Top Pair Podcast 332: SOHE and Dramaha: A Closer Look

Robbie Strazynski

Apr 16, 2019 Last updated Apr 17, 2019

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In episode 332, Bruce Briggs and Robbie Strazynski welcome listener Jim Donahue to the show. Jim wrote a pair of books examining a couple of poker’s more unique variants; SOHE and Dramaha. We take a closer look at these fun home games and delve into a bit of strategy talk for how to best approach them.

More mixed game talk from Robbie and Bruce in their home game session recaps, as well as a primer on where to find all the best mixed-game tournaments in Las Vegas during this summer’s WSOP season. Finally, this week’s One Outer illustrates the importance of knowing the limits at the poker table.

Top Pair thanks their sponsors, J Design Cards and the Poker Notes Live mobile app for their support. Be sure to check ‘em out!

Show Time Stamps

00:25	Synopsis
1:02–25:08	How Ya Runnin?
1:18	Robbie: The best of times and the worst of times in two home game sessions. Session #1, in the zone, everything going right minus a couple unfortunate stumbles towards the end. Session #2, started off promising, but then the cards stopped coming, a big mistake was made, and the spewing wouldn’t stop.
8:18	Fantastic website for mixed game fans, listing all mixed game tournaments being offered in Las Vegas during the upcoming 2019 WSOP season.
13:46	Bruce: Running well in consecutive sessions, up three buy-ins. Details of getting hit hard by the deck, including multiple quads, straight flushes, and more. John, from Scotland, pays his annual visit to the Salt Lake City home game scene.
22:30	Tipping out hats to Tiger Woods on the occasion of his winning a 15th major championship at the 2019 Masters, and talking about a bettor’s $85K wager on him to win over $1 million.
27:18-1:07:09	Dealer’s Choice (A detailed look at non-Hold’em poker games)
27:32	Introducing listener Jim Donahue, author of two books on SOHE and Dramaha..
28:11	How Jim got into poker, playing around the kitchen table, crazy wild card games. Plus, his current home game and how he got inspired to write a couple of books about SOHE and Dramaha.
30:08	Jim explains the rules of SOHE (also called SHOP) and Dramaha, and talks about “even crazier” variants of SOHE.
33:45	Jim’s an editor by trade, so in a sense writing and publishing a couple short poker books came naturally. Having all the necessary skills helps, and each of the books got done in just three months.
36:00	How to split six cards into an Omaha hand and Hold’em hand: “What would Robbie do?” But Jim’s the expert, so he gives his top three tips for how to play SOHE.
40:40	Does it ALWAYS take forever to play SOHE hands? Even with experienced players and a dedicated dealer, you still only get two orbits per hour…
43:15	How powerful are pairs in Hold’em vs. Omaha? When is it best to split pairs in SOHE?
45:35	Moving on to Dramaha; what are some of the most common mistakes people make?
49:37	Have Jim’s home game buddies read the books and improved as a result? Has Jim had to adjust his play based on his fellow tablemates now playing better?
52:03	No limit might be the dominant game, but in Jim’s opinion it’s bad for home games. It has been good for poker to get people into the game, but it’s a game made to “fleece novices.” Mixed games, which are played with fixed limits, are better for newer players to keep their bankrolls lasting a lot longer.
54:07	Will SOHE and Dramaha ever make it into the Dealer’s Choice bracelet event at the WSOP?
57:56	Jim’s next book, about “How to use and Abuse Straddles” and other planned projects for the future.
1:03:05	Discussing Kindle editions vs. paperback editions of a book.
1:04:20	What have the reviews and feedback on Jim’s SOHE and Dramaha books been like thus far?
1:07:10	Details of a giveaway, how to get a FREE copy of Jim’s SOHE and Dramaha books.
1:09:33	One Outer – It’s always important to know your limits at the poker table, otherwise it’s going to be a LONG night…