Playing Pillow!

That's the word I just made up for PLO - Pot-Limit Omaha (Say PLO as if it were a word and not an acronym...see?) I don't think I have ever in my life made up a word like that and had it actually stick. So I wouldn't suggest that you drop "anybody up for some pillow?" at your next home poker game, lest you wish to end up bloody, pulpy, and possibly castrated. But nothing's going to deter me - the game is Pillow, like it or not.

Now to a few of you who might be reading - what am I saying...there are ONLY a few of you reading - it might come as a shock that I even wish to discuss this game. But it appears that my progression through a new game goes something like this:
1) New Game? Cool, I'll try anything.
2) Yikes, I suck at New Game.
3) Godammit, New Game is frustrating.
4) I hate New Game, everyone who plays New Game either is a donkey or is compelled to play like one. I'm never playing again.
5) Actually, I'm going to play again right now, since I hate being crappy at a game full of donkeys that I should be winning.

And so here we are. My interest, interestingly, peaked two nights ago while playing $0.50-$1.0 Pillow with some friends at a live house game. After grousing about the sheer foolishness of the endeavor for a full round of hands, and folding every marginal holding I looked down at, I perked up when I saw A-A-7-4 with one suited A. I potted PF to $15, and got 3 callers. The flop came 3-8-10, I pushed my last $22, and got called by 2-2-8-10. No A, no miracle runners, no pair on the board to save me. I patiently wait for a strong hand, play it strong, and get severely punished for it. There is no justice in Pillow.

But since that hand, I've resolved to actually figure out how to play this game. One thing I've figured out is that A-A-7-4 isn't really all that strong of a Pillow hand. I overplayed, and was appropriately punished. Justice was served. Well, that would imply that Stephen deserved to stack me with 2-2-8-10. So let me rephrase - a lesson was served to me. Gotta understand the game first, so that plays like that one roll off your back, and you know you'll come back and end up on top ultimately.

So Step 1 - find some Pillow literature. For all of the NLHE books I have read, I haven't read more than a page about Pillow in a respected text. I would appreciate any and all suggestions. I'm considering one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Championship-Omaha-Tom-McEvoy/dp/1580421547/ref=pd_sim_b_title_2

http://www.amazon.com/Omaha-Poker-Bob-Ciaffone/dp/0966100751/ref=pd_sim_b_title_1

http://www.amazon.com/Pot-Limit-Omaha-Poker-Jeff-Hwang/dp/0818407263/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207333078&sr=1-1

All I have are Amazon book reviews to go by right now. I'm leaning towards the Hwang book.

"Pillow"...doesn't it almost make it sound soft and cuddly and cute? Trust me, that's an itchy, spiky, poisonous Pillow embedded with razor blades that will set your hair on fire.