Courses Labs About Sign up free

PLO 8 or Better

Scoop lines and river models

River model always
Scoop pressure
Counterfeit lab
Practice: Scoop lines practice

Preflop scoop filters

A2 is not enough
Wheel wraps with highs
Fold dominated lows
Practice: Preflop filter practice

Grade-5 PLO8 stake

Tag Q/L/D
PLO8 checkpoint — Grade-5 PLO8 stake
Precommit
Practice: PLO8 G5 stake practice

Grade challenge →

PLO 8 or Better / Grade 5 / Scoop lines and river models

River model always

In PLO8, scoop paths beat scoopless middles. 'River model always' stops you from paying for fake halves.

Worked example

three-low flop, 2nd-nut low + weak high — control; nut low + live high — press.

Common leak

Buddy leak ('River model always'): 'I have a low' as a complete reason multiway.

Drill

Drill ('River model always'): tag one quartered river and write the earlier fold that prevented it.

Coaching note

Hi-lo coaching staple: an 8-low or better must qualify — know the house rule before you chase halves. Check 'River model always' against it.

Practice habit

sticky-note the trigger for 'River model always' before your next PLO8 session.

Drill

buddy repeats 'River model always' in one sentence with a concrete board — or you re-teach.

Remember

Avoid scoopless middles.

Next lesson →

PokerGrad

A free, Khan Academy–style poker school. Twenty variants, Kindergarten through Grade 12, 2,131 lessons with practice sets and a challenge gate on every grade.

Hold'em

NLH Cash
NLH Tournament
Limit Hold’em
Short Deck

Omaha

PLO Cash
PLO Tournament
PLO 8 or Better
PLO5

Stud & Draw

7-Card Stud
Razz
2-7 Triple Draw
Badugi

Site

All courses
Labs & drills
About
Responsible gambling

© 2026 PokerGrad · Education only, not gambling advice.

Privacy Affiliate disclosure 18+ · Play responsibly