While Texas Hold’em has been the most popular poker option for over two decades, there are numerous other variants of the game. These “mixed games” poker formats have grown in popularity over the last decade, and players can find plenty of cash game action and tournaments live and online.
Games like Pot Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Badugi, Razz, Deuce to Seven Lowball, and others are finding more fans. Many events are available at the World Series of Poker and other poker festivals worldwide.
Those new to poker mixed games may want to give these options a shot, but they should recognise the critical differences with traditional Hold’em.
Here are some mixed-game poker strategies to consider when hitting the mixed games tables.
1 – Know the Rules
Each game may have different rules or caveats that can change the play dramatically. You may need to play differently in a PLO Hi/Lo game rather than in a traditional PLO game.
Playing using the wrong rules can be a recipe for disaster.
Someone new to poker mixed games may want to play at lower stakes (including low-stakes options found at 888poker) to learn the ropes.
Find some mixed poker games’ success before moving up in stakes.
2 – Recognise Powerful Drawing Hands
Some games, such as PLO, naturally give players better drawing hands than in a typical game of No Limit Hold’em. Players who understand the maths know they may be getting profitable drawing odds to build a much more powerful poker hand.
Some of these games are in fixed-limit format, so players may be getting a decent price to call.
“In limit games, you use this information but must have a much stronger surety your additional information is correct to make you go against the natural price the pot is laying you,” says Dylan Linde, author of the book Mastering Mixed Games.
“Oftentimes, you are getting such a tremendous price to show down your hand at the end that you must have a compelling reason not to call one bet to get to showdown. Often in NLHE, you aren’t getting the correct price to improve with a middling showdown hand and must determine the additional likelihood that this hand will win unimproved.”
3 – Be Selective in Starting Hands
As in NLHE, some hands aren’t necessarily worth calling bets. This strategy can vary depending on the game and the number of cards a player receives. These hands may not necessarily correspond with NLHE.
For example, pocket aces in a typical Hold’em game is a very powerful hand. However, in mixed poker games, having a pocket pair of aces in Omaha isn’t as strong because players receive twice the number of cards. There is a higher likelihood that opponents will draw bigger hands on a wet poker board.
Linde says hands like AdKd7c2s can also be dangerous – two strong cards with a pair of “dangling cards.” The 7 and 2 don’t help much, often making a weak two pair or bottom end of the wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5).
Also, hands with a high pair and two danglers like J-J-8-4 are “trap hands”, and you shouldn’t play them aggressively in early position, he says. Instead, look for more connected cards like J-10-9-8.
Starting hands can make a huge difference in finding success in poker mixed games.
4 – Be Ready to Adapt
More tournaments and game formats regularly feature several mixed games at the table. For example, the WSOP now runs "dealer's choice" events, where players can call a host of poker variants.
A general knowledge of all mixed poker games' formats is a good idea, and players should be ready to adjust to these styles.
Players don't need to be masters of all of them, but they should at least stand a chance of taking down some pots in their weaker formats.
Use sound poker combos and mixed games poker strategy to be successful.
5 – Be Selective About Games
On the flip side of that last rule, when playing in dealer’s choice events or focusing on a mixed cash game, look for games where you excel. Larry Berg won the $1,500 Dealer's Choice Six-Handed event in 2016 for $125,466 and knows what it takes to excel in mixed-game tournaments.
He advises players to zero in on not only formats where opponents may struggle.
“I pick the games that are better for me unless I see someone making really big mistakes at the other games that someone else picks,” Berg told PokerNews of his own poker mixed game strategy. “Then I’ll just pick those games.”
Knowing the ins and outs of some more obscure games, like Caribbean Stud Poker, can also give knowledgeable players a leg up on the competition.
"(Some of these games are) rarely played by regular poker players who don't play mixed games," Berg adds.
That can be a massive advantage.
6 – Change Your Thinking
In some games, players can get huge rewards for making low hands. Those more accustomed to playing games like NLHE think about making high hands. But in games like Omaha Hi/Lo and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, you should look for hands with a better chance of winning both the high and low.
You can scoop the entire pot or, at least, secure the winning high or low. A person thinking about the high end of a pot may miss out on what opponents with lower hand draws might also make.
This strategy risks losing a pile of chips to another player who connects with the high and the low ends.
7 – Constantly Work on Strategy
Unlike NLHE, not every player is well-versed in mixed games poker strategy. By continually improving, a player may vault over more moderate and less-experienced players - unlike Hold’em, where there may be many good players at your table.
“The games are still unsolved,” the Consulting Outs strategy site notes. “Some would say No Limit Hold’em has been solved. But people are still experimenting and optimizing strategy in the many mixed game variants. Thus, there is great opportunity and challenge to develop your own strategies and profit from your diligence.”
Those who find a few games where they excel can become winning players in mixed games. Rather than trying to scrape by at tough tables full of experienced players, playing mixed games offers a chance to gain an edge—either in cash online poker mixed games or tournaments.
Mixed Poker Games Strategy - Conclusion
Players are drawn to mixed games because of the exciting variety and the fun of playing something different than the usual NLHE.
Whether you prefer games with three cards (Crazy Pineapple – with 3 card poker rules), four cards (Omaha, Badugi), five (Deuce to Seven Lowball), or seven (Seven Stud, Razz), these offer a unique experience and a great opportunity to expand your poker horizons.
