Usagi_yo:
I’m still a wanna-be (NLTH) poker player with ~5 years of part-time experience. Started in the bars and home games but now it is more and more casino play (for $$). I’m sure there are LOTs of people, like yourself, who play with a buzz from drink or smoke and do quite well. But I’m talking about the guy like I saw over the weekend who frequently delayed the game because he has no idea what was going on.
My opinion, too many players are clued in to Hold’em. If you can play with the same people, that helps as you develop instinctive reads on them. Then you can beat the game for 3-4 BB per hour with an occasional streak of 10-20 bb per hour. But if you’re casino hopping and not developing ‘customers’ then you’ll barely break even depending upon the rake. This is a generality. Never know when you’re going to run into a pack of loose docile puppies and kittens.
PLO is a different beast altogether. Most of the people know what to play, but simply get starved for and caught up in the action and will venture out on dumb hands and over play them.
I like to short stack PLO games. It’s the best strategy for me, then I leave if I get to nosebleed levels.