How should I deal with crazy PLO tables?

[miklcct]

The whole 0.02/0.04 table is loose, with one loose and aggressive (raising every hand pre-flop) and the others loose and passive, nearly always call every hand, even after a raise, with massive 3-bets and 4-bets pre-flop, to the extent that on most of the hands everyone is seeing the flop, then people start to bet dozens of BB. I even see the long stack, with more than 9000 BBs in her stack, raising and shoving with rubbish, trying to bully everyone else on the table.

The effect is that the stake of the game is increased to the extent that I am not comfortable playing with, even though it is 0.02/0.04.

In a crazy action, a loose and aggressive villain 4-bet Q875ss and another villain shoved AK86ds over it, resulting in a €11.80 3-way pot at the flop. The final pot was €18.14. I didn't play that hand with T973ss.

In another crazy action, the villain opened and I 3-bet with AAQ9ss. She max-bet on a T95 rainbow 3-way and everyone called. I eventually lost the 3-way as the villain made a flush with her 9776ss, while the favourite with a triplet was outdrawn.

Afterwards, I won the largest pot I had ever played in cash games in a crazy action. I held QJ44r, which wasn't a good hand and I open limped at UTG. Everyone limped afterwards, including the aggressive villain at BTN, until the SB who max-raised to €0.28. I called, and everyone called as well, and the aggressive villain, previously over-limped, now max-3-bet to €1.96. And EVERYONE CALLED THE 3-BET BEFORE ME.

I would not even consider calling a 3-bet with QJ44r at a normal table, but I called anyway. Then the flop came QJ3r in a 4-way. The BB shoved and I over-shoved as well. The aggressive villain further raised to €20.59 into the pot where the SB, initially checked, folded, resulting in a 3-way flip. I was the favourite but with only 52%. The aggressive villain had AKT8ss (so a strong straight draw for A, K, T or 9), the other villain also had an open end straight draw for KJT2ss, while I had the top two pairs. Eventually a 3 and a Q turned up on the board and won the €17.93 pot. I left the table soon afterwards, having previously lost a whole buy-in on the table.

How should I play to win when the table is so crazy, raising and calling so many marginal or even garbage hands, when my good hands are frequently outdrawn and got bullied when the flop doesn't hit as hard as the above?

 

[monkeytilter]

Where is your edge in these games? Can't find one? Would it be best to stop playing them?
Not every game is beatable.
This game is high rake, high variance and your thought process isn't at the stage where you can find the (possible) winning approach, all signs you should find another game not look for 'magic bullets' in this one.

 

[thedarkman]

Playing those stakes is ludicrous. You get eaten by the rake. Try tournaments instead.

 

[fuzzycatdaddy]

Just because it has the "lowest stakes" in terms of blinds does not mean it has the "lowest cost to play". At these cheap tables, people are just shoving and flipping for everything, so you're barely even playing a skill game anymore.

If you are averaging €10+ pots pre-flop anyway, why not bump up to stakes where people play more "reasonably" and you can actually get some +EV? Sure, a €10 buy-in won't get you 250 BB at .1/.2 but arguably 50 BB will serve you much better at a table where you aren't flipping against trash every time just to play.

 

[miklcct]

Where is your edge in these games? Can't find one? Would it be best to stop playing them?
Not every game is beatable.
This game is high rake, high variance and your thought process isn't at the stage where you can find the (possible) winning approach, all signs you should find another game not look for 'magic bullets' in this one.

The higher stake games have higher rake (both in percentage and in the cap in terms of BB) at the platform I play.

 

[monkeytilter]

The higher stake games have higher rake (both in percentage and in the cap in terms of BB) at the platform I play.

I didn't suggest you move up the stakes, others did.
If the percentage rake/cap is even worse as you go up (which is unusual - what site is this?) then those games may be unbeatable too (but you may be able to find some edge if they aren't as "wild").

 

[Noobgila]

Move to hold'em tables for less variance.

 

[puzzlefish]

Would it be best to stop playing them?

This would be the first option on my mind.

 

[eetenor]

The whole 0.02/0.04 table is loose, with one loose and aggressive (raising every hand pre-flop) and the others loose and passive, nearly always call every hand, even after a raise, with massive 3-bets and 4-bets pre-flop, to the extent that on most of the hands everyone is seeing the flop, then people start to bet dozens of BB. I even see the long stack, with more than 9000 BBs in her stack, raising and shoving with rubbish, trying to bully everyone else on the table.

The effect is that the stake of the game is increased to the extent that I am not comfortable playing with, even though it is 0.02/0.04.

In a crazy action, a loose and aggressive villain 4-bet Q875ss and another villain shoved AK86ds over it, resulting in a €11.80 3-way pot at the flop. The final pot was €18.14. I didn't play that hand with T973ss.

In another crazy action, the villain opened and I 3-bet with AAQ9ss. She max-bet on a T95 rainbow 3-way and everyone called. I eventually lost the 3-way as the villain made a flush with her 9776ss, while the favourite with a triplet was outdrawn.

Afterwards, I won the largest pot I had ever played in cash games in a crazy action. I held QJ44r, which wasn't a good hand and I open limped at UTG. Everyone limped afterwards, including the aggressive villain at BTN, until the SB who max-raised to €0.28. I called, and everyone called as well, and the aggressive villain, previously over-limped, now max-3-bet to €1.96. And EVERYONE CALLED THE 3-BET BEFORE ME.

I would not even consider calling a 3-bet with QJ44r at a normal table, but I called anyway. Then the flop came QJ3r in a 4-way. The BB shoved and I over-shoved as well. The aggressive villain further raised to €20.59 into the pot where the SB, initially checked, folded, resulting in a 3-way flip. I was the favourite but with only 52%. The aggressive villain had AKT8ss (so a strong straight draw for A, K, T or 9), the other villain also had an open end straight draw for KJT2ss, while I had the top two pairs. Eventually a 3 and a Q turned up on the board and won the €17.93 pot. I left the table soon afterwards, having previously lost a whole buy-in on the table.

How should I play to win when the table is so crazy, raising and calling so many marginal or even garbage hands, when my good hands are frequently outdrawn and got bullied when the flop doesn't hit as hard as the above?

Crazy action in high rake games is what you want. Little action means the rake eats you all alive.
In crazy games the key is to play hands that make big river hands. AAQ9ss is not bad preflop but after multiway flop pot sizing it should never get past the flop- unless you were drawing to the nut flush and another draw.
AAQ9ss is also not a 3 bet preflop in this game type. Why? Post flop SPR. If we are going to play in a game where they put stacks in post flop when they hit any part of the flop why build a larger pot preflop? 3 betting is to get HU preflop or to put max pressure on draws post flop- neither of these things are happening in your game.

The key to this game is play like a PLO nit preflop, keep the preflop pots small if you can and then draw cheaply to a hand that wins big pots when it hits.
If the pot becomes bloated preflop or flop overfold.

As you shared above you only have to hit 1 pot to win the most you have ever won so try to just play 1 pot per session all the way to the river.

 

[TeUnit]

Tighten your opening range, focus on playing in position, raise bigger with value.

 

[fa1920]

Dealing with tables like that can be incredibly frustrating, especially in PLO where equities run so close pre-flop. From the 4-card hands you mentioned (like QJ44r and AAQ9ss), it’s clear you’re navigating the wild swings of Omaha.
Your best adjustment when the table is this loose and aggressive is to tighten your starting range significantly and focus on hands that draw to the absolute nuts. Calling a multi-way 3-bet with a hand like QJ44 rainbow is definitely a leak, as it plays terribly in bloated pots and is often dominated. Stick to premium, highly coordinated hands (like double-suited rundowns or strong AAxx). Just accept the variance and stay patient