It was the $50K HORSE that set a lot of people on the path to the world beyond Texas Hold’em. That did it for me. I never really got a handle on the high-low side of the game. Or if I somewhat did, I wasn’t enamored with it that much. I guess it plays with my mind more than I like.
But HORSE is a great game and I enjoyed it. You can play it cheap on Ultimate Bet and close to that on FT. Bit more pricey on Stars where the lowest level is .50-1. I started learning it on UB at .10-20. My Omaha was more in the PL high area before that.
After a while, I gravitated to StudHi. I’d found myself most comfortable playing that. When I made the move, I found the play very similar. And, I thought the play on Stars was weak enough that I could win a bit on a regular basis.
I keep notes. Not great one like JB tries to do; but, decent and observational. That brought me to the realization that there is a lot of turnover in the low limit games. People show up with a Holdem mindset and never seem to get rid of it. Loose cannons and calling stations abound. Even if you don’t have Stud mastered, it doesn’t take a lot to get ‘good enough’ for most games.
I’ve really gravitated to the ring side. Early on I’d really played SnG games mostly. Tournaments too. But, constant blind structures are an amazing change to one’s mindset. When we get around that idea, we can really develop a game. Or at least one that’s closer to ‘good poker’