Changing Focus to NLHE and PLO

I've primarily played LHE for over 2 years and I'm just sick of that game. What I hate the most is not being able to protect a made hand. Often I find myself with a high pocket pair out of position versus 4 or 5 other players and then they outflop or outdraw me. I just can't take it anymore!!! Here are a couple of recent examples:

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LHE, AA in the big blind versus 4 players and I get sucked out. Fortunately, I lose the least amount possible by folding the turn when a straight card comes off and I'm bet into. If this were NHLE, I would have made a large pre-flop raise and likely thined the field to 1 or 2 players and won a nice pot versus AK. Very, very frustrating!

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LHE, open with AA but donkeys come along and hit on the river. I was simply not able to make a large enough bet on the flop or turn to get them to fold. Again, very, very frustrating to the point it makes me hate LHE. These suckouts lasted for 2 months and contributed to a 300 BB downswing at the 5/10 and 3/6 limits. Yeah, its been THAT fugly!!


So, I'm entering a new chapter in my poker life. I'm going to focus on NLHE and PLO. In my previous post, I wrote about my new adventure into NLHE ring games which started with a lot of success. One thing that I'm a little unsure about is how to best play AK (preflop - when to limp or raise) in various situations and I'm certainly open to suggestions.

My first few sessions of PLO have gone well too. I seem to be making good decisions and getting the money in the pot when I have the odds to win. Here are some examples:

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PLO, flop 2 pair, flush draw and backdoor straight draw. 85% equity on the flop, 82% on the turn.

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PLO, flop top set and nut flush draw. 81% equity when all the money goes in on the flop.

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PLO, middle set and gutshot versus a couple of short stacks. 60% equity when the money goes in on the flop.

Wish me the best!