Scoop!: Big O and PLO8: Winning High Low Concepts for the Hold'em Mind

Very useful information on starting hand in various positions and breaking down

My experience with Scoop! by Greg Vail is amazing; which means going from a net-looser to up-and-coming-winner in 5 card and 4-card hi-lo games at the low to medium stakes level with only a modest amount of work. The author's knowledge of these games is master-class and does an exceptional job conveying core concepts, required skills, and a global though process for poker overall. Not only has this material greatly improved my overall Big-O/PLO8 skillset but its given me new pathways to think about and improve my regular PLO and Holdem Game. Looking forward to hearing back from the author (via email) on his coaching programs and continuing to make progress in these games! Thanks Greg!

Very good job with the content and organization! The book is well-organized with many helpful examples. I think Doug does a good job grabbing people in the Foreword. If they don't want to continue reading after that, they probably aren't good candidates for this publication. The first one-third of the book was a review for me, since I attended Greg's class. It was still worthwhile because it establishes the key concepts that anyone playing these games -- seriously or even casually -- should understand and adopt. They are then emphasized throughout the remember of the book. The last two-thirds of the book discusses and illustrates some very helpful additions to the class material; such as, the sections on bet sizing and high/low variance. Both of these concepts appear in almost every section after they are introduced, and the examples explain very well how and when to productively vary your bet-sizing and effectively use high and low variance. This is excellent and should make a tremendous difference between the win rates of someone using these ideas and those who do not. Also, the comments on betting/not betting throughout based on your cards, opponent tendencies, and stack sizes are quite useful. Situations in which we should NOT be betting (even with the likelihood of having the best hand of the moment) will save the reader many chips in the long run. Throughout the book, fully explained examples are used to illustrate the points being made. The examples at the end of the book provide the reader with material that (IMO) should be periodically reviewed in order to stay sharp. If you decide to issue a new volume, there are a couple of additions you might consider. As Doug mentions, he had never played any form of PLO, and (IMO) it's important for the reader to understand that pot limit is a (much) bigger game than no limit. That is not intuitively obvious, since how can anything be bigger than no-limit, a game in which you can put all your chips into the pot whenever it's your turn to bet! So if you ever update the book, I think it should be stated that pot limit is a bigger game, the reason why it is true (players bet pot and repot much more often than they shove all-in in NL), and show how the pot builds very quickly, even in a 1-2 pot limit game. Since some readers will know that, I suggest it be shown in an appendix rather than the body of the text (so not to bore those who already know it). An early footnote reference to the appendix should (again IMO) satisfy everyone. If you ever update this book (or write a second one), you might consider adding a section on tournaments to discuss situations in which the strategy might differ from that used in cash games. Bet sizing will vary in a tourney, since players have large stacks early and much less playability late. When short-stacked in a NLHE tournament the player reaches a shove or fold mode. In a comparable PLO8 or BigO situation the player will, of course, pot premium hands when short; but which other hand types should be added to this group and are there some that are not recommended (e.g., when short-stacked in a NLHE tournament, high cards become much more important than low or medium suited connectors)? Also, before reaching that stage, at what point (in terms of stack size) should the player modify her strategy. Are there certain hand types that should be avoided at that point, and are there others that become more important?

I've been playing the game for years, and to see this book, as well as his subsequent book, take my game to the next level was astounding. I've had a great win rate in my local games but never ventured out to the big Vegas tourneys. After reading his first 2 books, I ended up 2nd in the PLO8 at the Venetian for 10K. A true testament to the refinement his books cause your game to go through to be successful.

The major concepts definitely describe what was intended, notably how to approach the game from a no limit Hold-em background. I would recommend to anyone making the transition. I was very disappointed however in the sheer amount of grammatical errors. Nearly every page has at least one. It’s extremely distracting and there is no excuse for it.

I think as a poker book, this is great. There are good concepts and examples. However, I don’t think this book was proofread enough. There are sentences that are poorly constructed and even subject verb agreement issues. I didn’t buy this to be a work of literature, so I would recommend the material and ideas that are taught. Update. The proofreading seemed to get better, and the concepts seemed to get even better as well. I'm changing my rating to a 5. I have bought the second volume as well.

This book covers the basics of Big O. I play Big O two or three times a week, and I see the basics violated repeatedly. You need to know the basics of a game to be successful. Get the book.

Not to be cliche but this book is a literal game changer. If you want to actually get better and not lose money then this book will help. I bought two copies and I would pay double the price. Reading from start to finish and you will figure out what have you been doing wrong by the middle of the book. By the end of this book you should be proficient at the basic winning concepts.

Auch wenn ich für 36 € mehr erwartet hätte, ist der Inhalt des Buches insgesamt OK aber hätte besser strukturiert sein können. Für blutige O8 Anfänger ist das Buch von Dan Deppen besser ("PLO8 Revealed"). (und günstiger)

You're going to save yourself the price of the book if you follow the advice so I defo recommend. Basic, intermediate but solid advice. I hope we see a book updated to cover the aggressive 6 max tournie style formats that we see with constant 3 and 4 bets. Solid read with a couple of gems in there for any aspiring PLO8 player