player's SN.

Nima

[Matt]

He said he plays on there in a recent CardPlayer article. I don't know his username.

You can see all the players' names in the Stoxtrader videos, so I don't think it would be a problem. I would love to see one of your sessions.

[Steve-O]

Rolf's book is great, but his strategy has to be followed to the letter, and it's a very boring way to play. Super System II's section is also very good for an overview of the game and it's nuances.

The best way to learn PLO is to play it. You have to be very open to adjusting your play.

The other books basically say play good cards, and play the nuts post-flop, no kidding!!!!

PLO is probably the most complex poker game (I don't play PLO8 enough to comment on it's difficulty) and therefore doesn't translate well into a how-to book.