How to Beat Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better

At the Lower Limits

By Paul Kammen

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 Copyright 2005, Paul Kammen

Authors Note: The information in this book is intended to help you become a winning

stud 8 poker player. While you can certainly win a good deal of money at poker, there

will be inevitable losses over the short-term. Theres a big difference between short-term

losses and long-term, consistent losses that cause you to lose your entire savings. If you

believe you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, please contact:

Gamblers Anonymous
International Service Office
P.O. Box 17173
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 386-8789 - Fax (213) 386-0030
Email: isomain@gamblersanonymous.org
Website: http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/

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 Table of Contents

Acknowledgements......................................................................................6
Introduction..................................................................................................7
Chapter 1: What to Know Before You Go...............................................8
Getting Started.............................................................................................8
The buy-in..................................................................................................10
Keep your cool...........................................................................................11
Know the cards that are out.......................................................................12
Know the odds...........................................................................................13
Know your opponents................................................................................17
Position......................................................................................................19
Low vs. High..............................................................................................21
Example Hands..........................................................................................21
Chapter 2: Third Street...........................................................................22
Trips...........................................................................................................24
Three to a Small Straight Flush.................................................................26
Aces............................................................................................................27
Three to a Small Straight and Three to a Small Flush...............................28
Playable Low Hands..................................................................................30
Pairs: 8s and Lower with an Ace or Small Kicker.....................................34
Big Pairs: Kings and Queens.....................................................................37
Three-Straights to the High........................................................................43
Quiz on Third Street Play..........................................................................43
Summary of Third Street Play...................................................................47
Chapter 3: Fourth Street.........................................................................49
Quads.........................................................................................................50
Four-Straights and Four-Flushes to a Low................................................52
Trips...........................................................................................................54
Four-Flushes Three or Fewer to a Low...................................................58
Four-Straights Three or fewer to a Low..................................................62
Two Pair.....................................................................................................64
Aces............................................................................................................69
Big Pairs.....................................................................................................74
Low Draws.................................................................................................77
Low Draws with a Pair..............................................................................84
Three-Lows................................................................................................87
Quiz on Fourth Street Play.........................................................................90
Summary of Fourth Street..........................................................................95
Chapter 4 Fifth Street...........................................................................96
Monster Highs............................................................................................98
Monster Lows..........................................................................................101
Made Lows...............................................................................................104
Flushes.....................................................................................................110
Full Houses..............................................................................................114
Straights...................................................................................................116

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Trips.........................................................................................................121
Four-Lows................................................................................................126
Two Pair...................................................................................................134
Pairs..........................................................................................................140
Flush Draws.............................................................................................144
Three-Lows..............................................................................................148
Quiz on Fifth Street Play..........................................................................148
Summary of Fifth Street Play..................................................................153
Chapter 5 Sixth Street........................................................................154
Monsters...................................................................................................156
Small Straights.........................................................................................159
Made Lows...............................................................................................163
Full Houses..............................................................................................169
Flushes.....................................................................................................171
High Straights..........................................................................................176
Trips.........................................................................................................180
Two Pair...................................................................................................183
Pairs..........................................................................................................185
Low Draws...............................................................................................189
Flush and Straight Draws.........................................................................192
Quiz on Sixth Street Play.........................................................................192
Summary of Sixth Street..........................................................................196
Chapter 6 Seventh Street....................................................................197
Monster Highs and Lows.........................................................................198
Flushes.....................................................................................................201
Straights...................................................................................................203
Trips.........................................................................................................205
Two Pair...................................................................................................207
Pairs..........................................................................................................209
Low Hands...............................................................................................211
Quiz on Seventh Street Play....................................................................214
Summary of Seventh Street Play.............................................................218
Chapter 7 Additional Concepts..........................................................219
Shorthanded Play.....................................................................................219
Tilting.......................................................................................................220
Only Going Low......................................................................................221
Semi-Bluffs and Pure Bluffs....................................................................222
What Level?.............................................................................................223
Online or Brick-and-Mortar?...................................................................224
Multiple Tables........................................................................................225
Ante Structure..........................................................................................225
Tight vs. Loose Games.............................................................................226
Reading Hands.........................................................................................227
The Last Word..........................................................................................228
Appendix A Odds Information..........................................................229
Odds for Hitting a Low Qualifier.............................................................230

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Flush Odds...............................................................................................232
Straight Odds...........................................................................................235
General Odds for Hitting Various Hands.................................................240
Appendix B Glossary of Poker Terms...............................................241
Appendix C Ranking of Low Hands.................................................247

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 Acknowledgements

Many people have given me help and support in writing this book.

A big thank you goes out to my parents, Dennis and Mary and sister Anna for

their support. I also want to thank my friends, Chris, Ryan, Mark and Jenny for their

encouragement as I went about writing this book. My college and friend Ashley Adams

also needs to be thanked, as he gave me some great advice as I went through the writing

process.

Mark Mahn was another big help in getting this book done. A poker buddy who

wins many an online tournament, he gave great feedback on various sections and helped

clarify some of the writing to make it sound a little better. Thanks Mark!

Dr. Paul Dreyer was another huge help for me in getting this book done. Dr.

Dreyer is a mathematician at the RAND corporation who put together odds information

for this book. General odds information is available anywhere, but its better to know

how the cards that are out and people involved affect your hand. Thanks to Dr. Dreyer, I

was able to include more in-depth information to help the reader determine what makes a

good and bad bet.

Jan Fisher was also very helpful. The Pokerfish, who is the official statistician

for the World Poker Tour, has helped me with my poker over the past few years and given

me some great advice. Even though shes usually on a plane, working an event, or

helping with a poker cruise, she always has time to respond to my poker questions.

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 Introduction

At first glance, Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better seems like a very difficult game.

Part of the game is easy enough to figure out: the high hand always wins at least half of

the pot. But to the new player, figuring out what makes a good or a poor low hand, and

the notion of having two hands in seven cards can be intimidating. Even when a player

has knowledge of low hands, many struggle with changing playing style from games

where the high hand takes down the entire pot. For these reasons, some are fearful of

giving the game a try. Others play the game, but play it poorly.

So, what is it that makes Seven Card Stud 8-or-better a great game? Simply put, I

believe it to be the game where the player who knows how to play the game well can

make the most money, especially at the lower limits, where games can be filled with poor

players. Poor players assume many hands are playable, when in fact (as with regular stud)

you have to be very careful with what you play. Even hands that are playable can quickly

become unplayable. Nonetheless, people continue to play them, believing they have a

great chance to at least get half the pot.

One reason people play so many hands is because they become deluded into

thinking they have a great chance to get at least half of the pot. The problem with that line

of thinking is more often than not, the times they get none of the pot will outweigh the

few times they do get the pot and even then it will only be half of the pot, not the entire

pot (known as scooping a pot). This, of course, benefits you, because by the time you

finish this book you will know what hands to play and how to play them.

In my first book, How to Beat Low Limit Seven Card Stud Poker, I presented an

easy-to-understand guide to playing Seven Card Stud at the lower limits. Like that book,

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this one too is designed for those looking to play the game well at the lower limits. The

book is also designed so you can use it as a quick reference guide so that when you are

finished reading it, you can look up specific hands. This book will give you an

introduction to the game, focus on strategies, and take you street by street through the

hands that are playable and explain how to play them. Also included are quizzes for you

to take at the end of each chapter and explanations of additional concepts to make you a

winning stud 8 player. Finally, I have included odds for draws that show how players

involved in a pot and the number of cards that are live affect your hand. Though odds

were included in my first book, I felt the more odds the better, and via a newsgroup,

rec.gambling.poker, I got in touch with Dr. Paul Dreyer, a mathematics professor. Many a

poker book has useful odds information, but it is very limited. For instance, how do the

cards that are out that affect the odds you will hit your hand? More importantly for the

high-low player, what about those odds of hitting your low hand? Youll find these

numbers in the appendix, so you can easily look up and find what the odds are that you

will make various hands. One can never have enough information, especially when its

your money thats going into the pot!

So, lets get started in looking at the game.

Chapter 1 What to Know Before You Go

Getting Started

Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better is very similar to Seven Card Stud. Up to eight

players can play and each player is dealt three cards. Two of the cards are down (your

hole cards) and one is dealt face-up. The lowest up card (the board card) is forced to

initiate the betting, which is one half of one small bet. There can be two styles of betting.

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Most are structured limit games, meaning all of the betting is structured in two

increments. For instance, in a $4/8 game, bets would be in increments of $4 until Fifth

Street, when all bets become $8. Note that in regular stud if you or an opponent has an

open pair on Fourth Street, a double bet is allowed; in stud 8 that does not apply all bets

are small until Fifth Street. On Third Street, however, the initial bet is smaller as the

forced-bring in is less then the small bet, usually one half. So, in a $4/8 game, a bring-in

would be $2, and one could raise or complete the betting to the full amount, $4. There

can be up to three or four raises before the betting round is capped; but when two players

remain many card rooms allow for unlimited raises. The other style of betting is a spread-

limit game, such as $1-5. In this style, there is usually no ante and the bring-in is a dollar.

One can bet any amount at any time.

On Third Street, to stay in the hand a player must call or raise the bring-in bet,

which initiates the action. Action goes from right to left until it gets back to the person

who brought it in. The remaining players are dealt a fourth card, which is known as

Fourth Street. From this point on, the highest hand on the board starts the betting, which

proceeds from right to left. Once the fifth card is dealt, the betting limit increases, so that

on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Streets betting will always be the large bet in a structured

limit game. The fifth and sixth cards are dealt face-up, and the last card (also known as

the river card) is dealt face down. At this point, once betting concludes, the best high

hand and low hands split the pot, with the best high hand winning it all if there is no hand

that qualifies for the low.

What makes Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better different from Seven Card Stud is

that the pot can be won entirely by one player, or split between two players. The highest

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hand will always win at least half of the pot. One can also qualify for the low end of the

pot by having the best low hand. To qualify for a low hand, you can have any group of

cards of eight or less. The best low hand is when you have the ace through the five, which

is also known as the wheel. One common mistake some make when new to the game is

assuming two low cards of the same rank can play, so you must remember that each card

needs to be separate. For instance, the hand 22456 would not qualify for the low; all you

have is a pair of deuces. The hand A2346 would qualify for the low (and this is the

second best low hand you can have). This may sound confusing, but it is easy to get the

hang of. One thing you need to keep in mind as you play is what is a good low hand, and

what is highly vulnerable to other low hands (which is what makes getting rid of the

second-best hand so important in this game). To help you, a list of low hands from best to

worst is listed in the appendix.

You also must remember that while only five cards make a hand, you can

combine the cards to qualify for the high end of the pot and the low. Take this hand. You

hold: Ad, 2d, 5d, Qd and Kd. You have an ace high flush. But suppose your other two

cards are the 4c and 7c. You also have a seven-low, so can use five of the cards for the

flush, and combine five of the cards to qualify for the low hand. This is the best situation

to be in, and is the key to success at 7-card stud 8 or better: scooping the entire pot.

The Buy-In

The minimum buy-in varies from ten times one small bet to ten times one large

bet. So, in a $4/8 game, that is $40 or $80. Action in a high-low stud game can be quick,

and you can see your chip stack rise and fall very quickly. That being the case, you want

to have enough chips in front of you to survive rough beats so when you do get involved

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in a pot, you always have enough to raise with. Nothing is worse than hitting a beautiful

hand you know will win you a lot of money and not having the chips to bet with. Always

buy more chips when your stack is getting low. For example, if you are playing in a $4/8

game and below $20 in chips, buy more if you intended to continue to play for some time

longer. Of course, if you are running low on chips, and have decided that should you be

forced all-in you will leave if you lose the hand, you can continue playing short-stacked,

as you will never be forced out of a hand. If unable to call a bet that is made you are

declared all in. The dealer will take your chips, place them in the center, and take the

appropriate amount of chips from other players, creating the main pot. From that point

on, you will continue to receive cards until the river. Other players will have the chance

to bet, and will compete for a side pot.

Keep Your Cool

Poker is a game of knowing odds, when to bet and when to fold, but as anyone

who has ever played the game knows, poker is also a game of emotion. It is easy to get

excited about heading to the card room for a relaxing evening of poker, and be in a great

mood, but when the cards dont come, or when you have some good hands that lose to

slightly better hands, the mood starts to change. Some players see their chip stack

dwindle, and become tempted to chase and play more pots. This is an easy trap to fall into

when playing a game that has a split pot. Players become deluded into playing hands that

they should not, thinking that they will win half of the pot with the hand, simply because

two of the three cards they start with are low or suited. Or, they stay past Fourth Street

when their hands do not improve, ignoring the bad odds they are getting and telling

themselves that there are still three cards to come and anything can happen.

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Unfortunately for them, what usually happens is they lose more money, and after the

completion of the hand have to head for the door or the ATM. Playing this way is called

going on tilt, and it can happen to anyone, even someone who has played for years and

has a perfect knowledge of all of the odds.

There are two ways of dealing with emotions at the poker table. One is to let them

influence your game, become angry and attempt to get back at a player who beat you

on a close hand by chasing cards. That way is not healthy for your bankroll. The other

way is to suck it up. When you get beat by a player on a close hand, keep your cool and

say good hand. If you feel your emotions are beginning to get the best of you, get up

and take a walk. You can always leave a game for any reason. You do not have to worry

about someone taking your chips, and most card rooms allow you to leave for up to a

half-hour. So, take whatever time you need to regain your composure emotions are fine,

but emotions that cause you to lose money are bad news.

Know the Cards that are Out

The most important part of stud and high-low stud is knowing the cards that are

out. The reason is simple. If you have no knowledge that the cards you need to make your

hand are gone, what good does it do you to attempt to draw to the hand? What may seem

like a good hand might be worthless, and because you know your cards to improve are

dead you can dump a hand rather than chase after cards that are not there. Knowing the

cards that are out also helps you in placing your opponents on hands, especially if you are

trying to figure out if they are drawing to a full house.

This may sound like a lot of hard work, especially if you are a math phobic. But

its really much easier than it sounds. For one, you need not worry about the cards that

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are out and have not been folded they are there on the table and there is no need to

memorize them. As the cards are folded simply put them in some order that is easy to

remember. For me, as the cards are folded after each betting round, I rearrange them in

order mentally from the lowest to the highest, repeating duplicate cards. This may sound

difficult, but it is rare that you will have to memorize more than 10 cards, and the more

you do it, the easier it will become. A good way to practice is to pay attention to the game

when you are not involved in a hand, and work on memorizing the cards as they are

folded. You can also practice at home with a deck of cards, turning cards over one by one

and memorizing them as they are folded. If you continue to struggle, at the very least

know what cards affecting your hand are gone. There is also no rule against taking notes

at a table (though this is easier to do online when you can type) so you can write down

cards too if you believe it will help. However, I recommend doing this more online as

opposed to in a public card room unless you feel it is absolutely necessary, because if you

attempt to write down each card as it is folded you will miss tells from your opponents, or

miss other cards as they are folded because you are too busy writing. The bottom line: do

not become overly worried about learning how to master this part of the game.

Memorizing dead cards is much more difficult than it sounds, and with a little practice

will become easier and easier.

Know the Odds

Just as you need to know the cards that are out, you need to understand the odds.

Doing this will not only help you know what makes a good bet and a bad bet, but also

help you to figure out whether or not you are a favorite or an underdog against your

opponent when you put him on a hand.

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 There are four types of odds you need to know. One is the basic odds of making a

hand. For instance, when you have four to a flush, your odds of hitting the flush by the

river are about 1.25 to 1. In the back of the book are basic odds tables showing the

chances for improvement based on no knowledge of unseen cards, but also included are

odds for hitting various hands based on how the cards come out. Obviously, the more

cards you need that are out, the worse your situation becomes.

Along with looking at the basic odds for completing a hand, you have to know

what the pot odds are. These odds look at how much bang you are getting for your buck.

Suppose there is $20 in the pot, and it costs you $4 to call a bet. That means the pot is

giving you odds of 5-to-1. The bigger this number the better, because it means you are

investing less of your money as it relates to the pot with the chance for a huge payoff.

The importance of knowing these odds is that when you compare them to the basic odds

of making a hand, you want the pot odds to outweigh the actual odds you will hit the

hand. In the example of the $4 bet with a $20 pot, if the odds of you getting the hand you

are drawing to were worse than 5-to-1, you are making a bad bet. But, suppose you have

a 4-to-1 chance of hitting your hand. Knowing you are getting pot odds of 5-to-1, you

make that call, because if you made the same bet with the same hand numerous times,

you would come out ahead.

Comparing pot odds to the basic odds of hitting a hand is black and white in most

forms of poker, where you are playing for the whole pot. But, in a game where the pot is

sometimes split, things become more complicated. As a result, you have to be more

careful in a split-pot game, because what looks like the right calculation and a good bet

may be an error, because you are assuming that you will win the entire pot. Its always

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best to err on the side of caution until you develop your skills and are able to put

opponents on hands before wrongly assuming you will scoop. Small flushes and straights

are the best stud-8 hands, so when drawing to them you can often assume that you will

scoop. But remember: unless absolutely certain that youll be scooping, dont make a bad

bet by wrongly calculating pot odds.

Implied odds also need to be considered. These odds are based on the probability

of winning more money later in the hand and make the pot odds appear better or worse.

You can look at implied odds as a ratio between what you expect you will win if you

make your hand against what it might cost you to continue to play. Returning to the

example of $4 being required to bet or call a $20 pot, the pot odds you will recall are 5-

to-1. Suppose you are drawing to a flush, and you suspect your opponent is drawing to a

straight (well assume that both are high and the winner will scoop the pot). If you miss

your hand, you simply fold. But if you hit your hand and your opponent hits his, you

know you will be getting another $4 bet from him (or perhaps $8 if you check-raise him).

What this does to the pot odds is make them better for you, so your implied odds are now

6-to-1.

Implied odds can also be used to figure out if the pot odds are better than they

seem. This is known as reverse implied odds. You want to consider these when you have

a good hand, but one that is not likely to get much better. If there is $20 in the pot and the

bets are at $4 and your opponent has been calling, drawing to a hand you suspect if made

will beat you, he is going to stay involved. So you will have to bet $4 on Sixth and

Seventh Streets, making $8 total. (Youll be betting if you think you have the best hand;

if he raises you, you can dump it, but hell call trying to outdraw you). What this does to

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the pot odds though is make them worse, because in reality it is costing you $8, so the

implied odds make the pot odds 2.5-to-1 as opposed to 5-to-1. Knowing reverse implied

odds is useful when you know your opponents well, so you can dump a good hand when

you suspect your opponent has made his.

One more thing to consider is expected value, or EV for short. This is helpful

when you compare how your hand stacks up to how your opponents hand stacks up. You

will find this percentage expressed in the examples given in this book. Obviously, the

higher the number the better, but how do you know when you have a positive expected

value or a negative expected value? Take the example of two people flipping a coin. You

bet $5 that it will be tails; your friend bets $5 that it will be heads. Over the short run,

either one of you could win or lose money. But if you did this many times over and over

again, neither one of you would come out ahead. Someone could come out ahead or

down, but it wont be significant over the long run. Now suppose that you agree to give

your friend $5 every time its heads, but he will pay you $7 each time its tails. Here, your

expected value is greater, because while you still might lose in the short term, if you

make this bet time and time again you will come out ahead.

So how does expected value relate to poker? The percentage tells you whether or

not your hand is a long-term winner or loser, and it is related to how much you have put

in the pot. It tells you how much of the pot you are expected to win at a particular point in

the hand. For instance, suppose there are four people involved in the pot, and you have

each invested $5. You know what each of your opponents hold at this stage in the game,

and run a simulation based on your hand against the hands held by your opponents. If the

EV is greater than 25%, then your hand is a long term winner, because you have invested

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$5 in the pot but are a favorite to win more than $5 at a particular point in the hand,

which is a positive investment. Obviously, the higher the EV, the better shape you are in

because you are getting a better return on your money.

Reading through the odds section, you may be thinking you need a degree in math

to understand them. But, not to worry. Its much more complicated than it sounds. Have a

general knowledge of the odds of making your hand, and be able to estimate what is in

the pot to know what is a good bet and a bad bet, and ask yourself If I hit this hand and

my opponent hits his, am I going to make money or lose money?

Know Your Opponents

Knowing all the odds information in the world is great, but it will not help you

much if you are not aware of how your opponents play. Is he a maniac, playing hand after

hand in hopes of getting half the pot? If so, when heads up against him, you can be

slightly more liberal in calling his bets, knowing that he will pay you off when you hit

your hands because hell be sticking around until the end. Is he a rock, playing tightly and

only premium hands? If that is the case, then you will have to tighten up your game as

well and be more selective in choosing what hands to play when heads up against him,

but can attempt more bluffs and semi-bluffs.

The best way to gain knowledge of your opponents is to always be watching the

game. At my favorite card room and at nearly every other card room and casino, there are

countless things to watch: people going by, ball games, horse races, etc. Some people

even spend time between hands talking on the phone, reading a book, or checking out the

daily racing form. When you do this you are passing up getting information on your

opponents. So, in between hands, work on studying the cards that are out and memorizing

17
them, and watch how your opponents play. Later on, when you are involved in the pot,

you can use the knowledge you gained to extract more money from the loose opponents

and save yourself money on marginal hands against tighter opponents.

Tight-Aggressive

How should you play the game? Nearly every poker book out there says the same

thing, and mine is no different: tight-aggressive. What that means is that you are not

going to be playing many hands, but when you do, you want to bang away when youve

got the goods, and not let drawing hands stick around on the cheap. Playing this way

prevents you from losing money chasing mediocre hands but causes players who are

loose to give you more of their money.

Other styles of play include loose-aggressive, otherwise known as the play of a

maniac. The maniac will play many hands, and likes to raise to get action. Sometimes a

maniac can make a nice short-term score, building up a huge pot with a mediocre hand

that suddenly turns into gold. But in the long run, the amount of money that he puts into

the pot will outweigh what he gains. Another style is tight-passive, otherwise known as

the rock. You may have a tendency to play this way when just starting out I know it is

certainly how I played when I made my first trip to the card room! The tight-passive

player is wise in being very selective of what hands he chooses to play. Unfortunately, he

does not know gold when its looking at him in the face, unless its completely obvious

like an A2345 straight or aces-full. What the tight-passive player does is simply call

rather than raise. Two bad things happen by doing that. One is you cost yourself money.

Remember implied odds? Looking at them, if you are drawing to a full house and already

have trips or two pair and your opponent is drawing to a flush, you want to bet, because

18
you are getting the best of it. By betting or raising when you believe your opponent will

stick with you, you can get more of his money your way. Sadly, the rock remembers the

bad beats, and doesnt want to play the hand unless hes 100% sure it will be the winner.

Rocks can eek out small profits, but will never win the kind of money that they should.

The other bad thing by playing like a rock is you let drawing hands in cheap if you play

too passively. Take two pair against a probable flush draw and straight draw going high.

Two pair is one of the most difficult hands to play. Many just want to check and call with

it until they fill up. But doing that causes drawing hands to get free cards, which is a very

bad thing for you. You already hold a decent hand, so must bet it and make the drawing

hands pay if they want to stick around. Sure, they might make the hand and you might

miss yours, but over the long haul this play is going to make you money.

Finally, there is the loose-passive player, which is about as bad as it gets. Such a

player loves to play many hands, but even when they make hands have a difficult time

betting. Players like this are known as calling stations because that is about all they ever

do! No raising or folding, just calling no matter what and hoping for the best come the

river. You will find many of these in stud-8 games at the low limits.

Position

Position is not quite as important in stud games as it is in hold em when you will

act in the same spot over the course of the hand. Position changes frequently in stud, so if

you are first to act after three cards you might be last to act after four cards. But while

you cant control the position that you are in, you need to make sure to use the position

you are in to your advantage.

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 For the most part, you want to be one of the last players to act. This is especially

true if you are going for the low because you will know how many others players might

be going low as well. The best thing about being one of the last players to act is that you

will have more information at your disposal, and you can use this information to your

advantage. When you are first to act, you have no idea what the other players might do.

Take the example of a hand like 457 with two suited cards. This is a marginally playable

hand if you are late to act and can get in on the cheap, but if you are in early position you

would have to dump this (unless it were suited) if it looks like several low cards will be

playing as well or if an ace is yet to act, because theres a strong chance you will be in

worse position than some of these other players. In late position if they have just limped

in, you can as well because you do not have to fear a raise.

While most of the time it is best to be in late position, there are a few occasions

where it is best to be the first player to act. This includes on Third and Fifth Streets when

you are trying to eliminate players. At low limits, many players have a hard time

dumping a hand when they have put money in the pot, especially in a split-pot game. If

they do not have any money in the pot though, they have an easier time dumping the

hand. So if you have a hand like KKA, your raise on Third Street would be more

effective if it is done before others have acted, because they will be more apt to fold.

While you still want to play this hand fast and raise in late position (usually well be

talking about big pairs in a bit!) your raise is not as likely to eliminate as many players as

you would like because there is the mentality that because they have already put in two

dollars, it is just two more to call. At Fifth Street, betting limits increase, so at times a

raise from an early position or bet if first to act will be more effective too because it will

20
cost a player more to stay involved in the pot. Despite these benefits of early position,

nine times out of ten it is still best to be the last to act, because you have much more

information at your disposal which you can use to your advantage.

Low vs. High

Low hands are better than high hands in this game for one reason: a low hand can

qualify for the high, but the high has a much harder time qualifying for the low.

Remember that winning half of the pot is great, but what makes you money at stud 8 is

when you scoop and win the entire pot. You have a much better chance of doing that with

a hand like 234 than JJ8. In regular 7-stud, its better to have the jacks than the straight

draw, but in stud 8, jacks are a very dangerous hand that you will usually dump. The

jacks have only one card to the low, but with three to the low, the straight draw has a

good chance of making a low and a decent chance as well of making the high, and thus

scooping. You are only playing for half of the pot with your high hand. While there will

certainly be times you will proceed with a high hand, the low hands you will play more

for the simple fact that they will make you more money. For that reason, you will have to

adjust your game and remember you can not play this game exactly in the same manner

as regular 7-card stud. High hands can scoop too if there is no low qualifier, so when you

have them your goal becomes eliminating players going low, but you have a much better

shot to scoop when you go low.

Example Hands

In some sections, example hands are given. These are presented to help clarify

what makes a good move at a given time, such as a raise or a fold. The probabilities listed

after each hand were calculated using www.twodimes.net, a website that allows the user

21
to simulate 500,000 hands and gives probabilities showing how the hand would hold up if

played 500,000 times against what opponents hold. The numbers will fluctuate based on

what suits are held and what opponents hold, but are presented as examples of situations

you will find yourself in at the stud 8 table. Each example gives the suit for each hand

because even when you or your opponent do not have a possibility for a flush, what suits

are out cause the odds to change slightly. The small letters after each card indicate the suit

(4h = four of hearts). The cards underlined are the hidden cards that are in the hole, so in

the hand 4s 4c 8d, the fours are your hole cards.

Chapter 2 - Third Street

Introduction

As with any poker game, you want to maximize your wins and reduce your losses.

When getting involved in a pot, you want to make sure you are getting the best of it,

taking advantage when the odds are in your favor and getting out of the way when they

are not. That is tougher than it sounds, especially in a game like Stud 8.

What makes it difficult, especially for the player who is just starting out, is the

illusion of winning half of the pot. There are many pots that you will split over the many

hours you spend at the Stud 8 table. While those are nice, what is going to put your win

and loss statistics in the black will be the pots that you scoop. Numerous players play

hands that should not be played because they believe they have a good chance to win just

half of the pot. The problem with that line of thinking is that while they will win half of a

pot here and half of a pot there, there will be many times as well when they are the

second best high or low hand, and as you know, second best gets you nothing in poker

but a shorter stack of chips in front of you.

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 There will be times when you will play a hand on Third Street that is only going

in one direction, but the hands that have the potential to make you the most money will

have potential in both directions. Such hands include three small cards to a straight and

three small cards to a flush. All of the playable hands and how to play them will be

covered in the pages that follow.

Another thing you need to remember is that while this game looks like regular

seven card stud, and while much remains the same from seven stud, there are differences.

Due to many pots being split, you can not play as many high starting hands as you would

in regular stud when the high hand wins the entire pot. So you will have to learn how to

change your playing style, and not be tempted to call with hands such as 229 or AQK.

Again, all this will be covered in the pages that follow. Just as you will learn how to play

the hands you are going to stay with, you will also learn why some hands are simply

unplayable.

Finally, before we get into looking at specific hands, remember that the most

important decision you make will be made at Third Street. It is here that you will either

get involved in the pot or sit on the sidelines. Because once involved it is tough to fold

for many players, you have to carefully select what you play. When making the decision

to get involved, you want to have what you think is a great hand in one direction or a

good hand that has the potential to turn into a hand that will win you the entire pot.

This section examines all of the playable hands starting with the best and

proceeding to the hands that are marginal, and looks at how they should be played. It

concludes by looking at some of the hands that might be playable in regular seven card

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stud, but not in stud 8, and there will be a short quiz at the end to test your knowledge of

Third Street. Dont worry though, the answers follow and cheating is just fine.

Trips

Rolled up trips are about as good as it gets in regular stud, and are also a very

powerful Third Street hand in stud 8. It is highly unlikely that you are behind, and this

hand has a great chance to win at least half of the pot without improvement.

There are two schools of thought as to how to play this hand. Some people prefer

to play trips fast, raising or completing a bet, following the logic that this is a good hand,

so it should be protected. Other players always just call with the hand, waiting until

Fourth or Fifth Street to start betting and raising, as they want to keep people in and set a

trap. How should you play the hand? The answer falls somewhere in between and

depends on the situation you are in and how big your hand is. Anytime you have trips on

the first three cards, it is huge but the bigger the better.

The safe play is to just raise and re-raise anytime you have trips. Some feel this is

too conservative, but due to the split-pot nature of the game, you need to do what you can

to increase your potential of scooping the pot. At low limits, stud 8 games often see a lot

of action, and a lot of people want to see Fourth Street on the cheap, so they will stay in

with anything. Because many people have a hard time differentiating this game from

regular 7-stud games, they will play trash hands like 9Q9. A raise will force them out.

Trips are fantastic to start with, but the smaller they are, the more you must protect them

because there are still four more cards to come. You want other hands, especially those

going for the high, to drop before they can outdraw you.

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 The Benefits of the Re-Raise

Re-raising is particularly effective in causing people to drop. While many like to

see Fourth Street for up to a small bet, a re-raise causes people at all levels to pause and

think. A great situation is when a player completes the bring-in bet and the action gets to

you and some players are yet to act, because you can make it one full big bet. When

people are yet to act, they have to call one full big bet to stay in, and unless they have

something really good, they are not going to do that.

At times at low limits, it can be very frustrating when you raise on Third Street

because many people stay in. The problem is raising isnt as meaningful here as it is on

the later streets, because raises are done in smaller amounts. In the $4/8 game for

instance, the bring-in is $2. You can raise to $4, but not to $8. While you always want to

be later in position to act, if many people have just called by the time it gets to you,

completing it to $4 may have little effect on getting them out, because they will not care

what you have they just care that they put in $2, and $2 more is no problem to call.

Hence, re-raising is more valuable, especially when someone has yet to act, because its

going to cost more to stay involved. That being said, still complete or raise every time

you can with small trips, because even if you just get one player to drop, thats good it

is one less person who can outdraw you. A key to success is making drawing hands pay

and never giving away a free card unless you are setting a trap.

Deception

As you feel more comfortable at the high-low stud tables, you can call or limp-in

with your trips because you can set a trap for your opponents. This is the case when you

have eights or less, or three aces.

25
 A great part about stud is that you get your own cards. You dont have to deal with

community cards. So you can use the information you get from other players cards that

are showing, and you can also use the cards that are out in front of you to manipulate

your opponents. Following the advice of raising and playing small trips aggressively is

safe, and highly recommended if you are new to the game, and it is always the best play

in regular 7-card stud. But if you have a door card of eight or less and just call, what that

says to other players is that you are going low. You are putting yourself at risk for other

players getting lucky, but it is a justifiable risk, especially if you suspect others might be

going high too. They will not even worry about you, and you will have a nice surprise for

them by the time you get to the showdown. On Fourth Street, you can confuse your

opponents even more depending on what card comes out.

In conclusion when playing rolled-up trips:

COMPLETE or RERAISE frequently as you want to eliminate opponents

CALL if you want to try and set a trap, and hide the strength of what you hold.

Trips are just about as good as it gets in stud 8, and usually get half of the pot

even without improvement. Unfortunately, there will be times when you cost yourself a

stack of chips. This is the kind of hand that most of the time you will be playing until the

end, and unless you win a stack or lose a stack, you probably did not play the hand right.

Three to a Small Straight Flush

A close second to starting with rolled-up trips is when you start with three cards to

a small straight flush. The beauty of such hands is that they have so many ways to

improve. You can draw to a straight, to a flush, or to a low-qualifying hand.

26
 With hands like these, some players like to complete the betting or re-raise. Do

this if the game is loose and you will get many callers, but the best move is to just call

and keep people involved, as this improves your odds. Three small cards to a straight

flush is fantastic, so keep others involved. When more people are in, you have the

potential for a huge payoff later on should you improve.

Aces

Play of aces is similar to how they are played in regular 7-card stud fast. Aces

alone often win a pot in stud-8, but they might not improve. Therefore, you want to

narrow the field as much as possible, and make people pay if they are going to stick

around to try to outdraw you. Re-raising is particularly effective as it will eliminate other

players who have yet to act. Aces are great, but best if they are heads up.

With a low kicker, aces are even better, because you have a better chance of

improving to a hand that will qualify for the low half of the pot. That being said, do not

get just limp with aces when your kicker is low you still want to complete or re-raise

the betting, because you have to be thinking that you are going for the high half of the

pot. Odds are not in your favor that three out of four of the cards yet to come will be low,

so you need to protect what youve got a great high starting hand. Try to eliminate the

field by raising and re-raising because this is the kind of hand that plays best heads-up.

You can dump aces on rare occasions if you believe you are up against a player

who is rolled-up, but still gamble with this hand and play it aggressively by raising and

re-raising. The only time you want to get away from this hand is if you are at a table

where there has been multiple bets (three or four raises) and you have a high kicker. For

instance, a four brings it in, a king raises, a five re-raises, a six re-raises, and now its to

27
you. You can cap it at four bets (though some card rooms only allow for three raises) or

get out. Aces are gems, but here you need to get away from them because your kicker is

poor. If your kicker was low, go ahead and cap the betting. This is a very rare situation

however, and aces are almost always playable.

Quick tips for play of aces on Third Street:

COMPLETE or RAISE most of the time, doing all you can to narrow the field.

Aces do better with less people involved in the pot.

CALL when you believe you are up against trips or that a raise will not eliminate

those involved.

FOLD rarely, only when you believe you are up against a player who is rolled up

or facing multiple bets (three or more).

Three to a Small Straight and Three to a Small Flush

Having three cards to a small straight or three suited cards to a small flush are also

great hands. Complete if the game is loose, but most of the time just limp. By just

limping in and keeping many players involved, you give yourself a great chance to win a

bigger pot than if you scared people out with aggressive play. Also being a drawing

hand, you build up the pot and get better pot odds for your money. However, if you have

had a couple of players already enter the pot by the time its gotten to you (for instance, a

deuce brings it in, an ace re-raises, a king calls) you might consider a re-raise and jam the

pot. Such action might eliminate other opponents, but it is worth a gamble because you

have a strong hand that is going both ways. The deuce might go, but the ace and king will

likely call.

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 One thing you do not want to do with three cards to a small straight or small flush

is be heads-up. You certainly do with aces, but you are at a disadvantage if you are heads

up with a small straight draw. You will not make as much money if you improve and hit

your hand later, and if up against the high hand and neither one of you improves as the

hand progresses, he will continue to bet his hand. You will not be getting the right odds to

call. But, if you have more players involved, if you do not improve your small straight or

small flush, you can take another card if not improving on Fourth Street because more

players will be involved in the pot.

To briefly summarize play of small-straights and small-flushes:

COMPLETE the bring-in if the game is loose. Simply completing is not going

to eliminate very many players, especially if you are one of the later players to

act and there are several people already involved in the pot.

RAISE it up if it has been completed and two or more people (not counting the

forced bring-in) are involved in the pot. They probably are not going to fold

having completed and raised, and with such a great hand you might as well

gamble with it. Your aggressive play might also buy you a free card on Fourth

Street, especially if your opponents are not very savvy or paying close

attention.

CALL frequently with this hand. By limping in, you are not putting too much

in the pot should you not improve, and you are getting better value for your

chips that are in the pot as this is a drawing hand. Remember, small straights

and flushes do better in a multi-way pots, and you do not want to play them

29
 heads-up, especially against a high hand who will make you pay if he sees you

do not improve on Fourth Street.

Playable Low Hands

Some low hands are a no-brainer to play. They include solid lows such as three to

a small straight and three to a small flush. Those have already been covered. Other low

hands are also playable, but depend on other factors such as the presence of an ace, the

number of low cards yet to act and how much it is going to cost you to see another card.

Theres a difference between good low hands that can win you a lot of money and

bad low hands that can get you in trouble. A decent low is a hand including two cards,

seven or less, that have an ace or two suited cards or any three cards that are six or less.

They become even better if they include two suited cards, or a one-gap straight, such as

245. With hands like these, call, as you prefer a lot of callers to get you better odds.

The Value of the Ace

The best hands with three low cards are those that include an ace. You would

rather be holding a hand like A34 then 268 (an unplayable hand unless you brought in the

action or it was suited). Remember, the ace is a very powerful card in this game as it can

be used for both the high and the low half of the pot, and a pair of aces alone frequently

wins the high half of the pot. When you have three to the low with an ace, you can go

ahead and complete the bet and gamble a bit, but calling is best if you believe that by

completing you will eliminate many other players if your game is tight. It is also better if

two of the cards are suited or give you a one-gap straight. You must remember that while

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going low is preferable to going high, you still would like to have some chance of

backing into a high hand as well so you can scoop the pot.

Dump the Junk

Note that the title of this section is playable low hands, not just a laundry list of

low hands. You can be a little more liberal in starting with a low-qualifying hand than you

can with a high-qualifying hand because when going low, there is always the chance that

you will also qualify for the high. This does not mean that you can play every single

random group of cards simply because they are under nine.

To illustrate the danger of starting with any random group of low cards, take this

example, which would be pretty typical for a low-limit stud 8 game. Suppose you start

with 2c 4d 8d. A player holding 5s is the bring-in; well give this player 2h 6s in the hole.

He is called by a player with a 7d who well give 2d As in the hole. A loose player

holding 3d 7s 8h also calls. A player holding 9c Qd Qh completes the betting, and you

call the completed bet, as do the other hands. With everyone involved, you will win the

low half of the pot 21% of the time, the high half of the pot 10% of the time, and scoop a

pathetic 4% of the time. Your expected value is 16%. The problem is you may have a low

you even have two suited cards with your low. But as more low hands stay involved,

the more likely it is you are beat. Wait until you have a good low hand so you will be in

the best shape to come out with at least half of the pot and hopefully scoop.

As has been stated, the better low hands include those that give you other options.

Even though the odds are not all that great that you will hit the high with a hand like A45,

you have a better chance of doing so than with a hand like 268. The latter hand is

unplayable because: 1) You are drawing to one of the worst possible lows, an 8; 2) You

31
have no real chance of qualifying for the high hand and 3) You are more than likely up

against other hands that are drawing to a better low hand than you are. Therefore, you

must resist the urge that many stud 8 players have playing any random hand that

includes three cards that are eight or smaller. When you do and you do improve, you may

very well be improving to the second-best low hand and getting involved in a pot that if

won, will only win you half and if lost will cost you a lot of money.

You also must dump a marginal low hand if there is a lot of action by the time it

gets to you and a lot of other players who look to be going low are involved. For instance,

suppose you have 5s 4d 7c. A four brings it in, a king raises, an ace re-raises and a five

calls. You need to get out of the way. You are not going to qualify for the high half of the

pot, and you are vulnerable to the ace and five who may also be going low. Wait until you

have a hand like 345 or three suited cards under eight. The only situation where you can

stay if there is a raise beyond the completed bet is if you have a hand like A34 and two of

the cards were suited, because you have not just a good low hand, but two to the flush

and two to the straight.

Position

Position is another factor to consider when contemplating whether to see Fourth

Street with your low hand. Because this is not a raising hand where you want to drive

others out, you want to be in as late of position as possible. When you are one of the last

players to act, you will have the information you need, because other players will have

already acted. You will know how many are involved in the pot, and what they appear to

be drawing to. Conversely, if you are early to act, you have no idea whether or not the

other players will be involved in the pot.

32
 You also must aware of how many other low cards are on the board. If it looks

like there are a number of players going low, be more apt to fold. This is especially the

case when aces are waiting to act. But if it looks like most of the players will be going

high, be more apt to call as they will be fighting for half of the pot and pose less danger

to you than hands going low.

There is a lot to digest in this section, so to briefly summarize: for one half of one

small bet you can see any group of cards that are seven or less. If you prefer to play more

tight, only play three cards of seven or less that have an ace, two-flush, two-straight or

one-gap straight. Eight-lows are very dangerous and should be dumped if they do not

have two wheel cards, three suited cards or three to a straight. As the board becomes

more dangerous (more low cards staying in) and if more than one ace is present or it has

been completed by an ace, tighten up your starting requirements, only playing small

three-straights and three-flushes and three cards of six or less.

Quick tips for play of low hands (non-three flushes or three-straights) on Third

Street:

CALL if you can get in cheaply and your hand looks decent (it has a one-gap

straight, two suited cards with an ace, three cards of seven or lower etc). These

hands are playable, but are not as solid as hands like 234 and three to a small

flush. If the action is completed by an ace, dump the hand unless you too have

an ace or three cards six or less.

FOLD trash hands for the low. These include hands that are only going in one

direction and have little chance for the high, such as when your three cards are

33
 of different suits to an eight-low without an ace, and have no two-flushes or

two-straights present. You also must fold if there is a lot of action by the time it

gets to you (a raise beyond a completed bet).

Pairs 8s and Lower with an Ace or Small Kicker

Small pairs with an ace kicker are close in value to high pairs with a small kicker

such as KK2. The small pair with an ace is slightly better because while the kings are

usually the best high hand at Third Street, if you get another ace you become the best

high and have a better chance at making the low than the kings do.

The best pairs are of course aces, which have already been discussed. Other solid

pairs include any small pair with an ace. By having an ace in your hand, you give

yourself a chance to make aces up (two pair, such as aces and eights). Such a hand will

often qualify for the high half of the pot.

Big Small Pairs

Other factors that come into play when playing small pairs include if you have a

two flush or two straight, and how high your pair is. You can be more apt to play if you

have a hand like 772 then 227 because with the former you have a bigger pair in your

hand, so if up against other lows have a better chance of hitting the hand that would

qualify for the high half of the pot. Another plus is when two of the cards are suited

connectors, such as 2c 7d 7c. Again, this gives you additional possibilities to scoop and

qualify for the high.

Limping with this hand is usually the best route to take, because you have a

halfway decent hand in both directions, but nothing to be overly proud about. However,

34
there are times when you can complete the bring in. This is when there are four or more

high cards on the board. Your hand is not strong, but getting face cards to fold helps your

situation as they might outdraw you. A completion on your part may also get a big pair to

fold, fearing you have aces. If there are many low cards though, just call the bring-in.

Getting Away from the Hand

Some players will always play small pairs with a kicker thats an ace through an

eight. They think being they have a pair and two to the low, the chances for improvement

are great, so keep on playing. Thats a dangerous play. Sometimes you cant get in

cheaply. Suppose a four brings it in for $2, and a king raises to $4. A three calls, and now

its to you and you hold 4d 4h 8d. Fold. You can put the king on a pair, going for the high,

and to call a raise, the three has to have a good low starting hand. Save your money for

when you have a better starting hand.

Position is also fundamental to figuring out whether or not to stick around with a

small pair. Here, as with the playable low hands, you want to be in late position because

youll know how the other players will have acted. For instance, if you have 2s 2h 8d,

you would rather be one of the last players to act and it has not been raised, as if you

were in early position you would have to worry about possible raises. If one of the first

players to act, limp in but fold if it is completed.

When deciding whether or not to proceed with this hand, remember the more live

your hand is the better. So if you are going to play 772, you want the other two sevens to

be live so you can make trips, and have a powerful high hand. Similarly, if Im going to

play 568, I want the other sevens live so I can make a four straight, or have other fives,

sixes and eights available to give me a pair on Fourth Street to go along with the gutshot

35
straight draw. Always remember that stud is a game of live cards, so you want your hand

to have the best possible odds for improvement on Fourth Street.

Quick tips for play of small pairs:

COMPLETE the bring-in if there are four or more face cards showing

to try and eliminate them. This helps improve your situation, and can

get big pairs out of the way as they will be fearful of pocket aces.

CALL if you can get in cheaply. It is better to call from late position as

you will know what the other players have done. You can also call if

you have an ace kicker to go with your pair, or if you have two suited

connectors as these cards give you additional outs to hit high hands.

With an ace, you can call even if the bring-in has been completed, but

not beyond that.

FOLD if you are in early position and three or more dangerous cards

are yet to act. These include more than three low cards or two low cards

with an ace. Folding is the better option as the more cards that you need

to improve become dead.

The above advice might sound tight, but remember: you can not fall in the trap that

many players do and liberally play low hands that dont have a realistic shot of giving

you other options. So play them selectively and carefully if you want to make money

youll be thanking yourself when you have more chips in front of you when the premium

low hands come along and you dont have to go all in and settle for a tiny pot.

36
 Big Pairs Kings & Queens

Some players feel that you should only attack stud 8 from the low, meaning if

your hand does not have a chance of making a low qualifier you should get out unless the

game is shorthanded. That is a good strategy. If you do this, that is perfectly fine

because while a low hand can frequently back into a high hand, a high hand is not going

to back into a low hand all that often. And remember the key to this game is scooping,

not winning just half of a pot. Especially when new to stud 8, the high hands (other than

aces and trips) can get you in trouble, because you might find yourself chasing against a

better high hand. I know from playing 7-card stud its tough to get away from big pairs

without seeing at least two more cards. That is very dangerous in high-low stud. If

chasing against a better high hand, the only way you can win is if you improve and the

better high hand does not; if you both improve, you end up with the second best high

hand, which gets you nothing and costs you a lot in the process. So, because high hands

do not have a reasonable chance to scoop, if you choose not to play any of them, that is

perfectly fine.

Playing High Hands

Despite the fact that many players choose not to play any high hands, some are

still playable, specifically kings and queens. If you are going to go high, you have to

remember four things: 1) Play the hand fast; 2) Get out if it looks like you are the second

best high hand; 3) The starting hand requirements for a high hand are not the same as in

regular 7-card stud and 4) Your hand must be live very live. Lets look at each of these

points in depth.

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 Play Em Fast

First, play the hand fast. Just like in regular 7-stud, this is the kind of hand you

want to protect. You are trying to draw to a better hand, but this is a hand that plays best

with a narrow field. You already have a solid hand to start out with other players are

trying to draw to improve to a good hand, and are behind you. Because of that, you want

to drive them out. The worst thing you can do when going high is to just call, because

you let drawing hands in cheaply. Some players even have tendency to stay in with any

two low cards that contain an ace (ie QA4). You can not let such poor players in cheaply

to catch cards. You must make them pay. You also can not play with fear in this situation.

If you are going to play a hand like kings or queens, even if an ace is yet to act, you have

to fold or raise calling is the worst thing you can do, because the ace is much more

likely to stay involved. Especially when starting out, its easy to be intimidated and just

call until you improve. You must resist that urge and play with what you have. If you fold

the kings, thats fine the kings are only going in one direction and do not have a

reasonable chance to scoop. If you raise (the best play) the raise is in a small increment,

so you are not losing that much. The ace will re-raise you if he has another ace to go with

the one on the board, at which point you can dump your hand. So remember: when going

high, play the hand fast or get out.

Dont Be Second Best!

Anytime it looks like you are the second best high hand, get out of the way. For

instance, you raise with kings and an ace re-raises. Do not try to get clever and re-raise

unless you have been studying your opponent for a while or know him to be the kind of

player that will try to bluff and represent more than what he has, always raising with an

38
ace showing. You have to get away from the hand. Similarly, if you have a pair of queens

and get re-raised by a king, dump the hand he is going high with kings and trying to

protect his hand. If you are going high in this game, you have to have a strong sense that

you have the best high hand. You want to play the hand fast, but not be a chump. Bang

away with kings and even queens if you think they are the best hand, but do not get in

raising wars. While you will be staying in with raises and re-raises with such hands as

solid three-straights to a low, trips and flush draws to a low, with big pairs you can not

afford to get caught up in raising wars, unless you have aces. While you want to play

your kings fast, you can not re-raise an ace. If it is re-raised after you raise, this should

send off a warning bell that you need to get away from the hand. Players going low are

not going to re-raise a high hand they want them around to get better odds on a draw.

Get Away from the Re-Raise

To illustrate another example of when you must get away from the hand, suppose

a three brings it in, a queen raises who you expect is going high, and then it is raised

again by another player. You need to get out. You can not call a player who has come over

the top of a re-raise for him to do that, he must have something big like pocket aces or

be rolled-up. While he could be on a low draw and be in love with his 234, most players

are not going to re-raise with that. The only time you can get involved in a raising war is

if you started off with a pair of aces, because of course no pair is better, or of course trips,

three to the small straight or three to the small flush. Kings and queens are too vulnerable

in a split-pot game so while you play them fast, you must not play them stupidly when

you may be up against a better high hand. One raise is the right move for information,

because when you do raise, an opponent will likely get away from his high hand, limp

39
with his draw, or re-raise if he believes his hand is better than yours in which case you

need to get away from it unless convinced hes behind you. An opponent coming over the

top is a dangerous thing, because you have no shot at the low and may be the second-best

high. For you to hang with a re-raise, you want to be heads-up against the re-raiser (IE, a

three brings it in, a queen raises, you re-raise with kings, the rest of the field folds).

Be Very Selective

Starting hand requirements differ from regular 7-card stud. In that game, where

there is no split pot and the high hand always wins the entire pot, you can play small

pairs, or hands like AQK. When going high in stud 8, because your chances of scooping

are reduced, you have to carefully select when you are going high. Under most

circumstances, only play kings and queens. The problem with playing hands such as

nines, tens and jacks is that they are too vulnerable to other players who are also going

high. The only time you can play such hands is if you are in a short-handed game. Still,

this is the exception, so you need to get away from the temptation to play hands other

than kings and queens. Other pairs with big kickers (minus of course aces) are also out

deuces through tens. In regular 7-stud, these hands are quite playable, and the bigger the

kicker the better. While a big kicker may give you a great two pair if you improve, you

are still only improving to win half of the pot so you want the big hand to be very good.

Even queens can be very dangerous, so while you can put in a raise with them, you have

to get away from them if re-raised because while strong, they are still vulnerable.

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 It Better Be Live

You also want your hand to be live. That means if playing kings or queens, if you

see even one of your needed cards to improve to trips held by one of your opponents,

dump your hand because it becomes too dangerous and costly to play. The risk simply is

not worth the reward. Such a hand is certainly playable in regular 7-card stud, but

because you are only going high and may only win half of the pot, you want your chances

of improving to trips maximized. Having trips gives you a much better chance than two

pair of making a full house, and when there is only one card in the deck that can make

that happen you need to get away from the hand. The only time you can play a pair of

kings or queens when one of the other kings or queens is gone is if you are in late

position and there are no low cards left to act. For instance, you hold a split pair of kings,

and left to act is a jack and a nine. Here complete the bring-in and hope to eliminate the

other two players or get heads up and bet again on Fourth Street if it looks like your

opponent(s) did not improve.

It can be very difficult to lay down premium pairs like kings and queens. But

thats simply what you have to do when one of your needed cards to improve to trips is

gone unless you are confident that by completing or raising you will limit the field to you

and another opponent or two who you believe are also going high but have a smaller pair

than you do.

Position

Position is also an important factor. Both early and late position have benefits, but

late is best. This is because you have more information at your disposal, and will know

how people have bet by the time the action gets to you. It is especially beneficial when

41
there is an ace showing, because you can dump your hand if the ace raises and do not

have to raise in front of the ace. Early position can also be helpful though as raises when

early to act are more likely to cause a player to fold as he does not have any money at

stake in the pot.

Remember that while big pairs are certainly playable, you have to be very

cautious in playing them. The key is limiting the field to as few players as possible so

you want to be raising or folding with these hands, not calling.

Quick tips for play of big pairs:

RAISE if you are going high. You want to play this hand fast to narrow the

field as much as possible, and ideally get heads up. You especially want to raise

another high card if he completed the bring-in because that is a strong indicator

that he too is going high, but to a hand that is weaker than yours. Do not

complete or re-raise if the raise has come from an ace.

CALL rarely if ever with a premium pair. This is a hand you either want to

play fast, or not at all.

FOLD if you are holding any pair of nines, tens or jacks unless you have an

ace for your kicker. You also must fold if one of your needed cards to improve

to trips is gone unless you believe you will reduce the field, ideally getting you

heads-up against a player who you believe has a weaker pair than you do.

Remember too to get out of the way of an ace who raises or re-raises you

aces are the most dangerous cards in this game, and calling a raise from an ace

when you are going high can cost you big.

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 Three Straights to the High

Most of the time in a regular 7-card stud game, you will see another card when

you have three to a big straight, such as TJQ. In regular stud, the bigger the better

because you want to be able to edge an opponent who may also be drawing to a straight

but to one that is lower than yours. In Stud 8, the opposite is true: you want your straight

draws to be low so you have a chance to qualify for both the high and the low half of the

pot. Straight draws to the high half of the pot are dangerous, and you need to get away

from them. If you do not, you may very well end up chasing a hand for the high half of

the pot and cost yourself a lot of money in the process or worse, make your hand and

have it be beat out by a flush or better high hand.

Quiz on Third Street Play

Before moving on to look at play of the hands at Fourth Street, heres a quiz for

you to test your knowledge of the play of Third Street hands. In each scenario, you will

be asked whether the best move is to raise, call or fold. The answers follow with an

explanation for each.

Question 1: In early position, you hold 3c 4s 5h. You are in middle position. A deuce

brings it in, a four and a queen call, an ace completes and now its to you. Yet to act are

an eight, jack and nine. Do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Call. The raise from the ace may cause you some angst, but this is a good call.

You certainly do not want to re-raise, as this could get you heads-up against the ace, and

you would be getting worse odds on your draw.

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Question 2: You have pocket jacks. A four brought in the betting, a six and an eight

called, and now its to you. Yet to act are a king, five, queen and seven. Do you raise, call

or fold?

Answer: Fold. Some players would complete the betting in this situation, but that is a

dangerous move. This is the kind of hand that will get you into trouble so just dump it

and wait for queens, kings or aces. It is only playable in a shorthanded game (five or

fewer players).

Question 3: You hold a pair of pocket aces with a four for a kicker. In late position, the

bring-in was a deuce who was raised by a queen who was then re-raised by a king. The

rest of the players folded. Now its to you. Raise again or call?

Answer: Re-raise. Its close between raising and calling, but you want to play the hand

for its strength. A pair of aces is one of the best starting hands there is. Your opponents

wont know what hit them, because your aces are hidden. Once involved in a raised pot,

many players have a hard time getting away from their hands even though they should so

you are likely to get called by the probable high hands.

Question 4: You hold 5s 6h 8s. A three brings it in, a five calls, you also call, and a king

completes the betting who is then re-raised by an ace. By the time the action is back to

you, the original bring-in bet folds, the five calls as does the king. Do you re-raise, call or

fold?

Answer: Fold. You have to get away from this hand. You have a one-gap straight draw

and three to the low, but unfortunately you are not drawing to a quality low hand. With

the raise from the ace, you can put him on a pair of aces, and with the five calling the

44
raise you can put him on a better quality low-draw than you have. The only way you

could call the extra two bets is if all of your cards were suited. A hand like 5s 6h 8s is the

kind that you can limp with, but not get involved in heavy-action pots with. If the raise

from the king had not been re-raised by the ace, and all you had to do was call another

half of a small bet to stay involved, you could limp in to see Fourth Street but not with

a re-raise from an ace. Dump the hand now or you wont like the outcome later.

Question 5: You are dealt rolled-up fives, and following the bring-in from a three, are

first to act. Yet to act are several low cards, a king and an ace. Do you call or raise?

Answer: Raise to complete. This is a phenomenal hand, but because your trips are not

that big, youd like to get in the action now to protect the hand. If you just call, you allow

other hands in cheaply, and many players might stick around if they improve low-draws

on Fourth Street. One of these players might back into a straight, or make their low. You

would like to eliminate players because the only real chance you have at scooping the pot

is getting the hands that are going low out of the pot. Trips is the kind of hand that is

great and will win you a lot or lose you a lot, so protect it, even at this early stage. The

only time you should call with rolled up trips is if you held three aces. You can call to try

to confuse your opponents, but raising is the safe play.

Question 6: You hold a split pair of kings. The bring-in is a three, and was called by a six

and a seven and now the action is to you. Yet to act are a four, nine, jack, ace and five. Do

you complete the bet, call or fold?

Answer: Raise to complete. Kings are a playable hand, and you have to raise to both

protect the hand and get information. If the ace has another ace to go with his hand, you

will know because he will re-raise. You also want to protect the hand because a big pair is

45
the kind of hand that does best with fewer players involved in the pot. Being you are only

going one-way, you want to reduce the field as much as possible to have the best chances

to scoop by preventing hands from sticking around to qualify for the low. If you said fold,

you are not losing much either, as kings are a playable hand if played fast, but can also be

dangerous.

Question 7: You hold AK8, all of which are hearts. There is one other heart held by an

opponent. In early position, you called the bring-in, but this was raised by a king, and

called by a four, six, ace and eight before the action came back to you. Do you call or

fold?

Answer: Call. If you had a hand like 9QK that was suited, you would fold the hand,

because you were only going one way with it. But being you have two low cards, only

one dead heart, plus the presence of an ace in your hand, go ahead and call. Even if you

did not hold the ace, but held another low card, still go ahead and call the bet as there are

several other callers, giving you better odds on your draw. If the hand had been re-raised

by the ace, fold as you would expect fewer people involved in the pot, and do not want to

be on a flush draw against a pair of aces. In that situation, you are simply too far behind

and do not want to play catch-up against a pair of aces. You could call the re-raise if you

had three low cards to the flush, but not with just two.

Question 8: You hold a pair of pocket queens, and a three for your door card making you

the bring-in. Do you limp or bring it in for one full small bet?

Answer: Bring it in for the max. With your pair hidden, you may get more people to

fold as no one has any money in the pot yet. Bringing it in for a full small bet will make

46
the field smaller, which is exactly what you want when going high. You need to fold

though if you are re-raised by a king or an ace.

Question 9: You hold 345, and two of your cards are suited. A deuce brought it in, who

was raised by a queen, re-raised by an ace, and then called by a six and a seven. Folding

were a six and a jack, and now its to you. Do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Call. Your hand is very strong, as you are drawing to a low and a high. You

probably are up against a pair of aces, but its worth it to see where your hand goes. You

have three to the best possible low hand, a wheel, and you should see how this hand

develops.

Question 10: You hold 862, making you the bring-in bet. You are raised by an ace, who

gets called by a four, seven and six. The remaining players fold before the action gets

back to you. Do you call the ace who completed you?

Answer: Fold. This is one of those situations where it is incredibly tempting to call. The

voice inside your head says call because you already have money in the pot and have

three cards to a hand that would qualify for the low. Unfortunately, you are not drawing

to a quality low. Were all of your cards suited, you could go ahead and call the completed

bet by the ace. But that is not the case. You not only are beaten by the aces but facing

hands that are still involved and are likely starting to a better low draw than you are. Save

yourself the extra chip and use it when your hand is better.

Summary of Third Street Play

The playable hands at Third Street have now been examined. Hopefully its clear

by now how much better it is to go low than high in this game, because the key is

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scooping. When involved in a pot, you want to have a good shot to win the entire pot.

The beauty of going low is you can lock-up the low half of the pot and be on cruise-

control to drawing to the high half of the pot. That does not work the other way around.

When going high, you have to sweat it out that you will win at least half of the pot. This

does not mean that you can never go high for some hands like trips and aces are

fantastic starting hands and high hands such as kings and queens are quite playable under

the right circumstances. There will even be times when you scoop the pot by being the

best high hand on the board and no other player qualifies for the low. That being said,

caution can not be overemphasized when you are going for the high play high hands

fast or get out of the way. Remember to keep reminding yourself this is not the same

game as regular 7-card stud. There is a lot of overlap, but much is different as well. The

biggest difference is when it comes to pairs youll be seeing many more pairs for

another card in a 7-card stud game than you would in an eight-or-better game.

Remember: the biggest decision you make in any poker game is whether or not to

become involved in the pot in the first place. Select your hands carefully, because when

you invest your money in the pot you want to have the best chances to win whats in the

middle of the table.

Having read through this section, you now have a good idea of what makes a solid

hand to start with and what makes for a trash hand. Next up is an examination of play at

Fourth Street, where your hand becomes more playable or a hand that you need to get

away from.

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 Chapter 3 Fourth Street

Introduction

In a regular game of 7-card stud, most players will play a hand on Fourth Street as

they do on Sixth Street they do not want to get away from the hand, and view these

betting rounds as temporary stops on the way to Fifth and Seventh Streets. In addition,

the fact that on Fourth Street the bets are still small makes many players think sticking

around to see another card is a good strategy. If they started with a pair, flush or straight

draw, calling, even into raises, is common. Many players have the mindset that they have

money involved in the pot, so need to stay at least to Fifth Street in hopes that their hand

will improve.

Following this style of play is costly. There are times where you will stay past

Fourth Street if you do not improve your drawing hand or what you started with. But a

key to winning money at stud 8 is knowing when you should stay and when you must

dump your hand. What it comes down to is whether or not you have a real chance of

scooping the pot, are very strong one way, or are drawing to a hand that will win you just

half of the pot. One of the worst situations you can be in when playing a split-pot game is

chasing a hand for just half of the pot. You may very well be behind another player who

has improved or on a draw that is better than you have so if you both make your hands,

he will take down half of or the entire pot while you head to the cashier cage to get more

money. Because of this, you want your hand to be going both ways or have a strong

belief that your hand is the best hand going in one direction. If it is only going one way

and you are not sure, dump the hand because it can become quite costly. In stud 8, there

49
can be a lot of heavy action with the chips flying, especially later in the game when

players can lock up the low, or make a solid high hand.

This section takes a look at the hands that you can play on Fourth Street, and also

looks at the hands that you need to get away from. Some hands are no-brainers, such as

quads, trips, four flushes, four-lows, etc. Those other hands, such as unimproved draws

and pairs become a bit more complicated. By the end of this section, you will know how

to properly play these hands, knowing when you can limp, bang away and dump your

hand. Many of the keys to success at stud 8 come at Fourth Street. So, before examining

the hands each in detail, remember: 1) Get away from hands you believe are second best

if only going one way, 2) If only going one direction, have a strong belief that yours is the

best draw if you might be second best 3) Frequently fold a low hand that did not improve

and 4) stick with hands that are going both ways and give you potential to scoop.

Quads

If you started out with trips and improved to quads (four-of-a-kind) you have a

virtual lock on the high half of the pot. You want to keep as many players involved in the

pot as possible so as to build it up, so most of the time you will be calling. The only time

you want to raise with quads is if you are at an extremely loose table where players will

call any raise, or if there is a lot or raising and there looks to be a lot of action on this and

upcoming rounds. Such a situation may occur if a player has two wheel cards showing,

and another player or two have paired door cards. In this case, you may have several very

strong hands, and the odds are remote that you are up against an opponent who has quads

as well. Here, raise. For instance, suppose there are four players involved in the pot. You

hold four deuces. A pair of kings bets, is raised by a pair of sevens, and is called by the

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player holding a suited three and four. Go ahead and raise. The players involved in the

pot are not going to drop because they all have very strong hands. No one is going to put

you on quads. The more likely scenario is they will put you on trips, and you may get

involved in a raising war with the hands that have improved to higher trips than you. If

re-raised, go ahead and raise again. Trips are very difficult to get away from for any

player, and due to the rarity of quads your raise is not going to eliminate your opponents.

Finally, with a pair on the board you will usually the first player to act. If so,

check if the table is extremely tight, but most of the time go ahead and bet. Betting the

small amount (remember, you cant bet big with the open pair in this game) is not going

to eliminate many players, especially at a lower limit game where opponents are less

savvy.

To briefly summarize play of quads:

RAISE if you believe your raise will not eliminate many opponents, or it looks

like a raising war is emerging between several players who either have or are

drawing to powerful hands. Do not raise if you believe it will vastly narrow the

field, because you want to maximize the amount of money you can win with

this powerful hand.

CALL frequently with this hand. You only want to be raising if you are fairly

certain your raises will be called. If you have any shred of doubt, just call.

BET if you are the high hand on the board unless the game you are in is very

tight. A small bet is not going to eliminate many players.

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 Four-Straights and Four-Flushes to a Low

If you started out with a three-flush or three-straight to a low and improve on

Fourth Street so you have four to a low and four to a straight or flush, you will be playing

the hand to the end. The odds are excellent that you will hit some kind of hand about a

coin flip that you will hit either a straight or flush and about 75% that you will hit some

hand that will qualify for the low. The odds change slightly depending on how many

cards that would make your hand are out and how many opponents are involved in the

pot (the more the merrier). The various odds are listed in the appendix for reference to

give you a clearer idea of what your chances for improvement are, but the bottom line is

when you have four to a straight or small flush, you are in a fantastic position you are

likely to qualify for at least half of the pot and have an excellent chance to scoop and win

the entire pot.

If you are first to act, bet this hand unless it looks like the bet will vastly eliminate

the field. This is called betting on the come, and is a good move to build the pot up. Do

not bet though if the field will be reduced. An instance where that might happen is if there

were many low cards staying to see Fourth Street and all of them caught bad cards. A bet

may very well eliminate the field and get you heads up or win you a small pot. Any pot is

nice to win, but with such a powerful hand as this you want to keep players in to build up

the pot. But being many players have a hard time folding on Fourth Street, one small bet

is a sound play unless the game is very tight.

If you are not the first to act, whether you call or raise will depend on the situation

you are in. With such a monster hand as a small four-flush or small four-straight you do

not want to eliminate people, and one raise is not likely to do that if you are in late

52
position or it is a small raise, making the small bet a full large bet. At this point in the

game, most opponents are not going to figure you for the powerful hand you have, so will

stick with you. Remember, its very difficult for many players to get away from a hand on

Fourth Street, so one raise is not likely to drive them out most of the time. However, it

may do that if you raise early and it looks like there was little improvement from those

who are yet to act. For instance, if a pair of kings bets and you are next to act, and it

appeared there were several players going low but only one improved, your raise might

eliminate the other players who did not improve. They are more likely to stay involved to

see if they can improve on Fifth Street so will call one small bet, but not two. On the

other hand, if several players had improved their low draws, you can go ahead and raise if

you believe you are on a better draw than your opponents are, but just call if you are not

entirely sure.

The decision to raise or call is close if there is a lot of heavy action and you are

not entirely sure you are drawing to the best low, but if you believe you are drawing to

the best low, jam the pot. For instance, suppose a pair of queens is high and bets, is raised

by a suited five and six and is re-raised by a pair of kings. Here, if you held a hand like

2345 or A356, raise, as you are drawing to a wheel or nut flush that also has a good

chance at hitting the low. But, if your hand was 3468 suited, call, as the player with the

five and six is likely on a better low draw than you are on.

To summarize, if you catch a card giving you four to a low and four to the flush or

straight, you are in a nearly perfect situation. Because of that, you want to keep people

involved in the pot. Even if you win just half of the pot, you want as many people in as

you can get so they will build up your half. Eliminating people is to your disadvantage as

53
you get slightly worse odds on your draw and eliminate money that could be yours. A

raise, especially if it is in late position, is not going to eliminate many people most of the

time, so you can raise a small bet to a big bet if the game is loose. You never want to re-

raise, however, nor do you want to raise if you are playing at a table that is very tight.

Whenever in doubt, just call to maximize your potential payoff.

Quick tips for playing four-straights and four-flushes that are low:

RAISE only if you believe that doing so will not eliminate many people from

the pot. Your hand is fantastic, so want to keep people involved.

CALL most of the time with this hand. Odds are you will hit some type of

hand and you have some strong possibilities to scoop as well, so maximize

your potential payoff.

Trips

Three-of-a-kind is a very strong hand at any point in poker, and many times it will

win the pot. That being said, this is a better hand to have in a regular 7-card stud game

when you are always going for the entire pot. Nonetheless, in a split-pot game, trips are a

hand that you will be playing until the river many times unless you get a strong feeling

that you are drawing to the second-best hand.

Many players like to gamble with this hand in the sense that they believe they are

a lock for the high half of the pot so want to keep people involved. The only time you

want to play this way is if you are at a very tight table, the field has been narrowed, and it

looks like your opponents are going high but have a weaker hand than you do. Trips need

to be protected, especially in this game where you might only get half of the pot. What

54
that means is jamming with your hand in an attempt to narrow the field or get heads-up.

The only time you do not want to play this hand fast is if you believe that you have a

much better hand than your opponent(s). That happens if you are heads-up or only against

two other people and they appear to be in much worse position than you are. For instance,

you hold three kings with two kings showing. You are up against two players with

unimpressive boards, such as TQ and 3J. With two kings showing, most players will put

you on trips, so a bet is likely to get those other players out. You are in very strong

position here, so even if no one bets and your opponents catch a good card, its more than

likely going to help you more than it will hurt you, such as if your opponent is on a pair

of queens and improves to trips on Fifth Street. In that case, your trips will be bigger than

his, and you will be in fantastic position as you will be in front and he will be chasing.

Dont Slow-Play

You must never slow play trips when it looks like you are contending with other

low hands. This is true even when the field is narrow or the table is tight. Remember:

with trips you are less likely to scoop, so you can not afford the luxury of gambling and

setting traps as if you were playing straight 7-card stud. Low hands are a dangerous threat

to you, and you want them eliminated so they will be forced to pay if they are going to

stay involved in the pot. The last thing you want to do is give them a free card and have

them lock up the low half of the pot which you have no realistic chance at hitting. You

want to be up against other high hands so you can win the entire pot and not just half.

Folding: A Rarity

Trips are very solid, but every once in a while there comes a time when you have

to lay down the hand. Doing that takes a lot of skill and is very difficult to do, but saves

55
you a lot of money. When that occurs is when an opponent pairs his door card and raises

another pair (to raise he is obviously not first to act so there would already be another

pair on the board bigger than his who bet) making it look like he is on trips. Here you

have to dump your hand unless, of course, you had a bigger set. Your trips very well

might be third best if both of the other players have improved to trips bigger than the trips

you hold. A paired door card is very dangerous, and should set off some warning bells if

there are two on the board and one has raised the initial player who bet.

At the same time, you should not get too clever with this hand and lay it down

often whenever someone raises, unless you know that player very well and know him to

be the kind of player who would only raise if he had something very powerful. You need

a strong reason to get away from the hand. If a player bets with his paired door card,

while there may be a good likelihood that he has trips, you can not know for sure. The

best way to find out is to raise back at him; if he was trying to buy the pot you will know

by his action and can get out of the way if he re-raises you.

Some are tempted to simply call when not sure they have the best hand. This is a

mistake. You have to use your chips to find out if you are the best hand. This is why

raising is so often preferable to calling, especially when you hold a strong hand such as

trips. Raising not only helps eliminate the field, but it gives you valuable information. For

instance, suppose an open pair of kings bets, and you hold three eights. If you just call,

you are more than likely going to call again on Fifth Street with your trips if they do not

improve, as its unlikely that anyone is going to raise the kings. But, if you raise, you get

yourself in much better position, because the field will be reduced and if the kings re-

raise, you can get out of the way. The hand is going to cost you another bet anyway, so

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maximize what you get for your money. If an opponent you suspect is on trips re-raises

you, you can consider a call if you know him to be very loose but a re-raise is a sign of

strength, and a pair of kings would have a hard time re-raising someone who raised into

him unless he believed strongly that such an action would buy him the pot.

The key thing to remember with trips is to play them fast. Doing this allows you

to reduce the players who are looking to stay involved in the pot cheaply and also allows

you to get out of the way if you think you are holding the second best hand. At the same

time, do not play this hand so passively that you lay down what is likely the best high

hand on the board only dump the hand when it seems clear to you that you are second

best.

Quick tips for play of trips on Fourth Street:

RAISE frequently. This is a hand that must be played fast. Raising allows the

hand to be protected by narrowing the field, and gets you information you can

use to come to conclusions about what your opponents may be holding. Always

bet if first to act.

FOLD only if you believe there is a strong possibility that you are beat. This

does not mean folding if it is a bet from an open pair on the board; the player

may very well be trying to buy the pot. It does mean folding if there are two

pairs on the board, one bets and the other raises if one pair could have trips that

are higher than your three-of-a-kind. The last thing you want to be is behind

when you are contesting for potentially only half of the pot.

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 Four-Flushes Three or Fewer to a Low

How to play four to a flush with four cards that are also drawing to a low hand has

already been covered. Unfortunately, such an ideal situation does not come up all that

often. What is much more likely is that you will catch a card that does not improve your

chances for hitting a low, but gives you a four-flush. With a four-flush, it is essentially a

coin-flip as to whether or not you will make a flush or not by the river, so this is a

situation in which you will be doing a lot of checking and calling, hoping for a free card

when you can get one and calling when you can not. This hand needs to be played more

carefully than it would be in regular 7-card stud, and you also need to be aware of some

of the situations that arise when you have to get away from a four-flush. What it comes

down to is how live your four-flush is, how many low cards you have to go with your

four-flush and what your other opponents likely hold.

Live is Crucial

Obviously, you want your hand to be as live as possible. With only one more card

to hit your flush, odds are just slightly under 50% that youll hit the flush by the river.

The value of your hand increases sharply when you hold three low cards, and drops

sharply if you hold only one low card. If you only hold one low card on Fourth Street,

you have no chance of qualifying for any low at all. When that happens, you have to

adjust your play so you are calculating pot odds based on winning half of the pot. Here, it

is even more important that you have many outs to hit your flush, and ideally would like

to be holding an ace so if you hit the flush, you will not be beaten by another flush. If you

are only going one way with the hand, fold if there is a bet and more than three cards of

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your needed suit are dead unless, of course, you are on a straight-flush draw. If going

both ways, call for a bet unless more than five cards of your needed suit are dead.

Increasing Scooping Potential

You can bet or raise with your hand if it is only going in one direction. Though

most of the time with a flush draw you will check and call to get better pot odds, if it is

only going in one direction you want to bet or even raise if you believe there is a strong

chance it will eliminate other hands drawing to the low. An example would be if you held

As 9s Qs Ks. On the board are 3h 9d, Ah Td, 4c Js, 7h 8s and 2c Ts. The ace-high hand

bets, and now its to you. Raise. The ace-ten has at best a three-low, and three other

players have caught bad cards. Many players would call a bet because it is small, hoping

that the three to the low that they started out with will improve by Fifth Street. A raise

changes the picture now they have to call two bets. Even in a loose game, having to call

two bets with just three to a low causes a player to think before reaching for the chips.

The 7h 8s may call, but the others are likely to drop, which is what you want them to do.

The fewer low hands the better, because your only chance to scoop is if there is no hand

that qualifies for the low. In similar situations, go ahead and bet if you are the first to act.

Betting or raising in this situation is best done when you are the first to act, in early

position, or when it has been checked to you if several players have already called by

the time the action gets to you, just call as a raise is not likely to eliminate the players

already involved in the pot. They have already invested in the pot, and most players

automatically call a raise if they are involved unless the board from the re-raiser looks

very dangerous. A bet or raise by you may also buy you a free card on Fifth Street if you

do not improve.

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 What do they Hold?

Another factor to consider when contemplating a bet or raise is the tightness of

your game. Obviously, if you are in a very tight game, a bet or raise will tend to eliminate

unimproved low draws. You also need to carefully look at what other players hold when

trying to figure out what to do. Check and call (if its only one bet) if it looks like many

players have improved to good low hands. Here, if you bet or raise and you still have

more than two players to act with low boards it is less likely that your bet or raise will

eliminate them.

Along with keeping in mind how live your hand is and how many low cards you

have, you also need to be keeping an eye on your opponents. Earlier it was pointed out

that if players you suspect were going low did not improve, you want to eliminate them

to increase your chances of winning the entire pot. But what if a player pairs his door

card? Or what if someone bets into or raises a pair that is on the board? With trips, you

would jam and raise to get information. Here, you have to be much more careful, and be

inclined to get away from your hand when an open pair bets or gets raised. Four-flushes

that are not four to a low are not only vulnerable to hands that are going low, but also are

vulnerable to hands that are going high. If you are against a player holding trips, you are

the underdog he already has you beaten, and if you both improve you will still be

second best. The only way you could win the hand is if you improve and he does not.

Because of that, you need to dump your four-flush if an open pair bets unless you hold

three low cards or two low cards with an ace or no one else is going low. If there are two

open pairs and one raises the other, the choice is even more clear dump the hand,

because it will get you into trouble. Let the big hands duke it out in a raising war and get

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out of the way, because having the second-best high hand with little chance at making a

low is a terrible situation to be in.

To summarize play of four-flushes on Fourth Street, you will often be checking

and calling with this hand, but there will be times when you will bet and raise with it

(when you believe you can eliminate lows) and also times when you must dump it (when

you believe you are up against trips). Both early and late position have benefits; if early

to act a bet or raise will be more likely to eliminate unimproved low draws, but late

position will give you more information on how other players have acted.

Quick tips for four-flushes with three or fewer low cards:

RAISE or BET if you believe doing so will eliminate players going low and

get you against high draws. Low hands are the enemy when the odds for you

improving to a low are slim because you would have to split the pot with a low.

A bet or raise eliminating several low draws can bring huge dividends later in

the hand.

CALL frequently with the hand. Checking and calling is a typical way of

playing this hand, and it is a safe play. If there are several players who look like

they have improved their low draws, this move is best as a bet or raise on

Fourth Street is not likely to cause them to fold. In a loose game it is best

advised if you believe betting or raising will not eliminate many other players.

With many people involved in the pot, you also get better pot odds.

FOLD if your hand is only going one way and you have doubts about being

the best hand. This happens when an open pair bets, representing trips, or there

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 are two players who have paired door cards and one bets and is called or

raised. Trips is a very dangerous hand to be up against because you are the

underdog, so when you think you might be up against trips, dump the four-

flush and wait for the better hand.

Four-Straights Three or fewer to a Low

Because you will not be playing three-straights that are not three to a low very

often, situations where you have a four-straight that is not four to the low will not arise

very often. But, because some players cant pass up three-straights, even if they should

not be played when not three to the low, other four straights will be looked at here as

well.

The best move is to check and call with a four-straight that does not have four to

the low. This is a hand that is best played passively, because the odds are slightly worse

that you will hit your hand than when you hold a four-flush, and straights are weaker

draws than flushes are when they are not going low. While you could try to eliminate low

draws if they did not improve by betting or raising with this hand, such a play isnt worth

it unless the game is extremely tight. Instead, play your four-straight passively, checking

and calling with it and getting away from it when you believe it is second best.

High Straight Draws = Potential Disaster

The problem of playing a three-straight that is not three to the low becomes

obvious when you look at the facts. You are drawing to a hand that very frequently is not

the best high hand even when it is made, which is even worse when it is qualifying for

potentially just half of a pot. Because of this, if you are facing more than one bet or a big

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bet from an open pair, get out of the way unless you hold a three-low with your four-

straight. The only time that would be the case is if you started out with a 678 and picked

up the nine. Then you can certainly stay involved as you still have a realistic shot at a

hand in both directions. In any other case, with your straight going only for the high, you

have to be careful with it and get out of the way if it there is a lot of action.

They key thing to remember when playing a four-straight that is not a low draw is

to get out of the way of trouble. That means if an open pair bets you fold and to fold if

there is a raise unless you also hold three to the low with your straight draw. A four-

straight going high is a hand that must be played cheaply and when limping in is not

possible, play it safe and get away from the hand.

Quick tips for play of four-straights with limited options for the low:

RAISE or BET only if you are playing at an extremely tight table and believe

your actions will eliminate low draws. This is a risky play and unless you are

very confident you are at a table full of rocks, raising or betting is not

recommended as your hand is quite weak.

CALL as long as you are not calling a raise. You can limp with this hand and

see Fifth Street in hopes you improve if you can get in for one bet, but anything

more than that does not justify a call. The exception where you could call up to

one big bet is if you hold 6789, as this gives you three to the low as well.

FOLD when its more than one bet and you can not limp into Fifth Street

unless you have three to the low. A four-straight not drawing to the low is too

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 risky to play, which is why you must avoid the temptation on Third Street to

see another card.

Two Pair

Two pair is one of the most difficult hands to play in poker. This is especially true

in a split pot game, where you could find yourself playing to the river only to have your

hand not improve (which it frequently will not do) and have your opponents catch. Does

this mean that two pairs should not be played? Not at all. This is a decent hand, but just

how decent depends on a number of factors. What is the quality of your two pair? How

many of the cards you need to fill up are gone? What do you think you are up against? Do

you still have an outside shot at a low hand? These questions will be answered in this

section, and based on the answers you will know how to play the hand properly. Most of

the time, you will find yourself either raising or folding with the hand, which plays best

against fewer players. Knowing when to raise and when to get away from the hand is the

key, because the unfortunate mistake many players make especially those new to the

game - is to call with the hand and hope the poker gods bless them with the final card that

will give them a full house. That is a huge mistake, because what that does is allow other

players to stay involved in the pot cheaply, outdraw the two pair, and take down half of or

the entire pot that would have gone to the player with the two pair if it had been played

properly.

Quality Control

The biggest factor that goes into determining whether or not you can proceed with

two pair is the kind of two pair you have. Is it horrible, like two pairs of nines and sixes?

Or is it a fantastic two pair, like aces and deuces? Of course the latter is the better two

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pair because not only is it bigger, but you still have an outside shot of qualifying for the

low half of the pot if you catch three running cards. This is another reason why aces are

such a fantastic starting hand, especially with a small kicker, because if you do get two

pair, you still have a chance to qualify for the low.

Of course, most of the time you are not going to get aces up (aces and another

pair). When considering playing other two pairs, the biggest thing is to have your two

pair be big. You want to have an advantage over your opponents, so you are the favorite if

you are both going high. Two pair is the kind of hand that you are essentially going in

only one direction with, because the odds are not all that great that you are going to catch

three running low cards. Because of that, you want no suspicions that your hand might be

the second best. You want to win this hand as soon as possible, but if you get sucked in to

the river waiting to improve, you want to have the best chance as possible to win the pot

without improving the two pair and scooping. The best way to make that happen is to

have your hand be big, so if you do run up against another two pair (such as against an

opponent going low with a small pair who backs into two pair) you will be able to edge

him out and take down the high half of the pot.

Live is Key

One of the most important things to consider when playing your two pair is to

look at how live it is. When you have trips, you have a much better chance to fill up. With

two pair, you are down to four outs. Even with all four of the cards available to fill up,

your chances are still only about 25% that you will do so by the river. You can only

imagine what happens if one or two of the cards you need to fill up are gone. Because of

that, you can not afford to stay involved in the pot if more than two of the cards you need

65
to fill up are gone, unless you have aces and another pair. If that is the case, you want

your aces to be showing so a bet on your part will be able to take down the pot then and

there. It is also better if the other pair is eights or smaller so you still have an outside

chance at the low. With anything other than aces, if more than two of your cards to fill up

are gone get out of the way and save yourself the chips until you have the advantage.

If It Looks Bigger, Bolt

The biggest danger you face when playing two pair, especially in a split pot game,

is being up against a player that has a bigger hand than you. This includes a bigger two

pair and of course, trips. The reason why you must get out of the way if you believe you

are up against a bigger hand is not too hard to figure out. If neither one of you improve,

your opponent wins. If you both improve, your opponent wins. The only way you win is

if you improve and your opponent with the bigger hand does not improve. And, of course,

this does not take into account the risk that other players might back into a hand.

Therefore, you need to have close to absolute certainty that your hand is the best high

hand if you are going to proceed with your two pair.

The biggest red flag is when your opponent pairs his door card. A paired door card

can be a big indicator of trips. Depending on the strength of the pair on the board, you

should either raise or get out of the way and fold your hand. If the pair is bigger than your

two pair (for instance, you hold jacks and fours, and an opponent with a pair of queens

bets) get out of the way. The only time you do not want to do this is if you have a very

good knowledge of your opponent and believe him to be trying to buy the pot by having

an intimidating open pair. But most of the time lay down the hand. On the other hand, if

your two pair is bigger than the potential two pair your opponent has, you must raise if it

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has not already been raised by the time the betting gets to you. (If it has, you would fold

your two pair unless it were aces and a small pair because a raise into an open pair is a

strong indicator of trips). This is a raise for information if he has trips, he will re-raise

you or might even fold if your pair is open and he was just betting the pair or two pair.

Aggressive vs. Passive

In the introduction of this section, it was stated that one of the worst things a

player can do who holds two pair is to frequently call. The result of such action is

allowing other hands staying in on the cheap which can outdraw you. Therefore, it can

not be emphasized enough that if you have made the decision to play two pair, you must

play this hand aggressively by betting and raising. Ideally, you will win the pot on Fourth

Street. If that can not be accomplished, you want to get your hand up against probable

weaker high hands and eliminate lows if you can to have the best shot at winning the

entire pot.

To show the importance of a narrow field, look at the example of the same hand

against four opponents and against one opponent. Suppose you hold a pair of aces and

deuces, a very solid two pair. To make things better, it will also be assumed that all of

your cards to improve to a full house are live. This may sound like a very strong hand,

and while it is indeed strong, it is not a monster hand nor is it a hand you want to

passively play and wait to improve. Many times this hand will not improve, so you want

to do what you can to win it right there or get out as many players as possible.

In a five-player game, where you hold the above hand, your hand can become

very vulnerable to draws. Suppose you held As Ah 2s 2d. Your opponents hold: Js Jd 8s

Kh; 3s 6d 8h Qs; Td Tc 7h Ks and 6c 7c 8d 3c. With all five players involved in the hand,

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you will win the high half of the pot 56% of the time, the low half of the pot 5% of the

time and win the entire pot 10% of the time. Overall in this hand, the expected value is

35%. Not bad, but it could be better. So even though you are a favorite to win the high

half of the pot, you can see that you are far from being a lock, as 40% of the time one of

your opponents will outdraw you. Thats not a good number when you are looking at just

winning the high half of the pot. Now, lets look at the same hand with just you and the

hand with four cards to the low. With a pair on the board, you would be the first to act.

Here, you would bet and this action would hopefully eliminate your opponents except the

low draw who would probably stick around to the river with a four-low. If you get heads-

up against the low draw, the likelihood that you will win the high half of the pot jumps to

75% and you will win the entire pot 21% of the time. Your expected value also jumps to

49%. The odds that you will win just the low half of the pot stay at 5%. There may

certainly be a temptation to let people in and build up the pot but it is a temptation that

must be resisted. You want to do that when you have a real monster hand, and the odds

are much better that you will scoop the pot. Here, the danger is too great that other

players might catch good cards and you will be left with nothing. As a result, be

aggressive with your two pair to get heads up or take down the entire pot on Fourth

Street.

As with so many hands in poker, two pair is the type of hand you want to bet with

or get out of the way with. It is a hand that can be played, but also a hand that is crucial to

protect. You need to always be aware when you may be the second-best high hand, and

when it seems like that is the case, dump this hand before it costs you a stack of chips.

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The key to success with two pairs is to play them fast or to not play it all. Which one you

do depends on the factors discussed in this section so review it often!

Quick tips for play of two pair on Fourth Street:

RAISE often with this hand. A raise will either get other players out of the way

who could outdraw you or get you the information you want to help you

determine what your opponent(s) might have, allowing you to get out of the

way of a re-raise. Always bet if first to act.

FOLD when it looks like you may be the second-best high hand. You want to

play two pair aggressively, but not stupidly. Hanging around when you believe

you are not the strongest high hand is a bad play that will cost you money. You

also want to get out of the way when more than two of the cards you need to

improve to a full house are gone unless you have aces and another pair eights

or lower.

Aces

Starting out with a pair of aces is phenomenal, because aces alone often will win

the high half of the pot in stud 8. Even so, aces are the kind of hand that needs to be

protected, especially if they do not improve. That means you will be doing a lot of betting

and raising with this hand as opposed to calling, and there will be some rare occasions

when you will dump a pair of aces.

Narrow the Field

The best scenario is of course trips, which has already been covered. A close

second is when you start out with a pair of aces and a low card, and improve to a three-

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low or three-flush. When this happens, there can be a temptation to become over-

confident with the hand. Some players have the belief that the possibilities are better then

they actually are for improvement, so will play the hand slowly by checking and calling

until Fifth Street. This is a dangerous play. The problem here is that you are not as strong

as you would be if you held a four-flush or four-straight to the low or three aces. Even

with three suited cards, your odds for hitting a flush or straight are less than 20%, and if

you improve to a three-low, your odds for hitting a low by the river are about 40%. These

are not horrible odds, as with a three-flush or three-straight that also has three low cards

and a pair of aces, you do have a very good hand. Even so, do not get tricky with this

hand and try to keep many players in, as the more people that are involved in the pot, the

worse your odds become for winning part of or scooping the entire pot, as you become

more vulnerable to both high and low hands.

To illustrate an example, suppose you hold a hand of Ah Ac 2h 3h. You are heads-

up against an opponent who holds 2c 6c 2d 4c, and has three clubs. In this scenario, 50%

of the time you will scoop the pot, 64% of the time you will win the high half of the pot

and 28% of the time you will win the low half of the pot. The expected value is 63% to

37%, meaning you are in great shape. Now, lets look at what happens when we throw in

two other players one who is on a three-low and another who has a pair of kings. One

holds the hand of Kd 9d Kh 7s. The other holds 4s 3s 7h Jd. You are still a favorite to win

the pot, but now you will only scoop 26% of the time, win the high 43% of the time and

win the low half of the pot 27% of the time. The expected value is now 43%. As you can

see, the greater amount of players staying in the pot, the bigger the threat to you, which

means you need to continue to play the hand aggressively by betting and raising with it

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and not letting other hands in cheaply. In the above example, the king would be the high

hand on the board and be first to act. No matter what position you are in, you raise,

because eliminating even one of the players helps you.

Going One Way

It becomes even more important to play the hand fast when you are only going in

one direction. For instance, suppose you started out with pocket aces and a high card, and

have now caught another high card. This means that you have no chance of qualifying for

the low half of the pot. Low hands now become a dangerous threat to you, and you must

do all that you can to eliminate them to improve your chances of winning the entire pot

and not just half. The best situation you could be in is if you get heads up against another

big pair. Even if you can eliminate just one of the low draws, it is of benefit to you. For

instance, suppose you hold the hand As Ah Qd 9c. Three other players have stayed in to

see Fourth Street, and hold 3c 2c 6h 9d, Ks Kd 8d 2h and 7d 8s 9s 2d. The expected value

is 34%. However, you will only scoop 19% of the time and win the high half of the pot

48% of the time. If you eliminate the 3c 2c 6h 9d, your odds to scoop now improve to

31% and your odds of winning the high half of the pot increase to 56%. The expected

value increases to 44%. Get heads up against the kings and your expected value is now

66% and 70% of the time you will win the high half of the pot against the cowboys. As

you can see by these examples, playing aces fast by betting and raising with them is far

preferable to playing them slowly. When you do that, you allow other players to stay in

on the cheap and give them chances to outdraw you.

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 Fast, but not Reckless

While you want to eliminate hands that can outdraw you, you can not play your

hand recklessly in that you ignore aggressive betting by opponents who may have already

improved to trips. A rare situation where aces need to be folded is when you see heavy

action by open pairs on the board or if you are looking at calling two bets and do not have

a three-low to go along with your aces. For instance, suppose a pair of kings is first to act

and bets. He is raised by a pair of queens, and called by a player with two low cards.

Unless you have three to the low, get out of the way. You may be tempted to stay in if you

hold a three-flush or three-straight, but odds are at least one if not both of your opponents

have improved to trips, so get out. If no player was involved who had a low card

showing, you could call the two bets as you are playing for the entire pot, but if the pot

looks to be split, you must lay down the aces. With three to the low, you can stay as you

can safely assume that neither of the open pairs are drawing to the low, but without that

you do not want to be chasing against trips with just a pair of aces. Save yourself the

money until you hold trip aces or a better hand.

At the same time, while you want to get out of the way if you believe you are

chasing against trips, you do not want to quickly fold your aces. Because this is a very

strong hand at Fourth Street, you want to bet with it or raise, as this action has the benefit

of not just helping to eliminate other players, but will also get you information as well.

For instance, suppose an open pair bets. Here, you raise if he has trips, he will fire back

at you and you can get away from the hand.

Rarely will you want to call with aces, but one situation where this is the best

move is when there are two high pairs on the board and you are caught in between them.

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If one bets, just call and see what the other big pair does more than likely it will be a

raise, because a big open pair is a very strong indicator of trips. Despite that, some

players may have backed into a big pair and be trying to represent more than they have,

which is why you should raise with the aces if a single open pair bets for information.

With two big pairs on the board, though, calling is best as one of the pairs likely started

out high and has improved.

The key thing to remember with aces is that they are a great hand but play better

with fewer players. Ideally, they have other outs to go with them, such as three-flushes,

three-straights and/or three cards to the low as well. Even if those are lacking, this is still

a hand that is quite playable. But it plays best heads-up so do all you can to win the pot

right now or narrow the field so you can have the best shot at winning the entire pot.

Quick tips for play of aces on Fourth Street:

RAISE or BET frequently. This is a good hand that needs to be protected so

do all you can to protect it by reducing the amount of players that you are up

against.

CALL rarely as checking and calling allows other players in cheaply and gives

them more opportunities to outdraw you. With more players in the pot, the

odds that you have to win half of or the entire pot are reduced. The only

instance where calling is an acceptable play is when there are two big pairs on

the board (nines or higher) and you have a three-low with the aces, as a high

door card that has stayed involved likely stayed in on a big pair and has now

made trips.

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 FOLD if you have a strong feeling that you are up against trips. That does not

mean folding into a single big pair unless you have a perfect read on your

opponent. What it does mean is getting out of the way of a raising war between

two open pairs on the board.

Big Pairs

In a regular 7-card stud game, you will usually take two cards off and hope that

your pair improves to two pair or trips, and then dump it on Fifth Street if it does not

improve unless you can reduce the field and have a good feeling that your big pair is still

the best hand. In stud 8, you need to be more careful in play of big pairs and err on the

side of caution. When you have two queens or kings, they still may be the best high hand,

but you need to be very alert when big pairs are not the best high hand so you can get out

of the way of players that have improved.

The biggest problem in having a big pair is they become a very dangerous hand

when there are many players involved in the pot. Therefore, if you can not reduce the

field or anytime you face a raise (beyond the raising that you will be doing) you must get

out of the way. You are realistically only going one way with the hand, high, so want to

do what you can to get up against other high hands who you believe are in a worse

position than you are in.

To illustrate the benefits of a narrow field, lets look again at the example of the

same hand played heads up and against four other players. You hold Kc Ks 7d 8h. Your

opponents hold: 7h Qh Qd Ts; 4d 5d 6s 9c; 2s 2d 7s 8c and 6d 6h Ad 9s. With all of these

players involved in the pot, you are in very bad shape. You will win the high half of the

pot only 29% of the time, the low half of the pot only 4% of the time and scoop only 12%

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of the time. But, suppose you raise, and are able to get two players out, so you are only

facing the 2s 2d 7s 8c and the 7h Qh Qd Ts. Now, you will scoop the pot 27% of the time

and win the high half of the pot 45% of the time. Your expected value is also improved, at

39% as opposed to being 23% with everyone else involved. As you can see, you want to

protect your pair and reduce the field anytime you can to get the odds on your side.

At the same time, you need to be careful in playing a single big pair. Aces are the

exception; thats why they are given their own section, as aces are so strong and give you

two options in this game, high and low. Other big pairs do not do that your options are

much more limited. Because of that, you have to be more conservative in play of big

pairs then you would were you playing regular 7-card stud. Do not feel bad about getting

away from a big pair that did not improve on Fourth Street, because while this may be the

best hand on the table, it is very dangerous to play when you are not sure if you are the

best high. When that happens, get out of the way.

How do you know when to get away from a big pair? Ask yourself the following

questions. First and foremost, what is the status of the other cards that could improve

your hand? If even one of the other two cards that would improve you to trips is gone,

you must get away from the hand. Improving to trips is your best option to make you a

big favorite to win the pot; when one is gone, you have to dump the hand because a

single pair is much too vulnerable to other hands. Second, you have to ask yourself what

do you think your opponents are holding? The paired door card is huge factor, especially

if it is high, because two high cards often equal trips in stud 8. If you are just holding a

single big pair, and your opponent pairs his door card, fold the hand. With trips or two

pair, you can raise for information; but here your hand is not strong enough to do that and

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is not worth the trouble. Third, how loose or tight is the game? If it looks like a bet or

raise on your part will do nothing to eliminate other players (such as if the remaining

players all improved and have two low cards showing) then you want to check and fold

and play the big pair passively. Of course, bet the hand if you believe that betting will

eliminate players, but at times a game is so loose where everyone wants to see Fifth

Street so a small bet does not eliminate anyone.

When playing a big pair, you want to bet if first to act and raise as long as the first

to bet was not an open pair. This action will eliminate other players if they have not

improved. What you do not want to do is raise a pair, or fire back with a re-raise if you

are raised. The best time to play a big pair is if your big pair is hidden and you have two

low cards showing, or if other players going low have caught bad cards, as a bet or raise

on your part will be more effective in narrowing the field.

A single big pair is not as good of a hand as it is in 7-card stud. While playable,

one still has to exercise a great deal of caution with the hand because it is only going in

one direction. If it looks as if the field can not be reduced, if one of your cards to improve

to trips is gone, and most importantly if you have doubts as to whether or not yours is the

best high hand, dump your pair and wait until you have a better hand on Fourth Street.

Quick tips for play of big pairs on Fourth Street:

RAISE or BET if you believe doing so will get you heads up or reduce the

field. A big pair is a playable hand at times, but one that must be played with

caution.

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 FOLD if you have doubts as to whether or not you are the best high hand. A

big pair is not a bad hand, but it becomes a horrible hand that will get you in a

lot of trouble if you are not the best high hand at this point. You also must fold

if more than one of your other cards to improve to trips are gone, as improving

to trips gives you the best opportunity to win the entire pot. Folding is also the

best move if there is a lot of action so if it has already been raised by the time

you are to act, dump the hand.

Low Draws

When you start with three to a low and improve, you will be doing a lot of calling

to get the best pot odds you can to hit your hand. Of course the best situation to be in is

when you have other outs besides your low draw, such as a straight or flush draw, as this

increases your chance of scooping and winning the entire pot. Unfortunately, there will

be many times when you catch a card that does not improve your chances of qualifying

for the high half of the pot but does improve the chances you will hit the low. The safe

play is to check and call with these hands to get better pot odds and to determine the

strength of other players. Ideally, you would not have to bet anything, but most of the

time someone will bet in which case you call. The odds are in your favor that you will

make a low-qualifying hand by the river about 70%.

If it Gets Expensive, Get Out

Most of the time you will be staying to see one more card times will be few and

far between when you would lay down four cards to the low. The only time you would

want to dump a four-low is if you had a strong belief that you were far behind other

players. This would be if you held a hand like 3468 and there was a lot of heavy action

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such as a big bet by an open pair and a raise from an ace along with calling from several

hands that appeared to catch help in drawing to a low. Whenever it will cost you more

than two bets to see Fifth Street, you need to pause and think carefully whether or not you

should proceed, asking yourself what direction your opponents are going in. Use what

your opponents are showing you to your advantage. If the action is coming from high

cards, you can assume your opponents are going high. This is a great situation to be in,

because you still have an outside shot at the high, but hands going high are in a terrible

position to back into a hand that would qualify them for the low half of the pot. So

ideally, you want to be up against hands going high. When going low, big cards are your

friends when held by other opponents.

Other Low Draws

On the flip side, be careful when proceeding against hands that look like they

have caught low. Most of the time, calling is just fine because you will have a better idea

of where you stand when you each catch another card, but if it is going to cost you more

than one big bet to see Fifth Street, dump the hand if there are a lot of players involved

and you suspect at least two are also on low draws unless your low draw is of good

quality as well. Remember: quality lows are those that have other outs. Four to a straight

and four to a flush have already been covered; other hands include four cards that are six

or lower (A245 is an example), one-gap straights (such as 3467) to the low and hands

with three to the flush.

Get Rid of the Lows, Keep the Highs

While most of the time you will be doing a lot of checking and calling when you

hold four cards to the low that are not in a strong position to win the high half of the pot,

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there are instances where you can raise with a four-low. This is when you believe that

betting or raising will reduce the hands that are drawing to the low and get you involved

against hands that are going high. The best situation to do this is when the board looks

non-threatening on the low side and there is no more than one opponent who has two

cards to the low, such as when opponents you suspect going low have caught bad cards.

With more than one player holding two low cards on the board, betting or raising is not

an effective move as you can assume that they will be staying in on a low-draw. Typically

many players will stay in for one bet and of course for free if possible if they are on a low

draw but do not get any help on Fourth Street. A bet or raise though on your part will

cause them to think twice. Do not raise it up though if there have been two or more

callers with two low cards showing.

Do Not Get Heads-Up

You do not want a raise to cause you to be heads up against a high, because a low

draw with a small chance of improving to win the high part of the pot does not play well

heads-up against a strong high hand. For instance, suppose you hold 2c 3c 6s 7d. You are

heads-up against an opponent who has two pair, 4s Kd 4d Kh. Heads-up, you have a 69%

chance of winning the low and a 7% chance of winning the high. Overall the two pair has

a 61% to 39% advantage in expected value over you in this hand. Now, lets add another

high hand to the picture a player holding Jh Ts Jd Tc. With the two high draws and you,

your chances of winning the low half of the pot are 74%. The odds you will hit the high

half of the pot drop slightly to 5%, but your expected value is now 40%. Having two or

more high hands involved in the pot will result in a bigger payoff for you, because the pot

will be built up by the high hands fighting it out for half of the pot.

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 While you do want high draws, low draws pose a threat, even if they are just

three-lows. Adding two other players to the scenario, well assume these players started

with three cards to a low and caught bad cards on Fourth Street. Well give the two

players hands of 3h 4h 8s 9c and 2s 4c 7c Qd. With this crowded pot, you are now only a

52% favorite to win the low half of the pot and will scoop just 2% of the time against

your opponents. Your expected value also drops to 28%.

As you can see, your low draw is in the best shape when you are up against other

players who are going high. Because of that, you do not want to get tricky and set traps

for the other lows that caught bad cards get them out of the way if you can so they do

not back into low hands that could be better than your low if you hit it. The best way to

do this is to raise when a high hand bets or bet if no one has acted by the time the action

gets to you.

Eliminating Highs

While you want to go ahead and raise or bet if you believe you can get involved

against two or more players going high, another good situation is when you can cut the

field to you and players going low who you believe are in a worse situation than you are,

and you believe a bet or raise on your part will keep them involved in the pot but

eliminate a player who has a marginal pair, such as nines or tens.

A perfect situation is when you are up against several players who have caught

bad cards that did not appear to help them. Take this scenario. You hold Ah 2h 4s 5d and

are up against opponents holding: Tc 8d Ts Kc, 4c 6s 7c Qs, 3d 5h 8h Js and 3s 5s 6d 8c.

With all of these players involved, your expected value is 40%. You will scoop 18% of

the time, win the low half of the pot 53% of the time and the high half of the pot 26% of

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the time. These are not bad odds at all, which is why calling is fine. But, if you can

eliminate the pair of tens, you are in a better situation. Suppose the tens check or bet.

Consider a raise if you believe it will eliminate the tens and you will get some calls from

the lows who are in a worse position than you are. If the tens are removed from the

picture, you will scoop 24% of the time, win the high half of the pot 37% of the time and

the low half of the pot 53% of the time. Overall with you against these others low draws,

your expected value is 46%. If you eliminate the 3d 5h 8h Js and become involved in a

three-way pot against the four-low and other three-low, your odds improve slightly to a

50% expected value and a 29% chance to scoop.

A Good or Bad Draw?

Finally, you must consider what the quality of your draw is. The best situation

would be to have four cards to a wheel or six-low, such as A245, as when made, these

hands are a lock or virtual lock for the low. But just because you have four cards to a low,

it does not mean you are drawing to a quality low. It was already mentioned that the best

low draws are those that have other outs, but when trying to figure out whether or not to

see Fifth Street, you also must consider the chance that you may be up against other

players who are drawing to a better low hand than you are. For instance, if you held

A246, you would have no problem calling with the hand and getting involved even if

there were a lot of action. But suppose you hold 3468. With a hand like this, you do not

want to be automatically calling you must carefully assess the situation and look at your

opponents door cards. If it looks like they have caught bad cards or you will be up

against just high draws, by all means go ahead and call up to one big bet or raise and win

the pot now. But if the pot is crowded and it appears several players have caught helpful

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cards to the low, dump the hand even if it is just one small bet. Just as you do not want

to get involved in a pot with the second-best high hand, you do not want to be stuck

calling to the river, make your low, and find that it is second or third-best. If you release

your mediocre low draw now when you believe you are not the best hand, you will save

yourself a lot of money. What frequently happens when you are up against better low

draws is you make your low, but your opponent also makes a low and you get crushed.

When to Get out of the Way

If you have an eight-low and several players are involved who have cards such as

23, 34, 45, 56 or an ace with any card through a seven showing, you need to get out of the

way unless you also have a three-flush, three to the straight or three wheel cards. If those

cards are present, you can call one bet. With a poor low draw, you want very few players

going your way involved so without quality, do not hesitate to release the hand if more

than one threatening low draw remains and it costs you more than one bet to stay

involved.

To summarize, you will be doing a lot of calling when you hold four to a low to

see how your hand develops after taking one more card. However, a four-low is not the

kind of hand that you automatically call with every single time. Look carefully at what

the other players hold, and use that information to your advantage. This is also where

your awareness on Third Street will help. Did they raise or just limp in? If they raised,

they are probably going high and trying to narrow the field or have a great draw and are

betting a potential monster. If they limped, they are more apt to have a drawing hand,

such as three to the low or two to the low with a small pair. Use this information to help

determine whether or not you should just call or raise and narrow the field to reduce low

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draws that have caught bad cards or fold if it looks like there are many players involved

and it has become an expensive proposition to see Fifth Street.

Quick tips for play of low draws on Fourth Street:

RAISE or BET if you believe you can eliminate some players who are going

low and get involved against two or more players who are going high. Do not

do this if you believe it will get you heads-up against an opponent who is going

high, as your odds to scoop are minimal. The best situation to bet or raise to

eliminate other low draws is when it appears a player who limped in on Third

Street with a low card showing caught a bad card (a nine, ten, jack, queen or

king). You can also bet or raise if you believe you can eliminate high draws

(such as a player with a mediocre pair like nines or tens) and get involved

against weaker low draws.

CALL frequently. When in doubt, its fine to just call one bet. There is no need

to get savvy with bets and raises, especially if you are at a loose game where

you are certain a bet or raise would be ineffective.

FOLD if it is going to cost you more than one bet to stay involved in the pot,

you do not have other outs, such as a three flush or three straight and your low

is of marginal quality (an eight low). You also want to fold if you are up against

two or more other hands who are also going low but believe them to have a

better low draw than you do.

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 Low Draws with a Pair

Often when starting out with low draw, instead of improving to a four-low you

pick up a card that gives you a pair. Call one bet. Unlike with four to a low, you are not

yet in a position where you can bet and raise to eliminate lows because your hand is not

as likely to qualify for the low as if you already had four cards to qualify. With three

cards to the low, it is about a 40% chance that you will hit a hand by the river that will

qualify for the low. Therefore, the best move is to take another card and see how your

hand develops, when the decision to stay involved or get out will become more clear at

Fifth Street.

Rarely Raise

The only time to consider raising or betting is if you have a pair showing on the

board and you are playing in a tight game. A pair on the board is a strong indicator that a

player has made trips, and in a tight game players are more likely to fold when a pair

bets. Taking a chance on this play is best when other players have caught bad cards, and

you believe that your bet will win you the pot. Most of the time though, the best play is to

just limp to see Fifth Street rather than trying to be creative with a bet or raise this play

is only advised if you have a very good knowledge of your opponents and are playing at a

table full of rocks.

The other obvious time when you should raise has already been covered, when

you hold a pair of aces. Aces play best when the field is small or you are heads up, so you

want to bet or raise to reduce the field.

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 How Big is the Pair?

Of course, the best pair you can get when you have three cards to a low is when

you make a pair of aces. But there are differences in other pairs as well. For instance, if

you started with 368 suited and make a pair of eights, you are in a slightly better position

than if you had made a pair of threes. This is because if you are involved against other

players going low, you may back into a two pair that will be bigger than the two pair that

they will get. In a regular 7-card stud game, a pair of eights is nothing to be excited

about. But here, when several players are going low, a big small pair is better than a

tiny pair. Many times a situation arises later in the hand where you make two pair on the

river as opposed to hitting the low hand, and you end up winning the high half of the pot

by virtue of the two pair. The advantage a big small pair gives you though is not huge,

and you still need to get out of the way anytime you fear you are up against trips unless

you have three cards that are six or less with the pair. But having a larger small pair

makes a call of up to two bets more justifiable than making the same call with a tiny pair.

When to Fold

Every so often, you must get away from this hand. Just as when you hold four to

the low, if it is going to cost you more than two bets to stick around, you need to get away

unless you hold three cards to a straight flush, or three cards six or less with three to a

straight or flush to go with them. If you can not see Fifth Street for just a bet, carefully

consider whether or not to proceed. The factors that go into determining whether or not

you can stay for more than a bet include the quality of your three low cards (is it 234 or

368?) and whether or not you are holding three cards to a flush or straight. If you fear you

might be up against trips, get out of the way. While you want to stick around against

85
opponents going high when you have four to the low, with only three to the low and a

pair, you need to fold when you fear you are up against trips unless your pair is aces or

you meet the criteria discussed (three cards suited or three to the straight with three cards

of six or lower) because the odds are much worse for hitting the low than when you hold

four to the low. You also must fold anytime an open pair of aces bets.

Of course, another factor that you need to consider is live cards. Even if all of the

available cards to improve to qualify for the low half of the pot were live, you would still

catch two cards you need by the river only half of the time. And even then it might not be

good enough to win you the low half of the pot. Therefore, if you are going to proceed

with this hand, you want both of the cards that will improve you to trips to be live if you

are not holding a three-straight, three-flush or three wheel cards.

In a nutshell, this is the kind of hand with which you want to see Fifth Street for

as cheaply as possible. It is a decent hand with potential but you need to determine how

much potential it has. The presence of three wheel cards, three to a straight or three cards

to the flush along with your pair makes the hand much better and you can feel

comfortable calling up to two bets with such a hand. Of course, the best situation is when

you make a pair of aces. Anytime it is going to cost you more than two bets to see a fifth

card, look carefully at what your opponents are holding and take into consideration the

quality of your hand if the criteria discussed in this section are lacking, dump the hand

or else you are not going to like what happens to you later in the hand. Believe it or not, a

key to success is folding. You save yourself a lot of money over the long run by dumping

a hand you believe may not be in the best position to win the low, because once a low is

made it is very difficult to get away from.

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 Quick tips for play of three-lows with a pair:

RAISE if you hit a pair on the board and are involved in a tight game where

you think the raise will win you the pot then and there. You also want to bet or

raise if you hold a pair of aces, as aces need to be protected and do best when

the field is narrow.

CALL frequently. When you have three to the low with a pair, you certainly

have a playable hand, but it is not a hand of which you can be too proud of at

this point. Because Fourth Street sees a lot of calling and not a lot of heavy

action, you will very often be able to take another card to see how the hand

develops. If you are unable to proceed with the hand without paying more than

two bets, your hand must have other potential. This includes: 1) Having a pair

of aces (in which case you raise) or 2) Three cards to a straight or three cards to

a flush with three cards of six or smaller. Do not call more than two bets unless

you hold three cards to a straight flush, as the hand becomes too dangerous to

proceed with.

FOLD when your hand does not have other outs and it is going to cost you

more than two bets to see a fifth card. Also fold when you believe your

opponent is drawing to a better low hand than you are, or if it looks like you

are up against trips in a small field.

Three-Lows

Many times in stud 8, you will start out with a quality low draw and catch a bad

card on Fourth Street that gives you no help. When this happens, any sophisticated player

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is certainly not going to let you see another card for free unless you are at a very passive

table. The biggest mistake many players make (which is a reason why stud 8 can be such

a profitable game for the good player) is to automatically call with a low draw that

catches a bad card on Fourth Street. This is a carryover for many from playing regular 7-

card stud, when calls on Fourth Street are often automatic because the betting is still

small. Many players simply figure they have three to a low, so why not see just one more

card? Maybe they will pair up and then have a shot at both the high and the low. Or

maybe theyll catch the fourth card to the low, and then its just one more card to hit the

low, and certainly half the pot will be theirs. So calling here makes sense, right? Wrong!

You have to be very careful when you catch a bad card on Fourth Street, and very often

need to release the hand.

When You Can Stay

While most of the time you need to release a three-low, situations arise where you

can go ahead and see another card with this hand. Obviously, if you can see Fifth Street

for free this is the best situation. But the times when you can see Fifth Street for free will

be few and far between.

The exceptions allowing you to stay involved in the pot are when you hold: 1)

three wheel cards; 2) four suited cards and 3) three cards to a small straight. When you

hold three wheel cards go ahead and call a bet and call up to two bets with a four-flush.

This advice may sound very tight, but it is one of the most important aspects of

stud 8 to remember. Unlike with the four-lows, your odds are much worse that you will

hit low-qualifying hand by the river. Therefore, you can not simply call automatically

thinking you will hit the hand, even if you may be up against just other high hands. Take

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this example. You hold 2h 5h 6c Js. Your opponents hold: Ks 8s Kd 3h, 3c 4c 7s 8d and

4s 5c 6d 9h. Out of the four players, you are in the worst situation as your expected value

is only 17% to win this hand and will win the low only 19% of the time. As you can see,

the odds are against you and do not justify a call. What about if you had a three-flush

though? The outlook would still be bleak. If your two hearts were three, you improve to

having a 22% expected value. You win the high half of the pot 21% of the time and the

low half of the pot 19% of the time and have a 25% expected value. Thats not much of

an improvement, so you still need to release the hand if there was a bet. But, if you had

four suited cards, you could go ahead and call up to two bets as your prospects for hitting

the flush are much better.

When you have three cards to a straight or a wheel, you can also stay involved

based on the strength of your low draw. Be more apt to stay with a hand like 345K than

678K as the former is a better straight draw because you are still drawing low both ways,

and also has three cards to the nut low. Of course, dump the hand as more of the cards

you need to hit the straight are gone.

Finally, err on the side of caution. Always dump the hand if you have any feeling

that your opponents have improved to a better low draw than you. That means getting

away from hands like 457K when you are looking at 23 or A4. Drawing to a worse low is

bad enough when you have four cards to the low but its even worse when you only

have three of the five cards you need to qualify for the low. Save yourself the money and

get away from this dangerous hand.

Before moving onto Fifth Street, heres another quiz to test your knowledge of

proper play at this stage of the game.

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 Quiz on Fourth Street Play

Question 1: You started with pocket queens, which did not improve. In middle position,

an open pair of jacks bets. Two hands that have caught help going low call. Do you fold,

call or raise?

Answer: Fold. Yes, you want to protect this hand when you can and if it were trips you

re-raise. But without improvement, your queens are in a bad situation against probable

trips with two low draws staying involved, so you need to release the hand.

Question 2: You have caught a dynamite hand A256, all suited. A player appearing to

go high with K9 showing bets, and a player with a 68 showing calls. The action is now to

you. Looking at the other players who are yet to act, you see a TJ, 58 and 69. Do you call

or raise?

Answer: Call. With a hand this good that has so much potential, keep people involved in

the pot. If you believe you can build the pot up with a small raise because most of the

players will stay involved, by all means go ahead and raise. But most of the time just call,

as this is the kind of hand that can improve to something huge so you want a lot of people

staying involved to increase your potential payoff.

Question 3: You hold 3478 with two suited cards. A player with A3 showing bets, is

called by a KQ and 25. The action is now to you. There are still two players to act, but

they appear to have caught non-threatening cards. Do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Fold. Sure, you have four to the low, but its a 78 low and nothing to be overly

proud of. A raise is not going to eliminate the A3 or 25 after they have already called; and

even if they had not already called and were yet to act a raise probably would not be

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effective. The cards that are showing are very dangerous and one if not both of your

opponents are drawing to a better low than you are. So dump the hand before it costs you

a lot of chips.

Question 4: Starting with 235 suited, you catch a 7 that does not help your possibilities

to hit the flush but does help you in your draw to the low. You are in middle position.

There is nothing too impressive on the board an AK was first to act, was called by a 74

and 4K, and now the action is to you. Looking to your left, you see that yet to act are a

58, 4Q and 59. Do you raise it up or just call?

Answer: Raise. Your best shot at a piece of the pot is winning the low. You are drawing

to a good low a seven, but you lack a straight draw and the odds are against you that

you will hit a flush. Because of that, you have to eliminate some of the low draws. A raise

here is not likely to get you heads up against the AK (which is of course good as you do

not want to be heads up against a player who is going high). What it will do is help to

narrow the field, eliminating some of the weaker low draws to give you better odds on

your low draw. By just calling, you make it easier for a crowded pot and can become

more vulnerable to being outdrawn.

Question 5: The pocket queens you started with have now improved to trips. First to act

is a player holding A7 who bets. He is called by players holding 49, 78 and AK. You are

the last to act. Do you raise or just call?

Answer: Raise. Raising is clearly the best option here, as you want to eliminate

opponents. While the raise would probably be more effective from early position

(especially if the game is loose) your goal is to drive other players out of the pot who

pose a threat to you. Even if you can eliminate just one of the players who is involved in

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the pot, this helps reduce your chances of being outdrawn. Always remember: high hands

must be protected.

Question 6: You started out with three suited small cards, 346. Unfortunately, you caught

no help on Fourth Street, being hit with a king. You are in late position. First to act, a

player with a K9 bets and is called by a T8 and 67. Should you see one more card or get

out of the way?

Answer: Call. You still have chances to go both ways with this hand as you have a flush

and also a straight draw, so can see one more card. This is one of the exceptions to the

rule that you should not proceed past Fourth Street when you catch a bad card, because

you have other outs.

Question 7: In middle position, you hold 348K and also have three suited cards. First to

act was an open pair of sevens, who bet. He was quickly called by a player with an A2

showing. Now the action is to you. Yet to act are players holding 45, 7A and 4Q. Do you

fold, call or raise?

Answer: Fold. This situation differs from the previous question in that the waters are too

murky for you to safely proceed with this hand, and you could get in big trouble if you

did proceed with it. The sevens who bet may have trips or two pair; if he had a pair with

two low cards, he would check and see the next street cheaply fearing the lower cards yet

to act. His best chance to scoop would of course be by getting rid of as many players as

possible so they do not catch lows. The A2 staying in you can put on a low draw, and

with two others players who have also improved potential low draws you could be in a

very bad way in both directions: a three-flush against trips is a big underdog, and going

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the other way the other players have likely improved to a better low draw than you.

Release this hand before it gets you in serious trouble.

Question 8: Starting out with JJA you catch a third jack giving you trips. You are in early

position, but are not first to act as a player has made an open pair of queens, and bets. The

big bet was called by a 78 and now the action is to you. Yet to act are three players, who

hold 89, TT and 4K. Do you fold, call or raise it up?

Answer: Raise. This may seem like an aggressive play, but it is actually the best move.

Now the remaining players will have to call two bets cold something thats not easy to

do, even in a loose game. Your raise will also get you information. If the queens have in

fact made trips, they will re-raise you or just call if they are more tight, fearing you were

rolled up with aces. With trips, you would be calling on Fifth Street anyway so why

wait until then to get the bet in, when other players have already improved and the limits

are up? The best move here is to raise to force other players out and if you are re-raised

by the queens you can go ahead and release the hand, because you certainly do not want

to be up against trip queens. The best way to find out is to raise and not to just call. While

you want to play tight, you also want to play aggressive and this is a time to be

aggressive and protect your trips. If you really believe that the open queens are trips, go

ahead and make the tough lay down but never just call!

Question 9: Starting out with 346, you limped in to see Fourth Street and catch a four,

giving you a pair. You are in late position. An A8 is first to act, betting a small bet as there

is no pair on the board. The player is called by a 59 and a player holding 87. The other

players fold and the action comes to you. Fold, call or raise?

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Answer: Call. A raise will not eliminate other players as they are already involved in the

pot. If you were first to act after the A8, you could raise if the players yet to act were tight

and you believed that the raise might narrow the field, but calling is the best move (and

even if first to act calling is recommended). With just a small pair and three to the low,

you want to see Fifth Street for as cheaply as possible as this is a playable hand but

nothing to be overly proud about.

Question 10: You started out with a pair of eights and a four for a kicker. Unfortunately

Fourth Street brings no help, and you catch a king. The king makes you the high hand on

the board, and you are first to act. There are four other players who stayed in to see

Fourth Street. They are holding 5J, 34, 6K and 23. Do you check or bet?

Answer: Check. Some may argue this is too passive of a play, and you need to bet to

eliminate other players. If you know your opponents well or the game is very tight, you

can bet if you believe it will eliminate players or win you the pot right there. If all the

other players had caught bad cards, it would be worth a shot at the pot to see if you could

steal it. But you are in a bad situation. The players who caught low are likely to stay in,

and depending on how loose the game is you may get the other players staying in to see

Fifth Street as well, as it is difficult for many to fold before seeing two more cards when

they start out with a low draw. The goal is to see Fifth Street for free by checking and

hoping that no one bets. (This probably wont happen as one of the low draws will bet

and try to eliminate players who are also on low draws). If someone does bet after you

check, release the hand and wait for something better.

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 Summary of Fourth Street

Fourth Street is a crucial stage in stud 8, as it is at this stage that many players get

into trouble by playing hands that should not be played, or by making poor decisions that

allow other players to stay in on the cheap and see another card to improve. One of the

keys to success to stud 8 is knowing when you need to get away from a hand and

knowing when you need to bang away in attempts to eliminate people. As the examples

have shown, by making the right moves you will either get an edge over your opponents

or put yourself in a position where your opponents get the edge over you. Essentially you

will be raising with the high, and checking and calling when going low. Of course its a

lot more complicated than that, which is why you need to read this section carefully!

Another goal is to eliminate players going low when you are also going low so

they do not outdraw you. The best way to do that is to bet or raise when you improve and

they do not, so long as you do not get heads up against a player going high.

If you have read this section carefully, you will have noticed that many times it is

stated to stay in only if you can do so for a bet. This is not to imply that action is fast and

heavy on Fourth Street. In a few games filled with maniacs that may be the case. But,

most of the time, the fireworks do not begin until Fifth Street. It is at that stage that

players have either made hands or are freerolling (more on that in a minute). At Fourth

Street, the action tends to be lighter. When it is heavy, its an indicator that players have

made high hands and are trying to jam the pot with the high. Here you either want to be

very sure you have the best high hand or have a good draw to the low, as its much easier

to scoop with the low than the high.

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 Now its on to Fifth Street, where the bets become bigger and the action becomes

heavier. Fifth Street is a crucial stage in stud 8, because it can get very expensive in some

games. But, not to worry. After reading this section, you will have an idea of the hands

that are playable and know how to play them, and know when to release hands that can

cost you a lot of money.

Chapter 4 Fifth Street

Introduction

From Fifth Street on in stud 8, you can find yourself engaged in pots where there

may be a lot of action. This is because players will make hands that they believe are the

best going in a particular direction and try to jam the pot to build it up if they believe they

will win the pot, or eliminate other players who are going in the same direction as they

are. This is not to say that every time you sit down to play stud 8 at a casino or online you

will find a lot of action for there are many times where there is only a bet followed by a

caller or two. But, you should be prepared for lots of action on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh

streets. Many times, you will be raising or folding, but there will be times when you are

calling in hopes of completing your low draw that, if made, you believe will win you part

of the pot or, more preferably, scoop the pot.

Free-rolling

The best situation you can be in when playing stud 8 is when you are free-rolling.

This refers to when you are up against one or more opponents and you have locked up

half of the pot. Of course, anytime you make a wheel, you are free-rolling and the best

anyone can do is tie your hand. This can happen once in a blue moon, but it is very rare.

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Because this is not a flop game and everyone has their own cards, you will be able to

figure out when you are free-rolling, as to make a hand that would qualify for the low, an

opponent would need to have at least two low cards showing after seven cards. On Fifth

Street, if after five cards, your opponents have no low cards showing and you have made

a hand that qualifies for the low, you are then free-rolling. Here, you have an edge against

your opponent because you have already locked up half of the pot and there is a chance

that you may back into a high hand. Ideally, you will be up against high hands so they can

fight over half of the pot while you jam the pot with raises. Free-rolling illustrates why it

is so much better to go for the low than the high in stud 8, because situations arise where

you do not have to sweat it out when you fire chips into the pot, because you know at

least part of the mountain and perhaps the entire pile of chips will be shoved to you

by the dealer.

Knowing When to Get Out

While free-rolling is fantastic when it happens, there will be many situations

where you are not sure if you have the best hand or not. But, whether or not you can

proceed with the hand will become clearer at this stage in the game. Does your hand still

have a chance for the low? Of course the answer is no if you hold only one or two low

cards in your hand. If not, youd better be certain that you have the best high hand or are

up against no other lows and are playing for the entire pot. Many players ignore that, and

get deluded into playing for half of the pot, which over the long run costs them dearly. On

the flip side, you can not be staying involved when it looks like several players are

drawing to quality lows and you are sitting on a small pair and a 86 low draw; or there is

a lot of heavy action and you have made a mediocre low that is not likely to improve or

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has no real chance at the high. The key to success at Fifth Street and beyond is carefully

selecting which hands to play, going with ones you believe are either a lock to win at

least half of the pot or have a strong potential to win you the entire pot. That means

getting away from hands that may look better than they are, and getting information from

your opponents so you can know when you may have the best hand or may be chasing

the dream of winning just half of the chips.

As with previous chapters, the chapter on Fifth Street play will start with the best

hands and proceed to those that are more marginal. By the end of this section, it will be

clear why some hands are gold, others can turn into gold, and still others are fools gold.

Knowing how to differentiate between these hands is a key to being a winning player

instead of a chump.

Monster Highs

Technically speaking, the only unbeatable high hand is a royal flush. However,

there are hands that are nearly close to being unbeatable. In this category are straight

flushes, quads and a full house of aces full. Whenever you have a hand like this, you are a

virtual lock for the high half of the pot, so want to extract as much money as possible

from your opponents. The best way to do that is to simply check and call when you are up

against other players going high, and only bet and raise if you believe that doing so will

eliminate players drawing to the low so you will not have to split the pot. Four of a kind

is a dynamite hand, but it will still split the pot with a player who qualifies for any low.

Look for the Paint

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 The best way to eliminate low draws is to make it expensive for them to stick

around. Paint refers to a face card, which can not help improve a low hand. So, look for

the paint. (And of course any nine). Watch your opponents and if they look to be going

low and catch a card that does not help, bet or raise. Ideally, raise before the action gets to

them so they will have to call more than one bet if they want to stay involved in the pot.

Even if you act after they have acted, raise anyway. Raising here is a win-win situation no

matter how you look at it, because if you are raising in early position or first to act and

bet and several players call, the pot is built up. Obviously, if you may just be getting half

of the pot, you want it to be part of a very large pot as opposed to a small one. More

desirable though is when low draws fold and get out of your way because you want to

be going in the same direction as your opponents, not in opposite directions. Few things

are worse than building a pot when you are heads-up only to have it split. There the only

real winner is the house, which gets the rake. So, remember: monster hands are

phenomenal, and you want as many people involved in the pot as possible as long as they

are going in the same direction as you are. Do not bet or raise if you believe it will get

you heads-up against a low, because you will end up splitting a small pot.

Bet Into Improved Lows

Just as you are free-rolling when you are the only low against high hands, you are

essentially free-rolling when you have made a monster high hand. Therefore, if you are

up against several players who have improved their low draws and now have three cards

to the low, still bet into them or raise anytime it comes back to you until the pot is

capped. Getting away from a low hand is difficult for many players to do and especially

so when they have already made a low hand. As a result, while odds are your betting and

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raising is not going to get improved low draws or hands that have already qualified for

the low to drop, such action on your part will build up the pot, which is exactly what you

want to do. Make it as expensive as you can for the lows as you are essentially

guaranteed half of the pot.

To briefly summarize play of monster high hands on Fifth Street, remember: the

best situation to be in is to be up against two or more players that are going high. Do what

you can by being aggressive when low hands are involved, but do not get yourself heads-

up against a low draw or potentially-made low hand as the end result of such action will

be a small pot split.

Quick tips for play of monster high hands on Fifth Street:

RAISE or BET when you believe doing so will eliminate hands going low but

not eliminate hands that are going high. The best situation is to be up against

two or more hands going high so the winner will scoop the pot. You also want

to raise when it looks like several players who are on low draws or who have

made low draws will stay involved in the pot. If you cant get up against highs,

you want to build up the pot so the half you do win will still be sizeable.

CALL when you are up against only high hands. When its just you against the

other highs, you want to slow-play your hand in hopes opponents will hit hands

they believe will be good enough to win them the high.

Monster Lows

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 Monster low hands are better than monster high hands in that they have a better

potential to scoop. The best low hand you can get in stud 8 is the wheel, an ace-to-five

straight that is a lock for the low half of the pot and very often scoops the entire pot.

Other hands that are unbeatable are, of course, any low hand that is free-rolling. A six-

low is not unbeatable, and nearly every stud 8 player has a bad beat story of a six-low

being cracked by a wheel, but it is nearly unbeatable and is a hand that will always be

played to the river. As with the unbeatable high hands, the goal with low hands is to build

up the pot as big as you can get it so you will extract the most money from your

opponents. When playing a low hand that is a monster, you will need to adjust your play

based on what your opponents are holding. While you do not want to be heads-up against

a high, when that happens it is not as bad as when you are heads-up with a monster high

hand against a low as your potential to scoop the pot is greater.

Setting a Trap

When you hold a high hand that is a monster, you want to eliminate opponents

that are going low so you will scoop the pot. When holding a low hand that is a monster,

you want as many people involved in the pot as possible who are going low because you

have a lock or virtual lock on half of the pot, and have a very good chance to scoop. That

being the case, why eliminate any low? Its better to have your opponents make hands

and have the pot get huge as your chances of winning are great, so slow-play the hand by

betting it if you believe you will get two or more callers, but do not raise with it unless

you will get a lot of calls even if you raise, such as when there are two or three players

with three low cards showing.

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 While you do not want to eliminate lows, that does not mean you can never bet

your hand. Suppose an open pair of kings bets. He is probably on trips and trying to

protect his hand. You are next to act, and see two players going low who appear to have

improved, having boards of 236 and A47. Here, if the opponents were loose, go ahead

and raise, especially if one or both of your opponents have two suited cards. They are on

high-quality low draws, and it will be very difficult for them to get away from these

hands. However, if they were tight players, you would want to call as the raise might

eliminate one of them which you do not want to have happen.

Another situation when you need to raise or bet is when you are up against highs.

The more the merrier going high, so do what you can to build up the pot as you have a

lock on winning the low and a good chance to scoop.

Finally, you can bet your hand if you are first to act and it looks like several

players have improved their hands. Suppose you have made a wheel and had the high

hand on the board with the ace. Yet to act are two players showing three low cards and a

player with two low cards to a wheel and also with two of his three cards suited. Here, bet

as your opponents will call you.

Raising with the 6-low

Another situation where you must raise with a monster low hand is if you hold

A3456 or A2456 and you believe doing so will get you involved against other low draws

and get high hands out of the way. These hands are gems for the low and virtually

unbeatable, but the potential to scoop is reduced as they are both draws to inside

straights. Therefore, you want to get involved against other lows, so need to play the hand

aggressively by betting or raising anytime you think that doing so has a chance of

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eliminating high hands who may be tempted to stick around with their two pair or big

pair.

Eliminating Highs

While you want many low hands involved, there are times when you should go

ahead and raise or bet in an attempt to eliminate high hands. One instance, when you

have a non-straight six low, has already been covered. But, even when you have a wheel

or six-high straight, situations arise where a bet or raise is the best move. This is any time

an opponent has an open pair or is on a flush draw. As you already know, an open pair is

a strong indicator of trips, which can turn into a full house. As a result, you need to do

what you can to eliminate them so they do not hit their hand and end up splitting the pot

with you. Cutting them out of the picture increases your chances of scooping the pot.

Eliminating highs is a good move, but you do not want do this when it will get

you heads-up against the high. That means raising when you think low draws will stay

involved for two bets, but just calling if you think the raise will narrow the field.

Returning to the example of kings on the board, if the player bets and you raise but yet to

act are a 68Q, 48T and 39J, a raise may very well eliminate all of these players as none of

them has a lock on the low yet, and as such is not married to the hand. So here, just call to

keep them involved and take your chances on scooping. In a $4/8 game, a raise might get

you another $8 from the kings, but you have a better shot at the pot if you just call as the

players with two low cards showing are likely to call, especially if two of their cards are

suited.

To summarize, you are a lock for at least half of the pot so do what you can to

maximize the amount of money you will win. Eliminate highs that look like they might

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outdraw you but not when you think it will get you heads up against the high. When up

against lows, allow them to stay in on the cheap so they can make their hands which will

be beat by your hand.

Quick tips for play of monster lows:

RAISE or BET when you can eliminate players going high, as you do not

want to split the pot

CALL when up against lows as you want to keep them involved and build

up the pot.

Made Lows

Whenever you make a hand that qualifies for the low on Fifth Street, you are in

great position. This is because even if your low is not of the best quality, you still have

two cards that can improve your situation and you also have time to improve to a hand

that will win the high half of the pot.

The best lows are, of course, the wheel, and any hand that has other outs, such as

a four-straight or four-flush. The presence of an ace also improves your hand. How you

play this hand is determined by what your opponents are holding and what your chances

for improvement are. Obviously, if you hold a 34678 low with only two cards of the same

suit, you become very vulnerable and may have to get away from the hand if there are

better low hands and a lot of action. The same hand becomes gold when you are up

against players who are only going high. Based on the situation you are in, you will either

be folding, trying to see Sixth Street cheaply in hopes of improvement, and even getting

away from the hand if it is of too poor quality to proceed. Other times you will be raising

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with the hand in hopes of eliminating low draws that could edge you out for the low half

of the pot.

Betting & Jamming

As you know, the best situation to be in when holding a low is when you have

locked up the low half of the pot and are free-rolling. Then you can be on cruise control

to the river. However, many times that is not the case, as you will still have other players

who are drawing to lows. If your low is of poor quality, you must try to eliminate other

players who are on low draws too.

The best way to do that is when your opponents who are going low have limped

in to see Fifth Street after catching a bad card on Fourth Street and have caught another

bad card. The last thing you want to do is to give them a free card, because there is still a

chance they could catch two running low cards and hit a better low than you have.

Because of this, you must bet or raise with your hand if you believe it will eliminate a

low draw. For instance, suppose a player showing Jd Js 8d was the high hand on the

board, and he bets. Next to act, holding 2c 4d 5d 6h 8c, you look to your left to see three

players holding 4s 9c Kd, 6s 8s Qd and Th Tc 9d. Raise. Your raise has a good chance to

eliminate both players going low, as you are already showing three low cards on the

board.

When your low is weaker, and especially when it has fewer outs, you must do

what you can to eliminate other draws to the low. If you just check and call in hopes of

improving or in hopes that your hand will hold up, what may very well happen is the

other low draws will improve to their hands and you will have called two more bets on

Sixth and Seventh Streets and lose a pot you could have won.

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 To illustrate an example of the importance of eliminating other low draws, look at

how your hand does in a reduced field. As the example will show, the fewer players

remaining who can outdraw you to a better low, the better.

Returning to the earlier example of where you hold 2c 4d 5d 6h 8c, you are

clearly in a better way if you can eliminate the players going low. Take this scenario. First

to act is a pair of jacks, who bets big. Well assume hes holding three of a kind, and has a

hand of 7c Js Jd Jh 9d . Also involved are a player who has 2s 6d 4s 9c Kd, a player with

a mediocre low draw of 2d 4c 6s 8s Qh, and a player with trip tens holding 9s Th Td Tc

3s. You will win the low half of the pot 61% of the time (hardly a lock!), win the high

half of the pot 14% of the time and scoop 11% of the time. If you were to just call with

the low you have, there is a greater chance that everyone will stay involved in the hand,

especially if the game is loose. But if you raise, you put pressure on the other hands and

increase the likelihood that the four-low and three-low/flush will fold. If you get the

three-low/flush out of the picture, your odds of winning the low increase slightly to 70%

and your expected value becomes 44%. If both the three-low/flush and four-low were to

fold, then you lock up the low and your expected value rises to 58%. With three low

cards showing on the board, you can intimidate your opponents so play your low hand

for what it is worth and be aggressive with it. The fact that the betting limits have

increased also benefits you on Fifth Street, in that if the low draws want to stay involved,

it will now cost them more to stick around. Having to call two bets with a marginal low

draw and a three-low/three-flush will make even the loosest of players think twice, so put

the pressure on them.

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 Limping and Folding

Though you want to put pressure on low draws to protect your low hand, there are

times when you want to limp with the hand to see Sixth Street. This occurs when two or

more players have caught hands giving them three cards to a low that may be better than

yours. The situation becomes more troubling with the presence of two or three suited

cards as they could also be drawing to a good high hand as well. Raising and betting into

these hands is not going to eliminate them, so just check to them and fold if you do not

have a four-flush, four-straight or ace to go along with your low hand.

Folding is very difficult when you have made your low hand. You have a good

hand, there are still two cards to come meaning you may improve your hand, so why on

earth lay it down? Of course you would not do so if just one other low hand is involved

and his board does not look threatening and you have several high hands involved. But,

you must do so when several players have improved possibly making their low hands that

are better than yours. Not folding will cost you a lot of money when other players have

made solid low hands. Returning to the example of 2c 4d 5d 6h 8c, suppose the high hand

of 7c Js Jd Jh 9d bet and yet to act were three players. One holds 9s Kd 3c 4s 6d, another

holds 9h Td Ad 5s 7s and the other Qc 4c 8s Tc Ac. Here, your expected value is 48% and

you will win the low half of the pot 82% of the time but only scoop 13% of the time. You

are a favorite to win the low, but the scooping probability is low. If one of the opponents

had in fact made a low, the numbers become much worse suppose the player with the

346 had made a 6 low and the hole cards were Ah and 2s. Now, your expected value falls

to 7% and you will win the low half of the pot 33% of the time. As far as scooping goes,

that will only happen about 1% of the time. With odds like that, if you believe a player

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has made his hand and it is better than yours, do you really want to keep tossing chips

into the pot in hopes you will win just half of it?

Whenever you have doubts about what you may be up against, proceed with

caution. Sometimes, you will raise or bet to get information. Here, that is less effective as

the actions of your opponents will give you the information that you need. If a player has

in fact made a hand or has a great drawing hand, he will bet it. If you hold an eight-low

that has no four-flush, four-straight or ace to go along with it, and more than two low

hands on the board look to have made or have a strong potential to hit a hand better than

yours, dump the hand if one of the lows bet or raise because it will get you in trouble.

With a three-flush, three-straight or when holding an ace, you can go ahead and see Sixth

Street if you can do so for one bet but when the fireworks start and players begin to

raise, get out of the way, as this means that hands have been made and you are the

underdog.

Position

Late position is most beneficial when you hold a made-low hand and there are

several low hands showing on the board. This is because you will have a better idea of

what they are holding by the time the action gets to you, so you can feel more

comfortable staying involved or getting out of the way. For instance, with a marginal low

hand, you could stay for a bet if the field is not large with many lows showing or if it

looks like you are up against highs. While in early position you can make a call of one bet

from a player going high even with several threatening hands to act (you do not want to

fold before the other players have acted, as they might not have made their hands) you

would still rather do so in late position, so if one of the lows has raised, you can get out of

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the way (unless the raise were from a low that did not appear to be better than you). If

you call in early or middle position and a better looking low hand raises, dump the hand

do not feel you need to stay in because you have already put money in the pot.

To summarize, when you have made a low hand on Fifth Street, you are often in

good position to come out with at least half of the pot, but many times may be up against

a better low hand. You cant automatically call or raise every time the action comes to

you. Carefully assess your hand and what your opponents hold. Is it a good low (seven or

lower)? Does it have flush or straight possibilities? Was there a bet or raise from a three-

low that might have you beat? The basic rule to remember is to raise when you believe

you are up against highs or you can narrow the field of low draws, and to proceed with

caution against players who may have locked up their low hands to a better low than you.

When the board looks threatening with players holding three small cards that are suited or

in sequence, check and call up to one bet and get out of the way when it gets expensive

and your low hand is marginal.

Quick tips for plays of low-qualifying hands on Fifth Street:

RAISE when you are up against high hands and you believe that your raise

will not result in you being heads-up against the high. You also want to raise if

it looks like opponents who are going low have caught a bad card, especially if

there are two high cards showing, as you do not want a low draw to catch good

cards on Sixth and Seventh streets and outdraw you.

CALL up to one bet if you are not certain that you are the best hand. An

example is when an open pair bets, and yet to act are several players with

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 three-lows showing. They may have improved to something solid, and if they

have they will raise and when it is time for you to act again you can fold and

get away from the hand.

FOLD when the action gets heavy and you do not have other outs for your low.

While you can usually call a single bet with a low, when you have a three-low

raising and that three-low represents a hand that is better than your low, you

need to release your hand unless you have a four-flush, four straight, or an ace.

Flushes

Whenever you have a flush, you rarely will lay down the hand before the river.

Flushes are a great hand in stud 8, because players going low are more likely to hit a

straight then a flush. Unlike in regular 7-stud, where you often have players with pairs

and two pair stick around and hit a boat on the river, the inability of such hands to scoop

makes it more difficult for such hands to stay past Fifth Street. Therefore, flushes tend to

hold up for the high half of the pot more often in stud 8 than they do in regular 7-card

stud (though of course in a regular stud game a flush is still a very good hand that wins

most of the pots it is involved in).

Some players like to set traps with a flush by checking and calling. While you will

do this with a monster hand, flushes are not so good that you should play them slowly.

That means that you will be doing a lot of betting and raising with the hand, only slowing

it down when you are re-raised by hands going high by just calling a re-raise and not

making it another bet to go.

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 Narrowing the Field

When you hold a flush with no low qualifier, you want to either win the entire pot

right there or reduce the field, especially if you can eliminate high hands that have a

chance to outdraw you. The best way to do that is to bet into a high hand that checks to

you or raise a high hand in hopes that he will fold. Narrowing the field of low draws also

benefits you, especially if it looks like your chances of hitting a low hand to go along

with your flush are small.

To illustrate the example of the benefits of narrowing the field, lets suppose you

hold a heart flush of 3h 6h 9h Qh Kh. An open pair of jacks is first to act. While he may

very well have trips, lets suppose that he is trying to protect two pair and holds Th Tc 8s

Js Jc. Calling are a player who holds 3c 4c 6d 7d 9s, a player holding Ah 2d Ad 9c Kc

and a player holding Ts 2c 3d 4d 8c. Here, raise and make the jacks call another bet or

eliminate a low draw. With the crowded pot, you are still in relatively good shape as your

expected value is 43% and you will win the high half of the pot 75% of the time and

scoop 10% of the time. But, suppose your raise eliminates the two pair. Now your

expected value for the hand jumps to 54%, the likelihood of you winning the high half of

the pot jumps to a virtual lock at 96% and the chances of you scooping improve to 12%.

If you also get the 84 low draw to drop, your expected value jumps to 70% and you will

scoop 37% of the time. Even if the player with jacks showing had in fact made trips, a

flush is still a favorite over trips so a call from the jacks would be fine. If the jacks re-

raised, you call because of the amount of money you had put in the pot unless you were

absolutely certain that he had made a full house.

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 Slow-playing

Most of the time you will be playing this hand for what it is a very good high

hand that has a potential to scoop if there is no hand that qualifies for the low or if it has

three or four to the low to go with the flush meaning youll be betting and raising, but

there are a few exceptions to the rule to playing this hand fast.

Instances where you can check or just call a high hand that has bet is when you

have four cards to a wheel or six-low to go with your flush. When you have made the

flush and have four cards to a great low such as this, go ahead and gamble a bit and keep

people involved because you have a good potential to scoop with the hand. Keeping

people involved helps the pot to be built up.

A Tough Lay Down

Folding a flush is a rarity, but a situation in which a fold is a safe play is when you

face open trips. Open trips, especially if they are high, mean quads or a boat. If you are

going for the entire pot, continue to call (a raise of trips is highly unlikely) and hope for

the best, but if going for half of the pot only, fold. You should also fold if you raise a pair

that bets and he re-raises you in a pot that looks to be split he may be trying to bluff, but

with a pair showing he may have filled up. Obviously do not fold if you have a low or

four to the low, but if the flush is only playing for half of the pot, fold if you smell a boat.

The bottom line: most of the time this is a hand you will play fast. Flushes are

fantastic and many times win the high half of the pot, but they key word is half. While

they are not as likely to get beat by high hands who are sticking around to the river, they

need to be played fast because you want fewer people involved that includes high hands

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such as big pairs and two pairs that may be tempted to stay in for just a bet and low

draws. When you do not hold four to the low to go with your flush, your hand is still

strong but the odds to scoop the pot are greatly reduced. Hopefully by now youve

realized that the key to success at stud 8 is scooping the pot the way to make that

happen with a flush that has dim prospects of hitting the low is to play the hand fast.

Quick tips for play of flushes on Fifth Street:

RAISE or BET frequently. A flush is a fantastic hand, but a smaller field is

better because it increases the chances for the flush to scoop the pot.

CALL if you have a flush that has four cards to a good low or has already five

cards to the low. If youve qualified for a low and have a great high already,

you have a good chance to scoop the pot so want more players involved to

build up the pot. With four cards to a wheel or six-low, you also want players

involved as your potential to scoop is great so you can afford to gamble with

the hand.

FOLD rarely, as a flush is a great hand. Even if there are many low hands

staying involved in the pot, they are not likely to hit a high hand that would

beat your flush but be more likely to hit a straight. The only time you want to

fold is if you have a strong belief that you are already beaten by a player

holding a full house, such as when open trips bet or an open pair re-raises your

raise. Such situations are very rare though as this is a hand you will be playing

to the river 95% of the time.

Full Houses

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 Full houses are a great hand in any poker game, but unfortunately in stud 8, they

are not quite as good as flushes that have three or four cards to the low to go along with

the flush. This is because once you have made a full house, your chances of qualifying

for the low half of the pot are gone. Therefore, you need to do all that you can to get up

against other high hands.

Get Rid of the Lows

Because you have essentially locked up half of the pot with a boat, you will be

betting and raising with this hand in an effort to get you involved against the high hands

so you can scoop the pot. That means anytime you see an opponent who catches a nine

through a king who appears to be going low, you bet into him or raise him to make it

costly if he wants to continue on his draw. Also go ahead and bet and raise when there are

three low cards showing while that is not likely to get the opponent to fold, you never

know what his two other cards may be and he might fold, but more than likely will just

call. This is okay too, as it will help to build up the pot to make the half that you are set

up to win larger. Even if its impossible to eliminate lows (such as when you have several

players with three low cards showing) you do not want to play the hand passively, as only

one low hand is going to split the pot with you, so build it up. While it is better to be up

against high hands when you are free-rolling, having a fantastic high hand against players

going low is okay as well as there really is no way that you can lose with your boat.

Banging Away & Slow-playing

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 You want to eliminate hands that are going low when you hold a full house, but

how about when the only players left are those going high? Then how you play the hand

will be determined by what your opponents hold. If your full house is small, such as fives

full, and your opponent is holding a pair of nines and bets, then you raise him and call if

re-raised (and check and call to him until the river unless you improve to quads).

However, if you held a big full house, check and call with it, then bet on Sixth Street,

especially if an opponent is holding a pair that could be indicative of a smaller full house

than the one you hold. In this situation, you are hoping that your opponent also hits a full

house (or better yet already has one) so you will extract more money from him.

The bottom line is that when you have a full house you have a huge hand, and it is

rare that you will lay a boat down. Every stud player can share a bad beat story about the

time they had their tens full beat by a player who rivered the last card in the deck for a

bigger boat, but nine times out of ten a full house will win you at least half of the pot. If

you smell another boat that is bigger and are only going for half of the pot (open big trips

are an example) you can lay it down. But be prepared to play aggressively with this hand

with the knowledge that full houses are very powerful and being they cant qualify for

both high and low you want to do all you can to narrow the field and eliminate the other

hands going low.

Quick tips for play of full houses on Fifth Street:

RAISE or BET with this hand most of the time. Full houses are powerhouse

hands but you cant qualify for the low half of the pot with them. Therefore,

you need to play them aggressively to drive players going low out of the pot.

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 CALL when you are trying to set a trap for your opponent(s). You would do

this when you have a big full house, and another opponent has made an open

pair that would make your opponent have, at best, a full house that is smaller

than your full house. You want to keep this player involved in the pot along

with other players who may also be going high in hopes they make their hands

so as to increase your payoff. Never just call if looks like doing so will keep

draws to the low involved, as you want to do all you can to scoop and not split

the pot.

FOLD rarely due to the strength of this hand. The only time folding is

acceptable is when the pot is small and you believe you are up against a bigger

boat and are only going for half of the pot. This happens when there are open

trips representing a full house better than yours or possible quads.

Straights

Straights that qualify as monster hands have already been covered these include

the wheel, which is unbeatable, and the deuce-to-six straight. Any other time you hit a

low straight you are in a good situation, as you have a potential to scoop the pot. Making

a low straight on Fifth Street is fantastic, because you still have two more cards to come

that could make your hand even more powerful. High straights are less desirable because

while they will edge out lower straights, the potential to scoop the pot is reduced.

When you make a straight that is not a gem, you want to play the hand

aggressively and try to drive out both hands that are drawing to the high and the low. You

still have two cards to come that may improve your low draw, but if its not a five- or six-

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high straight, you become very vulnerable to hands that are going low. Of course, the best

way to eliminate the lows is to play your hand aggressively when it looks as if your

opponents going low have caught bad cards. Even a four-low will have a hard time

calling a full bet if it is not a quality low draw. Do not let him stick around so he can

outdraw you.

As an example of why you want to eliminate players, take a look at this scenario.

You have an eight-high straight, 4c 5c 6s 7s 8d and are in middle position. There are four

other players involved in the pot, two are going high and two are going low. The player

going high has two pair, with a hand of Td Ts Qd Qs Ks. Also involved is a four-flush

with an inside-straight draw, holding 9c Jc Tc 2c Kd. The opponents going low hold 3s 4d

6d 8h 9s and As 2s 5d 7d Th. With all of the players involved, you are not in as good

shape as you might think, as your expected value for the hand is 37% you will win the

high half of the pot 38% of the time, the low half of the pot 38% of the time and scoop

14% of the time. Note that none of the players involved has even qualified for the low

half of the pot yet! But, suppose you can eliminate some of the players. The two pair is

the high hand on the board, so you would like to act as close to the two pair as possible so

other players involved will be forced to call two bets to stay involved. If the queens up

bets and you raise and eliminate the 86 low draw, your expected value jumps to 45%.

Your odds for winning the high half of the pot stay at 38%, but your odds of winning the

low half of the pot jump to 52% and the chances of you scooping improve to 20%. If you

are fortunate enough to cause the four-flush to drop as well, your expected value jumps to

65%, your chances of winning the high half of the pot skyrocket to 79%, and your

chances of scooping improve to 41%. (Your odds for winning with the best low hand stay

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the same at 52%). As you can see, while you have a good hand, the more crowded the

field is the worse off you are. This is why you have to be aggressive by betting and

raising with your straights. Even if you cant eliminate hands that you suspect are going

low, you want them to pay to stick around to increase your potential payoff.

Tough Folds

Situations are rare when you will fold with a straight, but they do arise. This is

when your straight is only going in one direction, such as if you limped with 9TJ and

caught an eight and a queen to make your straight, and you think you are up against a full

house or better. The problem with this hand is that it has no chance of qualifying for the

low half of the pot. Of course, usually you will be playing this hand aggressively to try to

drive out the other players, especially those who going low and caught a bad card as you

do not want to split the pot. But, what if a player has made open trips? Ouch. If you are

going low, open trips do not bother you all that much, because the threat they pose to take

the entire pot is minimal. With a big straight however, you have to think long and hard

about even calling. A straight at this stage is a favorite against trips at 67% to 32% - so if

you believe that your opponent just has trips go ahead and call if you are playing for the

entire pot. (Nearly anyone would bet with open trips so you would more than likely have

to call anyway). But if the pot looks to be split, you need to get out of the way, as the

more low hands that are involved the weaker your position becomes. If you were heads-

up against the trips, you would call to the river and hope for the best as you have the best

of it if trips is all he has, but if more than two players going low stay involved, fold your

hand if its not a low draw as well and low hands start raising. You are still a favorite if all

the trips have are trips, but taking the chance that your opponent does not have a full

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house when low hands begin banging away is an expensive proposition for just half of

the pot.

While folding when trips bet and low hands are staying involved is debatable, one

situation where you can feel more at ease in laying down your straight is when a player

who looks to be going high raises into trips or a pair raises into another pair in a pot that

looks to be split, especially if one or both of the pairs are bigger than an eight. This

occurs when trips bet and an open pair (usually representing a bigger hand than the trips)

raises. Here, if you held a high straight with no low chances, you are still a favorite as

your straight has the edge assuming both players have trips. But at least one probably has

more than trips. Up against two players who both have trips, (assuming they have no

chance at the low) you would have the edge, as 44% of the time you would scoop the pot.

That being said, its too dangerous to play for just half of the pot on a hunch your straight

is good. Were one of the players to have a full house, you would be drawing dead. If

someone raises open trips, it is a good indicator that the player has made a full house, so

do not hesitate to lay down your hand.

Briefly summarizing play of straights, the best ones are those that make a straight

of eight or less which is obvious because they already can qualify for the low. Higher

straights have value as well, and are a favorite over a player drawing to make a full house

or a flush. That being said, they are a hand that is very vulnerable; this is why many

players in regular 7-stud lay down any small or medium three cards in a sequence. If your

straight is not low, you want to have other chances for improvement, such as three or four

suited cards, or three or four low cards to go along with it so you can back into other

hands too. You must also remember that this is no longer a drawing hand it is a made

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hand, and you need to ask yourself if you can win the hand without improvement.

Straights that do not qualify for the low must be played aggressively, especially when you

are up against players who are drawing to the low. Do what you can to eliminate them

along with the other high draws so you do not end up losing a stack by the river.

Quick tips for play of straights:

RAISE most of the time. Straights are good, but if they are not a fantastic

straight like a wheel or six-high straight, they become very vulnerable to being

outdrawn for the low and the high. They need to be played aggressively you

especially want to do all you can to eliminate low draws when you are only

going in one direction with your straight.

CALL rarely. The only instance you would want to call is if you had bet and

been raised by an open pair of aces, trips, or three wheel cards in which case

you would call and not re-raise as long as you are playing for the entire pot.

FOLD when you think you are beat for the high and have little or no chance

for the low. If you are still drawing to a good low or have other outs such as a

four-flush, you do not want to fold. If your straight is only going for the high,

fold if you have a very strong belief that you are beaten, such as if a player

with trips showing as raised by an open pair that is a good indicator of a full

house. You may consider laying down your straight on Sixth Street based on

how the betting goes, but a straight is a solid hand and you should be very

certain you are beaten before you lay down the hand, especially if you think

you can scoop when there are few low hands involved.

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 Trips

Trips on Fifth Street are a very solid hand as they still have a chance to improve to

a better hand and can frequently win without improvement. Of course the best trips are

those that still have a chance to improve to a low-qualifying hand. These hands include

trip aces (obviously the best situation to be in) with two small kickers or any three-of-a-

kind deuces through eights that have two small kickers with them. Other situations that

enhance the quality of your trips include the presence of a three-flush or three-straight

(obviously a three-straight to the low is preferable).

Play Em Fast

Just as with flushes and straights that are only going one way, trips need to be

played fast, because while they can improve, the odds are that the hand before you will be

just about as good as it gets. At best you still need two cards to a low, flush or straight,

and the odds of you hitting a full house are against you as well. Because of this, you can

not sit back and set a trap or passively play your hand hoping it will improve when you

can then play it fast you need to do what you can to protect this hand now, narrowing

the field.

Hands going low are hands that threaten you because with trips, the odds are

against you that you will hit a low hand. Of course, there will be many situations where

you have trips but now have no chance for hitting a low-qualifying hand. Because of this,

you need to do what you can to eliminate low hands. If players have limped in to see

Fifth Street after catching a bad card on Fourth Street, obviously the best move is to bet

or raise into this player if he is yet to act. This also goes for players who have two low

cards showing but caught a bad card on Fifth Street, unless all three of the up cards are

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suited with their two-low. In that case, they may have been on a flush draw as well so you

do not want to bet or raise into them as you could expect a bet if you check to them or a

raise if you bet. Other than that, if a player who had two low cards showing on Fourth

Street now catches a paint card, bet or raise he may very well have a four-low but with

the higher limits kicking in at Fifth Street, your bet or raise may get him to fold.

Obviously your bet or raise will be most effective if you have three low cards showing.

Then he may suspect you have made a better low than he has or is drawing to, and fold.

One instance in which it may be tempting for you to just call rather than raise is

when a player has a big open pair that could represent a bigger three-of-a-kind than you

have. As you know by now, calling is frequently a bad move because it does not give you

the information you need to play your hand right. If an open pair has bet, raise if it has

not already been raised by the time the action gets to you if the player has made a

bigger set of trips than you, you will find out quickly enough because you will be re-

raised. If you are first to act, bet into the pair and if he raises, you can fold.

Folding

You are not going to be doing much folding when you are fortunate enough to

have three-of-a-kind, because such a hand as this puts you in great shape to win at least

half of the pot. However, your hand is not as strong as it would be were you playing in a

regular 7-card stud game because your potential to scoop the pot is either greatly or

completely reduced at this stage in the game. Therefore, consider laying down your trips

under some situations.

Whenever there is a lot of heavy action from three low cards in sequence or three

suited low cards, consider laying down your hand. This does NOT mean that you will lay

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down trips anytime there is a bet from a potential low flush or low straight showing. But,

when the action gets very heavy, you need to ask yourself what the chances are that the

player has made a flush or a straight. Flushes and straights are made hands and beat trips

you still need to improve to beat them. While calling in a regular 7-card stud game

would be correct as you are getting great implied odds on your hand if it improves to a

full house, when you are only playing for half of the pot the odds do not justify you

calling if you have a strong hunch that you are behind. Heavy action in a multi-way pot

from hands that look to have a high that, if made, beats your trips is an indicator that you

may be behind, and its best to err on the side of caution and make the tough lay down

unless its impossible for anyone to qualify for the low.

Another factor to consider when folding is how many people are involved in the

pot. The more callers the bettor or raiser gets, the more apt you should be to fold trips.

Again, this does not mean folding when it is just one bet to stay involved (then you are

raising). But if its two bets or more to you to stay involved, assess your situation

carefully who did the raise come from? If it came from a hand that looks to be going

high and looks as if he may have already hit his flush or straight, make that tough lay

down. Remember: when going high you want to be close to 100% certain that you have

the best hand because you are only playing for half of the pot.

Finally, it probably does not have to be mentioned because it is so obvious, but do

not even think of calling your trips if another player has made open trips that are bigger

than your hand! This play is pretty obvious, but believe it or not some players delude

themselves into calling thinking they payoff could be huge if they hit four-of-a-kind or

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make a full house and their opponent does not. Calling into an open three-of-a-kind that

is higher than yours is a sure way to lose money.

Calling

You will not be doing much calling with trips. As it has already been stated, this is

usually the worst option to you because you get no information and do not eliminate any

opponents calling is done when you are on a draw, not when you have made a hand.

But, this does not mean you can never call.

Instances where you can call are after you have raised and you have been re-

raised and are playing for the entire pot or have three cards to the wheel. This includes

when you raised a player who bet with a hand that could represent trips smaller than you

hold or if a potential flush or straight that looks to be going high has bet already odds

are if going high they have already made their hand if they are betting it, so just call.

Calling is also a justifiable move when you are in late position and you have had three or

more people stay involved who look to have strong hands, and the game you are in is

relatively loose. Certainly if the game were tight, you would want to raise to protect your

hand. But once loose players have put money in the pot and they have a hand, it is very

difficult to get them to fold. Raise if you have a strong belief that you are the favorite, but

if you are not entirely sure and believe the other players who are still involved may have

made a high hand that beats your trips, you can call and see how they act on Sixth Street

when you can then raise or fold.

Briefly summarizing play of trips, you will be playing this hand very much in the

same way that you will play high straights and flushes aggressively. Trips are one of

those hands that are good but not great. They are strong because they frequently win the

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high half of the pot without improvement, and they still can improve to a full house. The

problem with them though is they can also get you into trouble as your chances of hitting

a hand that would get you the low half of the pot are either completely gone or greatly

reduced. Because of that, when you suspect you are behind in the hand against a player

who has made a high hand such as a straight or a flush, raise into him if it is just one bet

but fold if the potential straight or flush has raised unless you are playing for the entire

pot. Calling is usually the worst decision that you can make, but you can call if you have

been re-raised once you have raised if you arent sure whether or not you are beat and are

playing for the entire pot. Calling can also be done from late position in a multi-way pot

when you are not sure whether or not your trips are the best high hand and you believe a

raise would not eliminate any of your opponents.

Quick tips for play of trips on Fifth Street:

RAISE or BET frequently. Trips are a good hand that wins many pots, but are

not as strong of a hand in a split-pot game because many times they have no

chance to hit the low half of the pot and even when there still is a chance to

qualify for the low half of the pot the odds are against it happening. Raising

protects this hand because it narrows the field. Ideally, get heads up or against

other players going high as well who you feel have hands weaker than you,

such as two pair or a lower three-of-a-kind.

CALL rarely. The only times you would call would be if you have been re-

raised from someone with an open pair bigger than you have, or by three suited

cards or three cards in sequence then you would call rather than raise it up

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 again as long as you are playing for the entire pot. You can also call in loose-

passive games where raises will not eliminate players or get you information.

FOLD when you believe you are not the best high hand and the pot looks to be

split. Obviously, this includes folding anytime there is an open three-of-a-kind

that is higher than your trips. Other situations where you need to fold include

when you have bet and are looking at having to call two more bets (a raise and

re-raise) when the action comes back to you if the heavy action has come from

probable high hands that would beat you (a bigger open pair, three-flush or

three-straight).

Four-Lows

The decision between calling and folding when you hold four cards to a hand that

would qualify for the low if made comes down to: 1) The quality of your low draw, 2)

what your other options are for drawing to a high hand and 3) What the other players

involved in the pot may be drawing to. Four-lows on Fifth Street are frequently playable,

and you may be in great shape with your four-low to the point where you can consider a

semi-bluff raise with your hand. Other times, you need to proceed carefully with your

low drawing hand because your prospects of hitting a high hand that will win you the

high half of the pot or scooping are dim, and other opponents may have made or be

drawing to hands that would beat your low hand. With a four-low you want it to be of

good quality and be up against other players who are drawing to weaker lows then you.

The bottom line with a four-low is that you have the makings of what can be a

great hand, good hand, or hand that will get you into a lot of trouble. This section takes a

look at the times when you need to get away from the hand, the times when you can call

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with the hand, and those times when you can raise with the hand. Technically speaking,

you cant really call a four-low a hand but rather a potential hand. The majority of

the time, you will be playing this hand and hoping to hit something with it but you need

to know how to play it right.

Good Low Draws vs. Junk

A key to making money with your low draw verses throwing money away is

knowing when you have a decent low draw verses a low draw that will just get you into

trouble. For instance, if you have 4783Q, you have a very bad hand unless four of your

cards are also suited because you are drawing to a poor low. Stay if up against other

players going high with no more than one low card showing, but if there were players

still involved who looked to be going low as well you must get away from the hand even

if it is just one bet. So, if you held the above hand and a big pair bet and was called by

any good-looking low draw, fold because you are only going in one direction.

When you have a middle-of-the road type hand such as a draw to a seven-low

with no ace, or a marginal four-low with a small pair, three-straight or three-flush, you

can call one bet. However, you do not want to call more than that unless the raise came

from a maniac who would raise with anything or from a player you knew to bluff

frequently or from a high hand. If all you have is a three-flush or small pair with your low

draw, you want to limp to see Sixth Street on the cheap. A raise from a player who looks

to be going low indicates a player is on a better draw than you or has already made a low

hand, so you need to get out of the way. You can also drop your hand even if it is just one

bet and the bet came from an ominous-looking potential low hand, such as three suited

low cards or three low cards in sequence. Hands like these are very dangerous and need

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to be avoided. Simply because you have four low cards does not mean you will make a

low hand by the river and even if you do it might not hold up, so when a low hand bets

or raises pause and ask yourself is my opponent on a hand or on a better draw than me?

If the answer is yes, dump the hand and save yourself some money.

At times, you will be in great shape with your low draw because you have a

realistic chance of hitting a good high hand as well or are drawing to a phenomenal low

such as when you have four low cards that are six or less. In situations like this, call up to

two bets and you can even call beyond that if the action is coming from high hands. Four-

lows that are of excellent quality include those that also have four to the flush or straight,

a pair of aces, and any low draw that contains four cards six or less. With hands like

these, you will be headed to the river and hoping they improve into something really big.

So be prepared to win a lot of money, but know that there still is a chance that you will

not make a high or low hand and this hand might cost you a stack.

Betting & Raising

Holding four cards to the low means you have nothing, but rather a potential for a

hand to turn into something. So, why would you consider a raise if you only have four

low cards? The answer is because situations arise where you are in great shape to

improve to a hand that would be a monster, so you want to build up the pot. At times it is

also desirable to eliminate hands that are going high so you bet or raise into a hand you

believe is a mediocre high hand such as a small two pair or single big pair other than aces

because that increases your chances of scooping the pot.

Raising situations involve instances when the bet has come from a three-low that

looks to be on a hand that is worse off than the hand you are drawing to. For instance,

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suppose you hold 5c 2d 3c 4c 9c. A player holding Js Jc 8d bets, and a player with a

board of 4h 5s 8c calls and the action is to you. Yet to act is a player holding 4d 9h Ts.

Here you could raise the low hand who raised is likely to just call because you will

have two wheel cards and two suited cards showing. If the raise eliminates other players

and you get heads-up against the low hand, that is okay as while he may have you beat at

this stage you are getting very good implied odds on the hand. If other players stay

involved, that is also okay with you as this would build up the pot and you have a very

good potential to scoop.

You also want to raise or bet if you think you can eliminate hands that are going

high, especially if you are drawing to a fantastic low but have smaller chances of hitting

the high. For instance, suppose you held Ah 2h 4h 5d Kd. The first player to act is

showing a pair of tens with a nine well give him two pair, tens and nines, with a hand

of 8s 9c Tc Th 9s. A third player behind you is showing 4s 6h Jd and actually holds four

to the low (2s 8c are his hole cards), and a fourth player has an open pair of queens who

holds two queens with three to a low hand. (3d 6d 8h Qd Qh is his actual hand). With

everyone involved, your expected value for the hand is 36%. You will scoop about 14%

of the time, win the low half of the pot 51% of the time and win the high half of the pot

20% of the time. The queens would be first to act, and if he bets you could raise if you

think that action would eliminate both the two pair and the queens. If your raise

eliminates one of the high hands, your odds do not improve greatly, but if your raise

eliminates both the two pair and the queens with the three-low, your expected value

jumps to 66%, your chances of scooping improve to 45%, you become a 72% favorite to

win the high half of the pot and you will win the low half of the pot 51% of the time. This

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example illustrates the importance of eliminating hands going high if your hand is a four-

low draw to a very strong low hand but a weak draw to the high. Do what you can to get

heads-up or against players going low as well but drawing to weaker lows, because doing

that greatly increases the value of your hand and the money you will make.

Staying In When Youre Behind

Sometimes, several players will have hands that are very mediocre so decide to

fold when a low hand bets. If you have a very good drawing hand, you want to stay

involved even if you suspect your opponent has made a low hand. For instance, suppose

you held 2h 3c 4d 5d Kc, and your opponent held 4c 2d 8s 7s 5c and everyone had folded

(neither one of you has flush possibilities). At first glance, it would seem that he is in

better shape than you because he already has the low part of the pot made and you still

have to draw to the hand. However, you are actually a favorite in this hand as your

expected value is 52% to your opponents 48%, so calling is the right move (and you

could even raise). You will scoop 33% of the time, win the low 47% of the time and win

the high half of the pot 56% of the time. This is pretty much a coin flip hand. If another

hand you suspect is going low is added to the picture (6c 7d 2c Qd 4s for example) but

still on a draw stays in, you can also call as your expected value is still high at 45%, you

scoop 30% of the time, win the high half of the pot 48% of the time and the low half of

the pot 42% of the time. So, as you can see, playing when you suspect you are not the

best hand is a good move when you have a hand that has possibilities for both the high

and the low half of the pot.

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 Pay Attention

Many times when a player has four to the low there is the temptation to get tunnel

vision and focus in on the cards in front of you rather than the cards around you. The

decision to call or fold with your four-low is greatly influenced by what your opponents

are holding. It can not be emphasized enough that if you are realistically only going low

with your hand, you need to get out of the way if it looks like your opponents have

improved to a better low hand or are on a better draw than you are. That means dumping

the 87, 86 and 85 low draws when three smaller cards are betting, especially if they are

suited or in sequence. You also always need to be paying sharp attention whenever a

player raises, because that is an indicator that he has in fact made his hand. Of course, if

the raise came from a hand that is going high, you can stay involved if you are drawing to

a good low unless there are dangerous hands lurking that have yet to act that look better

than your potential low in that case you want to get away from the hand because the

odds of the other low hands/draws yet to act folding are remote and you are most likely

behind in the hand.

Heads-Up is Dangerous

Though its best to be involved against several players going high, it can become

a losing play if you continue to chase your low against a high hand and are heads up

unless you have outs for a flush or a straight. Just as many players have a hard time

getting away from the high hand that they need to fold, many players with a four-low will

refuse to fold the hand even when they should. The more players that are involved in the

pot, the better is your situation, as you get better pot odds. When heads-up, you need to

get away from the low draw unless you are also on an open-ended straight draw or four-

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flush draw, as your odds of hitting a low are about 50%. To illustrate why you need to

dump your low hand, suppose you hold 3c 4s 6s 7h Tc. You are up against an opponent

holding Jc Js Kd Ks 9h. Playing this hand to the river, you will win the low half of the pot

62% of the time, the high half of the pot 17% of the time, and scoop 17% of the time.

Your expected value for the hand is 40%; your opponents expected value is 60%, and the

two pair will scoop 36% of the time. You should also note that these numbers assume that

all of the cards you need to qualify for a low are still live you can only imagine what

happens to them as cards you need to hit a low qualifying hand are gone. The bottom

line: low hands on a draw do not do well heads-up against a player holding a good high

hand. Call if you have a four-flush or open-ended four-straight, but fold if you are just

hoping to catch one more card to qualify for the low.

Summarizing play of four-lows on Fifth Street, remember that while this hand can

frequently be played, it is not a situation in which you will automatically be throwing

chips in front of you. The best low draws are always those that have other options with

chances to hit a good high hand such as a straight, flush, or big two pair (aces of course

being huge when you have a pair of aces with a low draw). When you have potential to

hit something in both directions, your chances of scooping are greater. When the hand is

only going low, you want to see Sixth Street cheaply but can consider a raise or bet if you

believe doing so will get you involved against other low hands/draws that you have a

chance to crush if you make your hand, eliminating highs. High hands become the

enemy, and if you believe that you can get them out of the way play your hand

aggressively.

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Quick tips for play of four-lows on Fifth Street:

RAISE or BET when you believe doing so will eliminate high hands. High

hands are already in much better shape than you are for the high half of the pot,

so you want to try to force them out of the pot and get involved against lows.

Of course, you only want to do this when you are on a very good low draw and

are confident that the raise will be effective in eliminating the high.

CALL most of the time with the hand. Being you are on a draw and do not yet

have a hand, calling is not a bad option. This is typically done when you have a

good but not great drawing hand such as four to a seven-high low along with a

three straight or three flush. If it is going to cost you more than one bet, pause

and carefully evaluate the situation, and get out of the way if the raise came

from a low hand that represents a better low than you have.

FOLD when there is heavy action from hands going low and your four-low is

of poor quality. You want to be in the best situation possible or have the

potential of hitting a hand that would be better than what your opponent(s)

hold, so when you suspect you are behind get out of the way. Heavy action

from low hands is a big warning sign to you to get out unless your hand is also

a great draw. Folding a four-low is tough to do, but it is what you must do

when your chances for hitting a high hand are reduced and you are drawing to

a lousy low hand. Nothing is worse than loosing a lot of money by hitting a

low hand only to have it beaten by a better hand look for the warning signs

and get out of the way so you can save yourself the chips for when you have

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 the better hand. Also fold if heads-up against a high hand who bets and you do

not have a four-flush or four-straight.

Two Pair

Two pair is one of the most difficult hands to play in poker, and it becomes an

especially difficult hand in stud 8. Just as in a regular game of 7-card stud, you want your

two pair to be big and your cards to improve to a full house live. With two pair at Fifth

Street the chances that you will hit a full house by the river are not that good about 5 to

1. You are less likely to improve than you would be if you had trips, so with two pair,

what you see is as good as it is going to get. Because of that, it becomes imperative that

you do all that you can to protect your hand. Hands going low pose a threat because they

will take half of the pot from you if they qualify for the low and they can also back into a

straight and scoop the entire pot. Hands going high are also dangerous, because at this

point in the game if a player is going high he very often has improved to something better

than two pair. Looking at these facts, it does not take a pro to realize that two pair is a

very dangerous hand in stud 8. When you have one, the chances that you will hit a low

qualifying hand are either completely gone or greatly reduced, and the odds are against

you filling up, so you have to ask yourself whether or not you are the best high hand, and

if you are will you be able to eliminate other players?

As with trips, you will usually be playing two pair fast or not at all, but checking

and calling are more common with this hand than in regular 7-card stud. You need to be

more apt to fold the hand when it looks like you might be behind, because you are

playing for only half of the pot.

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 Raising vs. Folding

When you believe you have the best high hand, you need to do all that you can to

eliminate other players, because the more crowded the pot is with high hands the less

likely it is that you will win at least half of the pot. If you have one of your pairs showing

and are the first to act, bet with it, especially if it is aces. If another player is first to act,

raise him so long as he does not have a pair that is bigger than your largest pair and there

are not more than two solid low hands lurking (three low cards in sequence or three

suited low cards). You also do not want to raise if he has a paired door card that is big and

has been playing his open pair aggressively. If that is the case, you need to get out of the

way because you likely are behind.

Anytime it is going to cost you more than two bets to call a hand, you need to get

away from your two pair. When someone has raised the high hand, he could very well be

on trips, have a larger two pair than you hold, or have made a low. While you often want

to raise one bet to two bets, you do not want to have to put in three bets on a two pair to

raise, because it is too dangerous to proceed. This may sound tight, but it will save you

money and keep you out of what could be a disaster. For instance, suppose a player made

an open pair of jacks at Fourth Street and has been betting them, and you hold queens on

top of sevens. The jacks are the high hand showing and bet, and are raised by a three-low

showing and called by another three-low who also has a possible flush draw. Your

instinct may be to play your hand aggressively and raise it up again, but that is a lot of

money to put in and a bad play. You may be the best high hand, but with a raise already

occurring, and aggressive play on the part of the jacks on Fourth Street odds are he has

trip jacks. Worse, the low draw has already made a low hand, which might be a straight or

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have other outs. Even though the jacks did not re-raise yet, it simply is not worth the

trouble sticking around for half of the pot when you could be up against trips.

Anytime you suspect a raise will eliminate a low draw, bet or raise and try to

eliminate the player. Certainly this is the case when it looks like a player who limped in

to see Fifth Street after catching a bad card on Fourth Street catches another bad card.

When a player has two low cards on Fourth though and catches a bad card on Fifth,

whether you raise or just call is dependent upon how realistic it is that your action will

cause him to fold. If he has three suited cards showing along with two cards six or lower,

just call (though bet if first to act) because a raise is not going to eliminate him. If he

tends to call frequently anytime he has a four-low on Fifth, you should also just call as

raising is not going to eliminate him. However, raise if you believe this will help

eliminate other players yet to act. Remember that with two pair you want to be against a

small field, so jump on any chance to eliminate busted low draws and marginal high

hands. Of course, you still would like to eliminate other high hands that could catch and

outdraw you, and being its more difficult for marginal high hands to stay involved, bet or

raise into them to get them out of the way.

Calling

Calling is usually not a good idea when you hold two pair in most poker games

because you want to do what you can to protect the hand. So why call and wait to

improve when you can just bet the hand aggressively here and now? The answer is

because sometimes in stud 8 games, a raise is followed by automatic calls from good low

draws. Also, when you are in early position, a raise can be a very dangerous move when

three-lows are yet to act because it might be followed by a re-raise.

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 When it appears that Fifth Street helped those players left in the pot who are

going low, call when the action comes to you if you can do so for one bet and fold if it

will cost you more than one bet. Whenever there are two or more three-lows yet to act,

just call because a raise might be coming. Your raise might eliminate the initial player

who acted, but a re-raise after your raise becomes more likely the more three-lows or

two-lows with a three-flush that are yet to act. If you are first to act, check and call one

bet. The exception is a pair of aces, which if showing are very intimidating and can be

used to push other players out of the pot when played aggressively.

When in Doubt, Fold

When it is a close decision between calling and folding, calling is often the better

option because you may improve to a very good hand and outdraw your opponent,

getting great implied odds. That is true for games where you can win the entire pot, but in

a split-pot game such as this, folding is the best move when its a close decision for you

because it will save you more money. If you have doubts about the strength of your hand

and have a sense that you may not be in front, dont hesitate to get away from it unless

its impossible for the pot to be split.

How did he play on Fourth?

Trying to figure out whether your opponent has two pair or trips can be tough to

do, but one clue is remembering how the player acted on Fourth Street. If he paired up his

door card and played aggressively, you can assume that he has trips in which case if you

were still involved you can get out of the way if he bets again. But if he paired his Fourth

Street card and now bets, odds are he has made two pair so you can raise or bet into him.

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 Live is Key

Obviously, you want all four of your cards to be live so you can improve to a full

house. When more than one is gone, most of the time just fold and be done with your

hand unless you hold three low cards or have aces up with a small pair or believe you can

win the pot immediately by betting the hand. If your pair is showing and it looks like

other players have all caught bad cards, by all means go ahead and bet if first to act if you

think there is a good chance you will win the pot. Obviously, your chances of taking

down the pot are better with an open pair of aces. But if you have no chance at qualifying

for the low, check and hope for the free card and fold unless you are certain that your two

pair is the best high hand. With any doubts and more than one of your cards to fill up

gone, two pair becomes too dangerous to play in this game unless its aces with a smaller

pair.

To summarize play of two pair, you want to play the hand fast most of the time,

but fold more often than you would were you playing regular 7-card stud. You can also

call more frequently with two pair in stud 8 rather than raise when two or more hands that

look to be on solid draws or possible made hands are yet to act, folding if they raise to

you. Folding is never a bad option with two pair either in this game when the pot looks to

be split. While you do not want to fold good two pairs like aces and a small pair with a

small kicker, most two pairs can get you in trouble. If it is nines up or higher, it may be a

better quality two pair for the high half of the pot, but your chances for hitting a low are

gone completely. If it is deuces through eights with a smaller pair, you still have a chance

for the low but it is reduced and you have a two pair of poor quality. Because of that, you

always need to do whatever you can to eliminate hands going low if you think a bet or

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raise will get them out of the way or marginal high draws. But when they have improved

and raising starts, or you there is heavy action from hands going high, get out of the way.

Unless its aces with a smaller pair and small kicker, you do not want to have to spend

more than one bet to see Sixth Street. You can not assume you will be hitting a full house

with this hand more often than not the two pair is about as good as its going to get.

Stay with it when you are confident you are in good shape for the high and up against

marginal low draws that do not look to have straight possibilities, but dump it when it

becomes costly.

Quick tips for play of two pairs on Fifth Street:

RAISE or BET if you are going to play this hand in an attempt to protect it.

You always want to raise if doing so will eliminate players who are on weak

low draws and have limped into this point. A bet or raise is also wise if you feel

you can eliminate high draws, because you do not want someone to make trips

and outdraw you. Also bet or raise anytime you feel you can win the pot right

now. This is best done with an open pair, especially aces, as these are very

intimidating.

CALL or CHECK if you feel that a bet on your part will be raised, or you are

confident that a bet or raise on your part will not eliminate any players who are

yet to act. For instance, if you were the high hand with a pair on the board and

involved in the pot were two players who have both made three-lows, check to

them they are not going to fold, and be prepared to call when the action gets

back to you. You can also check if a very threatening board is yet to act, such

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 as three suited small cards or three wheel cards, as a bet is almost certain from

a player holding this powerful hand.

FOLD when you are not sure that you have the best high hand. You also need

to fold if it is going to cost you more than one bet to stay involved unless you

have aces and a smaller pair with a small kicker. Two pair is too dangerous to

play when you are only going for half of the pot. Also tend to fold when the

field is more crowded. Two pair plays best against high hands and in a small

field as the more players involved the greater the likelihood is that the pot will

be split.

Pairs

Playable hands with just a pair at Fifth Street include a pair of aces with three low

cards or a pair of aces that also includes a four-flush or four-straight. Other playable pairs

include small pairs that have four to the low. Big pairs can not be played past Fifth Street

unless, of course, you can get a free card, take down the pot immediately, have three

wheel cards to go with the big pair or have a four-flush.

To Call or Raise?

Most of the time when you have a pair, you are trying to see Sixth Street cheaply.

But that does not mean that you will always play your hand passively, as at times a bet or

raise with a pair is the right move.

If the field has already been reduced by Fifth Street and you believe you can get

heads-up with a pair of aces against another player who has just a big pair, or if you

believe you can win the pot immediately, by all means toss out a bet if you are the first

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player to act. You can also do this if you have a threatening board and have a concealed

pair. For instance, if you had KKA23, you could bet if it were checked to you or even

consider raising a player who you thought might be betting into you to see what you have

and you believe a raise will get him to fold. Its a gutsy play to bet or raise with just a

pair, but it can be done in tight games or when you have intimidating cards showing. In

regular 7-card stud, especially at lower limits, bluffing is very difficult because stud is not

a no-limit game and players are usually getting decent enough pot or implied odds that

makes bluffing difficult. In stud 8 though, you can use your exposed cards to your

advantage to throw your opponents off. Three small cards especially three wheel cards -

are very intimidating so whenever you believe that an aggressive play will win you the

pot or get you heads-up against a high hand that is in worse position than you are, go

ahead and bet or raise with your hand. (But do not re-raise as with two pair, a pair is too

weak to raise two bets with and most of the time you would fold into two bets unless you

had aces with three other low cards or a pair with an excellent draw to the low).

While you can bet or raise when you feel you can get heads-up against the weaker

draw or win the pot outright, under most circumstances with a pair you will check and

call one bet with it if you have four to the low, straight or flush and fold if it is going to

cost you more than one bet. Many stud 8 games can be loose, especially if you play lower

limit games when bets and raises do not have the desired effect of eliminating people.

When it appears that several players have improved their low draws, just check and call

one bet if you still have outs for hitting the low (three cards to the wheel, a four-low to a

seven or lower, a four-flush or low four-straight).

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 Dont Get Married to the Pair

There is an expression that you often hear players say when they have a hand that

started out good but did not improve: I got married to the pair and just had to play it.

Getting married to a pair is a mistake many new or inexperienced poker players make,

especially if its a pair of aces. Even kings and queens are pairs some players fall in love

with, forgetting that they are playing a split-pot game! Getting married to a pair is very

costly, especially in stud 8 when there can be a lot of action heading into the later streets.

You need to dump pairs that may look good at first glance like kings and queens when

you cant get a free card and lack a four-flush or three wheel cards to go with your hand.

Remember: the best pairs are those that give you a good shot at the high but keep you

alive for the low as well. Aces are obviously the best but even aces need to be dumped

when you think you are behind and are only going one way with them.

Live & A Good Low

As always with a pair, you want your other two cards to improve to trips to be live

as trips give you a great shot at winning the high half of the pot. You also need to look at

the quality of your low draw if you are trying to figure out whether or not to stay

involved with a pair and a four-low. Simply because you have four cards to the low and a

pair does not mean you can stick around, even for just one bet you want the low to be

of good quality. This means eight-lows are out unless you have straight and flush

possibilities to go with them (IE, 44567). The more crowded the field becomes, the better

your low-draw with your pair needs to be.

To summarize play of pairs, you need to get away from them when you have

doubts about the strength. You can play a pair if you have aces and two or three low cards

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to go with them, if you have a four-straight or four-flush to go with your pair, or if you

believe you are the best high hand and can win the pot immediately with a bet. And

remember: when in doubt, folding with a pair is just fine. Pairs that are not aces or pairs

lacking a four-low are very vulnerable, so go with your instinct and err on the side of

caution.

Quick tips for play of pairs on Fifth Street:

RAISE or BET when you believe doing so will narrow the field or win you the

pot immediately. This is typically done with aces still a strong pair at Fifth

Street but vulnerable to high hands. Having a pair of aces exposed is very

intimidating, and can win a pot if you bet them in a tight game. You can also

raise or bet if you have a threatening board and believe that it will win you the

pot three small suited cards or three wheel cards are an example of when you

can attempt to take down the pot with a semi-bluff bet or raise against players

with high cards.

CALL up to one bet if you have a pair with a four-low, four to the straight or

four to the flush. The most desirable situation is to have four to the low with a

pair of aces other pairs do not give you much help to win the high but at least

give you a chance of hitting trips.

FOLD big pairs, nines through kings, unless you hold a four-flush or four-

straight to go with your big pair or believe that a bet or raise can win you the

pot right now. Pairs that do not include four cards to the low also need to be

dumped unless you they also have a four-straight or four-flush. You also need

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 to dump a pair when you are looking at more than one bet to stay involved

the exception being aces with four to a good (seven or less) low.

Flush Draws

When you have a flush draw, you want to see Sixth Street for free if possible, and

can not afford to play for more than one bet unless you have a fantastic low draw to go

with your flush such as a draw to the nut (ace high) flush with four cards under seven.

Even calling one bet should not always be automatic, as when you are only going in one

direction with your flush draw you do not want to be behind to a high hand.

When to Stay and When to Go

Most flush draws are playable for one bet. When you are not sure what your

opponent is holding, or suspect him to be going low or even have made a low that is not a

straight, calling is okay for one bet. With two cards to come its about 2 to 1 as to whether

or not you will hit a flush. Draws play better in multi-way pots the more money that is

in the pot, the better odds you are getting on your draw. That being said, you do not want

to have to call raises or more than a bet unless you also hold a good low draw with the

hand or a pair of aces with a three-low. When raises occur, it means someone has either

made a low they are trying to jam the pot with or have a decent high hand that they are

trying to protect. You have neither a high hand or a low hand at this point, and when its

slightly less than 50% that youll hit your flush, you can not afford to toss in two bets.

Many players will automatically call anytime they have a four flush. In a regular

game of 7-card stud, you rarely will dump a four-flush before the river unless it is

obvious that you are beaten. In stud-8 though, you need to fold a four-flush more

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frequently, even when you are just facing one bet. Anytime an open pair of aces bet,

dump the hand unless you also have a four-low or three wheel cards with the four-flush.

As it has already been stated, anytime you face more than one bet, you need to dump the

hand unless it contains a good low draw. You also need to get out if you suspect you are

behind unless it is just you and other high hands. For instance, suppose a pair of kings

bets. He is called by a player with TQJ, and now its to you. No one else is involved.

Here, if you suspected your opponent had just two pair or was trying to buy the pot, you

could call as you are now playing for the entire pot. But if there were other hands going

low involved, dump the hand unless you had the good low draw or a pair of aces with

your four-flush. You never want to be behind when going high and stay past Fifth Street,

because it is not worth gambling for half of the pot.

Betting

While a four-flush is a drawing hand, some instances arise where you can gamble

with the hand and put in a semi-bluff bet. Remember: stud 8 is a game where the cards in

front of you can be very intimidating to other players. If you hold three small suited cards

in front of you, consider a bet if you are first to act or if it has been checked to you. Some

players even consider a raise if it looks like the bet came from a high hand or a marginal

low. You can do this if the game is very tight or you hold a perfect flush draw such as

AA234, but most of the time you do not want to raise with a four-flush unless you are in

a very tight game and believe the raise will win you the pot right now.

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 Live Cards

Besides how much it is going to cost you, the other major factor that goes into

you seeing another card or getting out of the way is just how live your hand is. When

there are only one or two of the cards you need to improve to a flush dead, its no

problem calling a bet unless it was obvious you were far behind in the hand (when an

open pair of aces bets or trips bet and you have no four-low). While odds are not bad that

you will hit a flush by the river, that number varies depending on how many cards you

need to improve are gone and how many players are involved to see Sixth Street.

Suppose you make a four-flush, and then tossed out your cold call without noticing that

four other hearts were dealt to other players. You may think well, that still leaves me

five hearts in the deck that can help me, so a call makes sense. Does it? If you are up

against players who have no chance at the low and do not appear to have made trips, then

you could call. If you had a good four-low with the flush, a call would certainly be in

order as well. But most of the time, when more than three of the cards of your suit that

you need to hit your flush are gone, you need to be gone as well unless you have that pair

of aces to go with the hand. When more than three of the cards to hit a flush are gone,

your odds are too poor to proceed. You may be tempted to call with a three-low, but the

odds of catching two running cards to hit the low are about 20%, not making it worth it to

call.

Finally, if you have made a low hand and have a flush draw, you will be calling to

the river, hoping to scoop as a made low with a four-flush has a very strong potential to

do so.

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 To briefly summarize play of flush draws, you can play them as long as it is not

going to cost you more than one bet and no more than three of the cards you need to hit a

flush are gone unless you also hold a pair of aces or four to a good low draw. The more

people that are involved, the better the pot odds, which is why flush draws that are also

good low draws are so desirable.

Quick tips for play of flush draws:

RAISE or BET when you believe that doing so will win you the pot outright,

such as when you are showing three wheel cards or an open pair of aces. You

can also gamble and toss in a bet even if you are not sure it will win you the

pot in an attempt to build it up when you have a good four-low or a made low

hand to go with your flush draw.

CALL one bet when you have a flush draw that has no more than three cards

to complete the flush dead. Call two bets if you hold a good four-low or

average to poor made five-low.

FOLD if it is going to cost you more than a bet to see Sixth Street unless you

also hold a made low hand or four cards to a good low hand (a six low or

seven-low that has three wheel cards). You need to play a flush draw more

tightly in stud 8 than you would in regular 7-card stud when your chances for

hitting a good low hand are reduced and when other low draws/hands are

involved because you are only playing for half of the pot.

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 Three-Lows

Three-lows can not be played past Fifth Street unless you have other outs such as

a four-flush, four-straight, trips or a pair of aces. This means that you need to resist the

temptation to call with a three-low that has a three-flush or three-straight, because the

odds are stacked against you hitting either hand. The only time you can stay involved

with a three-low that doesnt meet the above criteria is when you can do so for just one

bet, are up against players going high and you hold three cards to a wheel or a three-flush

or three-straight to a six low. That is not going to happen very often so nine times out of

ten, you will be dumping the three-low that does not have a strong potential for

improvement to the high. With about a 20% chance to hit the low, unless you have good

chances of hitting a solid high hand, you need to get out of the way.

Quiz on Fifth Street Play

Question 1: You hold 24789 with three suited cards. An open pair of kings bets, and is

called by three players holding 347, 458 and 23Q. Two of the players hold two suited

cards. Do you fold, call or raise?

Answer: Fold. Folding a four-low is anything but easy, but here you need to get away

from the hand. If the other players held high hands or busted low draws (with only one

low card showing) you could stay in for a bet. As for that three-flush, it is a non-factor

even if all of the cards to improve to a flush were live in this situation, you would only

have a 9% chance of hitting two running suited cards. Not good! So get out of the way

and save yourself the chips.

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Question 2: You hold 2345K and also have four to a flush. You are in early position. A

pair of jacks is first to act and he bets and now the action is on you. Looking to your left

you see three players remaining, who hold 45Q, 268 and ATJ (with two suited cards). You

have counted two cards of your needed suit gone to improve to a flush. Do you call or

raise?

Answer: Raise. This is a very close decision, and there is nothing wrong with calling if

you feel more comfortable doing so. If you just call, it means the other hands are likely to

stay involved as well a raise from the three-low is possible but not likely. With more

players involved you are getting slightly better odds on hitting your flush (with two cards

gone and five players involved in the pot, the odds of you hitting a flush are 44%; that

number drops to 40% if just three players are involved. But, you have very strong

potential with this hand that makes a semi-bluff raise worthwhile. If you play your game

right, you are not playing many hands so take advantage of the chances you do get and

take a gamble when you have the makings of something huge.

Question 3: You hold two pair, queens and sevens, and are in late position. A pair of

jacks comes out and bets, and is quickly re-raised by a player holding 346. Two other

players call as well; one holds 67K all suited, the other holds 23T with two suited cards

showing. Now the action is to you. Do you fold, call or make it three bets to go?

Answer: Fold. It may sound like a difficult lay-down, but with a multi-way pot and

players already involved, a raise from you is not going to eliminate anyone and there is a

very good likelihood that the 346 will quickly re-raise you. Two pair is a solid high hand

in regular 7-card stud, but can get you into a lot of trouble in stud 8. Facing two bets in

this situation, you need to get away from the hand.

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Question 4: Drawing to a low, Fifth Street brings you a card you need to make your low

hand, giving you a seven-low: 23567. You are in a multi-way pot in middle position. An

ace with two low cards, A68, is first to act, and bets. He is called by a player holding

46K, and the action is to you. Yet to act is a player holding 59J with two suited cards and

another player holding 23T off-suit. Do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Raise. You may be tempted to just call as you are concerned over the players

with the 46 and the 23 showing. They may be on four-lows, but what if the other cards

are low as well giving them a six-low draw? The problem with that line of thinking is you

are playing scared. You have a made hand, and you still have two cards to come which

may improve that hand. While its not a bad low hand, its not all that great either so

you need to do what you can to protect it. Raise with the hand and attempt to drive out

some of the other players. Even though many four-lows love to stay involved in the pot,

having to call two bets will make them think twice. You would even want to raise if you

were last to act, because you want to do all you can to protect this hand and try to

eliminate players who might outdraw you. Raising is clearly the best decision you have

to use the raise to play defense with the hand.

Question 5: You hold a pocket pair of aces that still have not improved, but you do have

three to a low hand, holding AA3K8. You are in early position, and four other players are

involved in the pot. The high hand on the board is A28, and he comes out betting. You

look to your left to see 237, 456 and 783. Do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Fold. You need to resist the urge to call here, even though you still have a pair

of aces. If you had a four-flush or three wheel cards, calling could be justified but your

chances of hitting the low are greatly reduced and even if you did hit the low, its not

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likely that it would be the low that wins half of the pot. The hand is too dangerous to play

at this point because aces do not do well in a multi-way pot, and one of your aces is gone.

If your opponents had hit bad cards, you could consider a raise if you felt it would drive

them out and get you heads-up but with two hands holding three-lows and the third

holding two wheel cards, even a raise isnt likely able to eliminate them, so you are best

getting away from the aces.

Question 6: You hold a six-high straight, 23456. There are three other players who have

stayed involved in the pot. One player appears to be going high, holding KQ8. The other

two have two low cards showing, 569 and 47J. The king-high is first to act and bets. Do

you raise or call?

Answer: Call. Your straight is a monster hand, and with three low cards in sequence

showing your raise is likely to scare off the other hands. You want the low cards to stay

involved, hopefully catch and improve to a low, and then get involved in a raising war on

later streets to maximize your potential. You also do not mind the high hand staying

involved as your straight is likely in front of him as well. Keep players involved in hopes

of scooping a huge pot.

Question 7: You hold trips, 88689. There are three other players involved in the pot. A

player holding 9Q9 bets. A three-low, A27, calls. The action is to you. Yet to act is a

player holding 24T. Do you fold, bet or raise?

Answer: Raise. This is another one of those situations in which you have to play defense

with your raise, and narrow the field. Trips are good but not great they need to be

protected. The goal is that your raise will eliminate one of the other players, which will

increase your chances of winning the high half of the pot. Fold if you are re-raised by the

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nines, as this will mean he has trips, as you do not want to be behind when you are only

playing for half of the pot.

Question 8: You hold two pair, 22443. There are three other players in the pot. A player

showing K92 checks, and a player showing Q9J also checks. After you, a player holding

39T will act. Do you bet or fold?

Answer: Bet. You have two pair and three wheel cards, so even if you do not win the pot

outright at this point it is not a disaster. Other players have shown passivity, and the

player behind you has trash showing so you can be sure he is not going to be betting. You

have a pair and a low card on the board you could be sitting on four to the wheel or

have three of a kind. Dont give a free card your hand may not look that great, but the

chances of you winning half of or the entire pot will go up if you can eliminate players

with a bet and there is a very good chance that you will win the pot immediately by

betting.

Question 9: You hold 39TQK with four hearts in a pot with three players. You have

counted four other hearts as dead, leaving you five hearts in the deck that will complete

your flush. A player holding A34 with two suited cards is first to act, and bets. He is

called by a player holding 347. You are the last player to act. Do you fold, call or raise?

Answer: Fold. Folding is a difficult thing to do with a four-flush, and while it is a virtual

certainty that you will win the high half of the pot if you make your flush, the chances of

you hitting a flush in this situation are 26%. While you would take the gamble in a

regular 7-card stud game because of the implied odds you are getting, the presence of two

three-lows staying involved in the pot makes it very likely that the pot will be split.

Playing this four-flush is a tempting proposition, but a losing one over the long haul.

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Question 10: You hold two pair, kings and fours. An open pair of nines is first to act, and

he bets (he made a pair on Fifth Street). Two other players who looked to be limping have

folded to his bet, making you the last player. Do you call, fold, or raise?

Answer: Raise. Raising is the best move because the pair of nines may have been trying

to buy the pot when the other two players folded. If your kings are the two cards

showing, the raise may win you the pot right there as your opponent would fear trips.

Even if your kings are hidden, a raise is the best move because you would call with this

hand anyway here and again on Sixth Street, so just put in both bets right now and put

your money to work for you. If he has trip nines you will know by his re-raise, at which

point you can get away from the hand.

Summary of Fifth Street Play

Staying in or getting out of the way at Fifth Street is a crucial decision, because

unless you are playing in a spread-limit game, the bets increase. When you are going

high, unless you have an absolute monster, you want to play the hand fast. When you

have made a solid low hand or are free-rolling, you can bet with confidence knowing that

you are a cinch to win at least half of the pot. Most of the time though, your hand will fall

in between the two extremes. When you have a decent high hand, play it aggressively

when you believe that you are the best high hand on the board and get out of the way

when you believe you are behind. When you are not sure of the strength of your low hand

or you have a low draw or hand that is a lousy low that cant free-roll, play more

passively if there have been a number of callers or if you believe that a bet on your part

will not eliminate other low hands and draws, but always bet if you think there is a

chance you can get other low draws out of the way.

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 Failing to get away from highs that appear stronger than they are is the downfall

of many people who play stud 8. They may be used to playing regular 7-card stud, or just

get tunnel vision and think they need to stay involved because they have what looks to be

a playable hand. If you have a high hand, it can not be reiterated enough: you want to be

certain or close to certain that it is the best high hand on the board unless you have a four-

low to go along with it.

Another key to success at Fifth Street is knowing the difference between a good

and bad low draw. Of course its better to go low than high because of the potential to

scoop, but do not automatically be reaching for the chips anytime you have four cards to

the low. Assess your situation carefully. If its a lousy low draw up against two players

holding K9J and J9Q you can be more apt to play the hand. But if its a lousy low draw

up against players who look like they have or on a better low draw than you, get out of

the way.

Finally, always remember what is live and what has been folded. Remembering

which cards are live and which ones are dead may sound like a lot of work, but its

crucial because it affects the odds greatly.

Chapter 5 Sixth Street

Introduction

In regular 7-card stud, you rarely fold a hand after staying to see six cards. This is

because you are getting good pot odds if you are on a draw, and by this point have

usually invested several bets into the pot. Being you have a chance to win the entire pot,

staying involved makes sense and is typically justified by the odds.

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 In stud 8 though, there will be many situations in which you will fold your hand

on Sixth Street. Sometimes it becomes apparent that you are drawing to the second or

third-best low hand. Other times your chances for hitting the high hand that will win the

pot are gone, and you are down to praying for a card that will give you an eight-high low,

or you find that you are in the middle of a raising war staring at an eight-high low hand

with no chance to hit a straight or a flush, so folding becomes a must.

Raising and betting is also more effective of a tool in stud 8 than in regular 7-card

stud, when these actions often just build up the pot but fail to eliminate people. When you

have a good-looking board, or it looks like your opponents have failed to improve a low

hand, betting and raising is much more effective in getting people out of the way,

allowing you to protect your hand.

Sixth and Seventh Streets can also become very expensive in some stud 8 games,

while in other games there is little raising until the end of the hand. Because some games

can get very wild, you want to have a solid hand or have outs that make hanging in there

for one more card a good proposition. The key to success at Sixth Street is paying close

attention to what the other players involved in the hand are holding, and using that

information along with what you hold to know whether you can proceed or need to lay

down the hand. Some hands will be obvious to play; others will be tough decisions where

it comes down to how much it will cost you to see one more card. Many players are

otherwise good stud 8 players but come out in the red because they fail to play at Sixth

Street properly, calling when they should be raising or folding or folding when they can

stay in for one bet and take a shot. This chapter will show you how to properly execute

bets and lay-downs at Sixth Street and clear up what is playable and what is junk.

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 Monsters

Monster hands, or hands that have a very small chance of being beaten, should

continue to be played slowly if they appear to be a lock for the entire pot but need to be

played more aggressively when it appears that a bet or raise can eliminate players going

in the other direction. While what constitutes a monster hand can be subjective depending

on who is in the hand, generally a monster is a hand that is a wheel, six high straight or

six-low, four of a kind, straight flush, or full house with three aces. The best of course is

the wheel, because while it will be beat by any higher straight, flush or full house, there is

no way it can lose the low half of the pot and scoops many pots.

Increase Scooping Potential

Monster hands are great, but as you learned in the pervious chapter, a monster

hand that locks up half of the pot is still vulnerable to hands going in the other direction.

Its no good being heads up against a player going in the other direction, especially at

Sixth Street when lows become locked up. The best situation you can be in is to have

players going in the other direction eliminated and be in a multi-way pot against players

going the same way as you. This is especially the case with high hands as the wheel and a

six-high straight have strong potential to scoop even if other high hands are involved, but

high hands are vulnerable to any low hand. So, the decision to play the hand fast or play

it slowly comes down to who is involved in the pot. Anytime you believe a bet or raise on

your part will eliminate players going in the other direction, do so, especially when

youve got a high hand, because you want to do all that you can to scoop and avoid a

split. Conversely, when you are up against players going in the same direction as you,

raise if the game is loose and you believe they will stay with you despite your raise, but

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just bet if first to act or its been checked to you and do not raise bets if the game is more

tight and believe slow-playing the hand will build up the pot.

Avoid Opposite Heads-Up Play

While you want to eliminate players going in the other direction, it is okay to keep

one in when it looks like a raise will get you heads up against a player going in the

opposite direction as you. This happens when you have a good knowledge of your

opponent, and know him to be a tight player. For instance, suppose a player holding two

open pair bets, and has been playing aggressively since Fourth Street. A player holding

4678 reluctantly calls, and you hold a six-high straight. If you raise in this situation, the

two pair may raise as well and the four-straight will fold, knowing you have a better low

than he does. The two pair may just be trying to win the pot immediately as two pair is all

he has, but its best to call rather than raise in this situation to keep the four-straight/low

hand involved for another card, and hope that he calls again on the river as the two pair

will again be the first to act.

Jam Time

At times, many players will be involved in the pot, or a game will be very loose

and players will stay in despite raising and betting from hands they are clearly behind.

Some people are better suited to being craps players than card players, and play poker

like craps, hoping to hit the miracle card and not worrying about odds. They use chips

like dice, tossing them in the pot blindly and hoping for the best. In other instances, there

are many players who have improved to a decent high hand or have made a low hand,

making it likely that they will stay involved even if there is betting or raising. In instances

such as this, bet if first to act and raise at your first opportunity. For instance, suppose you

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hold A25K43. A player with A349 showing is first to act, and bets. He is called by a

player holding 478Q with three suited cards, and a player holding 5678 raises. Now the

action is to you. Re-raise. The player with the four-straight may have you beat on the

high end of the pot, but with these other players all showing either good hands or (what

they perceive to be) good draws, your raise is not going to get them to fold. With the pot

being multi-way, the chances are good that the pot will be split so raise and build up the

pot and do the same on the river.

Summarizing play of monster hands: play them fast when you think you can

eliminate players going in the other direction, especially when holding a high hand, to

increase your potential to scoop. Also play them fast when you are in multi-way pots and

several players have improved or have made good hands, as bets and raises are not likely

to force them out of the pot and this will help build up the half that you will win.

Remember not to get heads up against a player going in the other direction as you, as the

result is a split pot where no one gains. Finally, if it is checked to you or you are first to

act, always bet. Slow-playing a hand is one thing by calling, but you must at least get in

one bet, even with a monster.

Quick tips for play of monster hands on Sixth Street:

RAISE or BET when you believe doing so will eliminate players going in the

other direction. The best situation to be in is to be up against players (as many

as possible) going in the same direction as you and drawing dead to your huge

hand. Also play aggressively if the pot is multi-way and it looks like many

players will stay involved even if you are betting or raising with your hand.

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 CALL when you are up against players going in the same direction as you are,

assuming you are not first to act in which case you bet. You want as many

players going in your direction as possible when your chances to scoop are

excellent, so play it slowly and bang away on Seventh Street.

Small Straights

When you make a seven-high or eight-high low straight, you obviously want to be

up against players going high or attempt to win the pot here and now because these hands

(especially eight-high straights) become vulnerable to other players who are going low as

well. You will also, of course, be betting into or raising high hands when you are free-

rolling as long as it will not get you heads-up.

The Importance of Aggression

Playing a low straight aggressively is important because the more hands that are

involved in the pot, the worse your expected value for the hand will be. For instance,

suppose you held 4c 5d 6d 7h 8c Ks. Involved in the pot are three other players. One

player has trip jacks, holding 2s Js 9d Jd Jh 7c. Another player is on a four-low draw,

holding 2d 3h 6h 7s 9c Td. A fourth player has a low draw as well, along with four to a

flush, holding: 4s 6s 7d 8s Kh 8d. As it is right now, you are in great shape with this hand,

as your expected value is 62%, you will scoop 35% of the time, you will win the high

half of the pot 71% of the time and the low half of the pot 46% of the time. But, suppose

that you raise when the jacks bet and are able to eliminate the player who holds the 76

low draw with the pair of eights. Now your expected value jumps to 72%, and you will

scoop 53% of the time. The odds of you winning the high half of the pot increase to 79%

and the odds of you hitting the low half of the pot jump up to 65%. Thats a pretty big

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difference, so as you can see raising becomes a must when you believe there is a chance

you can eliminate an opponent. Even if the raise is called by all of the other players, you

are still a favorite in the hand but you need to try to eliminate other players to increase

your chance of scooping the pot.

Calling & Folding

Situations are rare when you lay down a small straight. It is also rare that you call

with the hand as you want to build up the pot or play defense and eliminate other players

who pose a threat and increase your potential to scoop. However, every so often, you will

find yourself involved in a hand where a tough lay-down is the best move or it is best to

call with your straight.

Calling and/or folding is done when you find yourself in between a rock and a

hard place, such as when your seven or eight-high straight has a high card to go with it

and it appears likely another opponent has made a better low than you have and yet

another has made a hand that will beat your straight for the high half of the pot. As an

example, suppose you are sitting with an eight-high straight with a big kicker, and first to

act is an ace-high with A246 who bets. He is quickly raised by a player holding four

suited cards, and another player with TJQK also calls. In this situation, whether you call

or fold depends on the knowledge of your opponents. If it is a very loose game, where

players are apt to stick around on draws and you suspect the four-flush may be just that

and is trying to bluff and the two pair is all that the player has, you can call for one more

card. You can also call if you have a four-flush to go with your straight, or if you have

two small kickers. But under most scenarios, the wise move is to make the tough lay-

down. Either the four-flush or two pair has you beat for the high, and your low the worst

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possible low there is. Because of this, your hand is deceiving. It looks great, and under

many scenarios you can bang away with it. Unfortunately, this is one of those times

where it looks a lot better than it is, and you need to get away from the hand.

Situations in which you can call with the hand are when you are not sure where

you are at, and believe raising will be ineffective in eliminating other players. Returning

to the example of the eight-high straight, suppose a pair of kings and jacks come out

betting. He is called by a player showing 4A29 with three suited cards, and the action is

now to you. Waiting behind you is a player with 346A showing. Here, you raise if you

feel that the two pair will drop, but thats not likely unless he is a tight player. With other

players showing strong hands as well, raising will not do much to get anyone else

involved in this pot out of the way. Because of that, the right move is to just call with the

hand and see what the river brings.

Low Kickers Help

Obviously, it helps to have a small card or two to go with your straight, so you

can improve your low hand. When you have one or two low cards, you can be more apt

to call because you may further improve the low hand. For instance, if you held A24567,

you have an incredibly powerful hand and will be banging away because the hand has a

strong potential to scoop. Never forget that you can use all seven of your cards to make

two separate hands.

Playing a small straight that is not a monster means banging away with it

whenever you believe that it will get players who pose a threat to you out of the way.

Ideally, you have your straight against players you are free-rolling against, but most of

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the time other draws are lurking. You need to do what you can to eliminate them, as doing

so increases your chances of winning half of or the entire pot.

Quick tips for play of low (seven and eight-high straights):

RAISE or BET most of the time. This is a good hand but one that becomes

vulnerable to other hands who may be on a four-low draw, two pair or have

four to the flush. While a low straight is a frequent favorite even when other

players are involved, the less people who are involved in the pot the less likely

it is they will catch a card that will outdraw what you have. Aggressive play

also increases your chances of scooping the pot.

CALL when you have doubts about the strength of your hand and you believe

that raising will not be effective in eliminating other players, such as when you

hold an eight-high straight with two high cards and there are potential good

low and high hands involved in the pot.

FOLD when it looks clear that you are beaten in both directions. This is rare,

but it does happen. An example is a player holding trips called by a four-flush

who also has three low cards and another three or four-low that looks to be

powerful. The decision becomes easier the more bets you face, such as if the

trips re-raise or one of the powerful lows re-raise. These are difficult lay-

downs, but not making them will be very costly as you are looking at two more

bets at least by the river.

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 Made Lows

Just as on Fifth Street, the best situation you can be in when you have made a low

hand is to be up against high hands, so you need to do what you can to eliminate low

draws that are still involved in the pot at this point. You also need to know when you are

behind and another player has made a better low hand than you hold so you can get out of

the way if you do not have outs to hit a flush, straight or better low. Because there is now

just one card to come and all of the exposed cards have been dealt, you have much more

information at your disposal to know when you can proceed and when you need to make

the tough lay-down.

Aggression Pays

Being aggressive with your low hand is a key to success, as by now you know

that the fewer players that are involved in the pot, the better it is for you. When you have

a low hand made that is not a straight, its better to have a pair, a four-flush or open-ended

four-straight to go with your low hand. You cant afford to play the hand slowly hoping it

develops into a monster hand. Even if you have other outs to the high, you can not

assume that you will hit a hand that will get you the high half of the pot, which means

looking for any chances that arise to get rid of players hoping to get a free card or limp to

the river. While calling is not a disaster as you have a hand, it will cause problems if you

allow people who are on draws to stay involved when you can get them to fold.

Your first target is any player who you suspect is going low but has caught two

bad cards, making it impossible for them to have a low-qualifying hand. You should also

target players who may have made a low hand that is lousy, such as an 87 or 86 low and

do not appear to have straight or flush possibilities. Hands drawing to a marginal low are

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the easiest to eliminate, because by Sixth Street if they are just going low and still on a

draw, a bet or raise can get them out of the way. Even made low hands with no outs for

the high can be eliminated if you have a board that looks imposing.

To illustrate an example of how eliminating a low draw helps your odds, suppose

you have As 3c 4s 6d 7d Qc. There are three other players involved in the pot. A player

who has Ks Kc 9h 8s bets well give him three kings with Kd 5s in the hole. You are

next to act after the kings. Behind you are a player holding 6s 7s Qd 9s on the board

well give him 2d 4d in the hole. Another player has 7h 8d Js 3d showing well give

him hole cards of Ad 2c, meaning he has made an 87 low. With everyone involved in the

pot, your expected value is 41%. You will scoop 8% of the time and win the high half of

the pot 8% of the time. You will win the low half of the pot 75% of the time. If you raise

though and are able to eliminate the hand who is on the draw to the 76 low, your

probability for winning the low half of the pot increases to 79%, and if you eliminate the

87 low with him of course you become a lock for the low half of the pot.

You must be aggressive with your low hand in a crowded pot consisting of many

high hands when the high hands appear to be on something good or drawing to something

good. For instance, if you held a seven high low, and were free-rolling against three other

players, one of whom looked to make a flush, another a straight, and another a possible

full house, raise at your first opportunity. Even if it is checked to you, still bet as calls are

likely and while the odds of you hitting the high hand are remote, you want the pot built

up so you will win more money for the half that you will take down.

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 Calling

While you usually want to play a made low fast to protect it or build up the pot

when you are free-rolling, there are instances in which aggressive play is not effective at

eliminating players, and will just cost you money if you lose the hand.

Checking and calling are done when you have a low hand but do not know how it

stacks up against other low hands that are out there. For instance, suppose you hold a 76

low in a multi-way pot with no chance at a straight or flush. A player showing Qs Qd Th

As bets, is called by a player holding Ac 4c 6c Js and the action is to you. Yet to act is a

player holding 2c 3s 7d 9d. Raise if you believe the player who got the jack on Sixth

Street will fold or the original bettor will fold, but that isnt likely he has three suited

cards along with three to the low and the original better is on trips or a full house. Even

though folding is more likely in stud 8 than in regular 7-card stud on Sixth Street, with

everyone showing a playable hand, a raise in this situation isnt going to eliminate

anyone. A raise with a low needs to achieve its desired result if you are going to raise to

play defense so in a situation where you are not sure of the strength of your low hand

and believe that raising will not eliminate any of the players who may be on a draw to a

better low or have made a better low than you, just call.

Aces

Calls as opposed to savvy lay-downs are better when you have a pair of aces with

your low when you believe a bet or raise wont eliminate other players, are not sure about

your hands strength for the low and it does not look like players have hit a high hand

better than aces. Aces can be a blessing and a curse with a low hand and aces, calling is

the best move even when you think you might not be the best low but believe that the

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aces have a reasonable shot at the high. Obviously, you want to get players out of the

way, but when you are in a multi-way pot with several players going low who have

possibly made low hands already, raising wont get the job done. Folding is gutsy and not

recommended with aces unless you are certain you are beat, because aces alone

frequently win the high half of the pot and are a good insurance policy. By this point you

already have several bets involved in the pot, and being you have aces with a low hand

you have a shot at both ends of the pot and still might to scoop. That being said, you do

not want to be oblivious to what other players hold and still need to get away from aces

with a made low when you are looking at a probable straight, flush or full house for the

high along with a probable low that is better than your hand. Most of the time though,

when the decision is between folding and calling, call.

Folding

Just because you have a hand that qualifies for the low does not mean that you

will play it every time. But many players do. As you know by now, there are good low

hands and low hands that are only good at getting you in trouble. Just as you must avoid

getting married to a pair that should not be played past Fifth Street, you need to avoid

getting married to a low hand that looks like it is beat.

Obvious warning signs are when a player who looks to have made a low hand that

is better than your hand bets or raises. Whether or not you stay involved depends on your

knowledge of your opponent (does he bet or raise with anything or only when he has the

goods?), who else is involved in the pot and what they are showing, and if you have other

outs. For instance, suppose a player holding Ah 3s 5c 9h comes out and bets. A player

showing 4c 5s 6h 2d quickly calls, and now the action is to you and you are holding a

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hand of 3c 4d 5d 7s 8d Qs. Yet to act is a player who looks to be going high with Ts Js Qd

Ks, a possible straight showing along with a possible flush. Here, folding is obviously the

right decision because your low is of poor quality and you are very likely not the best low

hand. You also have no chance of hitting the high. If you had four to the flush though,

you could call depending on how many of your cards to hit the flush were gone (it should

be no more than five) because there still is a chance you could also catch an ace or a three

to hit a low straight. Without the four flush, the hand becomes too dangerous to play.

Anytime you are facing two bets and the raise has come from a player who looks

to be going low or have made a low hand, you need to carefully assess your situation. An

eight-low is usually out, unless of course you have trips to go with it, a straight, a flush or

a pair of aces. Seven-lows are playable for two bets depending on what makes up your

hand. If you held 2c 6c 5c 4s 7d Jc, your hand would be more playable than it would be if

it did not hold a flush draw. Suppose a player with Kh Ks 8d 9d bets, is raised by a player

showing 8h Ah 2d 5s, and the action is to you. Here, calling two bets would be okay,

because you have an inside-straight draw and a flush draw to go with your low hand.

The number of players who are involved will also affect your decision to stay or

drop. If your low is of marginal quality and there are more than two players with three or

four low cards showing that represent a low hand better than yours, drop if there are no

outs to a high or a better low. If you are sitting on a marginal low that has an ace and

gives you a draw to an excellent low (especially a small straight) you can call up to a bet

because you are getting very good implied odds.

The key questions you need to ask yourself when holding a low hand are: 1) What

is the quality of my low hand, 2) Do other player(s) have other low hands already made

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that are better than mine, 3) Do I have a high hand or a chance at a high hand that will

win me the high half of the pot and 4) What are my chances of scooping if I improve?

Remember: just as you cant play any three low cards on Third Street, you cant play any

low hand on Sixth Street. Carefully assess your situation. Many times a low will be

played to the river, but when it looks like you are behind in the hand, dont toss in chips

hoping for improvement or feel you must call to protect your hand. There is a big

difference between a good low and a trash hand knowing the difference between the

two will be a big key to your success at stud 8.

Quick tips for play of low hands that have been made on Sixth Street:

RAISE or BET anytime you believe doing so will narrow the field of other

low hands or players who are still drawing to a low hand. You also want to bet

or raise when you are free-rolling either that will get rid of the high hand(s)

or, more likely, help to build up the pot for the half that you will win.

CALL when you are not sure about the strength of your low hand and believe

that raising will not eliminate other players, and can stay involved for no more

than one bet. Call more than one bet only if you have a pair of aces or good

chance for a flush or straight that you believe, if made, will win you the high

half of the pot. Never call when you are behind on the low and only going in

one direction.

FOLD when you believe that you do not hold the best low hand and do not

have realistic chances of hitting a high hand that would win you the high half

of the pot if made.

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 Full Houses

Full houses are usually always playable until the river. Under most circumstances,

you will be playing the hand aggressively, betting with it and raising with it at each

opportunity. You certainly want to do that anytime you think there is a chance that low

hands or draws will be eliminated. Aggressive play also makes sense in multi-way pots,

because while they are likely to be split, you of course want to build up the half of the pot

that you will be winning.

Slow-playing

Playing full houses slowly is a rarity in stud 8, due to the fact that low hands

involved in the pot will stay in, not worrying about raises from a high hand. But, there are

two situations in which playing the hand slowly (betting but not raising) is the right

move. One is when you are up against weaker high hands and believe that a raise will

cause them to drop. For instance, suppose you have tens full and a smaller pair showing

on your board (a pair would have to be showing for you to have a full house at this stage).

An open pair of sevens bet, and behind you to act are another small pair and a four-flush

who does not have any low possibilities. If you raise into the bigger pair, its a signal you

have made a full house you want to keep these hands involved, hoping they make their

high hands on the river. If one of them does re-raise though, raise it up again.

The other instance where you do not want to raise is when doing so is likely to get

you heads up against a low hand obviously you do not want to be heads up against a

player with whom you will split the pot. This often occurs in a small field of four players

or less. For instance, suppose there are three players in the pot. You are first to act with

two pair showing, queens and tens (you have queens full). Yet to act are a player showing

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4c 5c 6c 7d and a player showing Th Td 9s 8s. If you bet, the four-low is likely to raise

and the tens would be hard-pressed to stay involved. If you check though, when the four-

low bets there is still some chance that the tens will stay involved because he will not

suspect you have made a full house as you did not bet. So, by checking and calling you

get an extra bet (or more if he makes his hand) on the river.

Rarely do you ever want to lay down a full house. Obviously, in the unlikely

event that a player has made open quads you would drop your full house. When a player

may have made a bigger full house than you, you should call if he has open trips and

raise if he just has a big pair (unless a re-raise is likely by a low hand), calling if he raises

back into you unless you are certain that his raise is indicative of him holding a full

house. You can also fold into trips that could represent a bigger full house if it is very

expensive to stay involved (more than two bets) and the trips were one of the hands that

raised, especially if playing for only half of the pot.

Most of the time, a full house will win the high half of the pot, but every so often

you will be beaten by a larger full house. Though this is more common in regular 7-card

stud, it still can happen in stud 8. The bottom line is that when you have a full house, you

have a good hand and need incredibly strong evidence that you are beat if you are going

to fold. Play the hand aggressively, only slowing up when a possible bigger full house

raises back at you.

Quick tips for play of full houses at Sixth Street:

RAISE or BET most of the time. Play the hand aggressively, doing what you

can to get low hands out of the way. Many times that can not be accomplished,

but you still want to build up the pot for the half that you will win. You also

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 need to raise for information if it looks like a player might have a higher full

house than you hold, raising a big pair who comes out betting.

CALL when doing so will prevent you from getting heads up against a low

hand. You can also call open trips that bet if you believe he may in fact have a

full house.

FOLD rarely, only if you are absolutely certain you are up against a bigger full

house or quads. You have a fantastic hand, and will be playing it to the

showdown.

Flushes

As with full houses, flushes are usually played until the showdown, because they

are a very good high hand in stud 8. Most of the low hands that are involved back into

straights for the low rather than flushes, meaning you can stay involved against low

hands unless it looks like they may have hit a flush higher than yours to go with their low

hand. Flushes are often played fast, but not always, as how they are played is very

subjective to the situation you are in. You want to eliminate highs who may be tempted to

stay in and try to outdraw you, and also eliminate lows to increase your chances of

scooping the pot. Obviously, the presence of four low cards or a made low hand enhances

the quality of your flush being you still have a chance for or have made a hand qualifying

for the low half of the pot.

Shifting Gears

Many times you will be jamming with a flush, but you need to shift gears with the

hand based on the situation you are in. When the pot is multi-way and it looks like people

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will be staying involved to the river who are on lows or low draws, jam with your flush to

build up the high half of the pot that you are likely to win unless, of course, they are

showing four to a flush that would beat your flush. When that is the case, you have to

slow it down and carefully assess the situation, staying in for one bet but no more than

that if you are not going low as well. For instance, suppose a player holding Ah 7h 8s 6d

is first to act and bets, and is raised by a player holding 4s 7s Ks Qs. You hold 3d 8d Td

9d Jd 7c. You need to fold. You have no outs for the low, and the spades have likely made

a flush. It is not worth calling two bets hoping to win half of the pot with a flush that is

likely the second best hand. Four suited cards that could be indicative of a better flush

than you pose a serious threat, and while it is difficult to fold your hand, that is what you

need to do when it looks like you are second best for the high in a pot that is likely to be

split. If the bet came from a player holding a pair or other high hand on the board and the

four suited cards that could represent a higher flush than you hold were yet to act, just

call and fold if the four-flush raises.

When a player holds three rather than four suited cards, fold if it looks like he is

going high and on a flush, but call if he looks to have a low hand. For instance, if you

held a jack-high flush, and a player holding 9s Ks 2d Js raised, fold, as it is clear that he

is not going low with the hand. But, if he held 9s 4s 5s 2d and raised, go ahead and call.

Raising

Raising is a good move any time you believe it will eliminate players. A flush is a

good hand, but it will still split the pot with a low hand and is vulnerable to high hands.

The best way to eliminate highs is to raise after a low has bet and there are high hands yet

to act who have gotten by cheaply up until now, and you suspect that they are on a

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straight or flush draw, pair or two pair. The less money that a player going high has put

into the pot, the more likely it is a bet or raise will eliminate him. Some games are so

passive that everyone checks or gets by two streets with just one bet until a player finally

makes a low hand and bets with it. A marginal high hand such as two pair or a flush draw

is likely to be eliminated if you raise after a low has bet, because they will not want to

stay involved in hopes of drawing to a hand that will win them just half of the pot. Low

hands are best eliminated when they are on a draw to a marginal low. For instance,

suppose you are in a three-way pot and hold 3c 5c 9c Tc Qc 8c. A player holding 9s Ts

Kd Kh comes out and bets and behind you is a player holding 5s 8s 9d Jd. A raise will

likely get him out of the way. If you just called (especially if he was loose) he would be

tempted to stay in because he knows if he catches one more low card he can split half of

the pot with the high hand. But even a loose player will have a tough time calling two

bets to catch a card in hopes of splitting the pot.

Of course, when you have a big flush and believe its the best, raise or re-raise a

possible flush that has bet.

Calling

Whenever you bet or raise, you want to either build up the pot if you believe you

are a lock for half of or the entire pot, or eliminate players. There are times though when

that can not be accomplished, and it is best to just call a bet rather than raise it up.

One instance is when a high hand bets and it looks like a raise will be coming

from a hand that is yet to act. For instance, suppose a player with a pair of kings showing

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comes out and bets. You hold a queen-high flush. Most of the time, you will raise in this

situation if the kings are in fact a full house, you will be re-raised and can get away

from the flush. But before you automatically say raise, look who is yet to act. If there

are four-lows or three wheel cards showing who bet aggressively on Fifth Street, just call.

A made low hand is not going to fear kings, and will do the raising for you. Another time

when calling is the right move as opposed to raising is when it is down to just high hands,

and you believe players will stay involved despite your raise, or that players going high

yet to act will fold because of the action from the original better.

Be Aware of Open Trips

Folding a flush is incredibly difficult, but you need to carefully assess your

situation when you are up against trips, folding if the pot will be split and you have no

low or very good low draw. Say you are sitting on a jack-high flush, and a player holding

Kh Ks Ad Kd bets and the action is to you. Heads-up, or when you are going for the

entire pot you can call here and on the river as a flush is about a 5-to-1 favorite against

trips. But folding is a safe play, and the right one when the pot will be split. Trips,

especially big trips, are a dangerous sign that indicate quads or a full house. A flush will

beat trips, but not a full house, so laying it down is a safe play rather than playing for half

of the pot only to find out you are beat.

A Low is a Go

Whenever you are fortunate enough to have a low hand to go with your flush,

raise with it. You have the flush for the high, and even if a player has made a straight or a

low hell be beat on the high half of the pot. Certainly there will be a time or two over

your many hours of playing stud 8 where you will have a flush with a low qualifier

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cracked anyone at a stud 8 table can share that bad beat story with you but this is a

very solid hand and you only slow down with it when a possible bigger flush or player

with a full house raises your bet or re-raises your raise.

A Tricky Hand

Flushes are a good hand, but can also be a very dangerous hand in a game in

which the pot is split, which is why you can not automatically be raising or calling with

your flush. Laying it down is a rarity, but situations arise where you have to make that

tough lay-down. When it looks like you are not the best high hand and the pot will be

split, get away from the hand. Open trips are an indicator of that. When the pot is not

going to be split, you can take more chances with the flush, calling a bet and even two

bets when there is a chance you will win the entire pot. You can also do this if you have a

draw to a quality low hand or have made a low hand. Finally, you must remember that

players are more likely to fold in this game at Sixth Street than in regular 7-card stud, so

whenever you believe you have a chance to eliminate a player who holds a marginal high

or low draw, take that opportunity to enhance your chances of scooping.

Quick tips for play of flushes:

RAISE or BET when you believe doing so will narrow the field, as this

enhances your chances of scooping the pot. Also raise or bet in a multi-way pot

when you are up against other low hands/draws and believe you are a lock for

the high half of the pot to build up the half you will win.

CALL when you are not sure how your flush stacks up against other high

hands and believe that a raise will not get anyone to drop. An example is a big

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 pair betting with more than two players who look to be on good low draws yet

to act. Always call if you have a low with the flush being you have a chance

both ways for the pot unless its clear you are beat both ways.

FOLD when you have a strong belief that you are not the best high hand, have

no low or a poor low draw and the pot is likely to be split, such as when a

player looks to have made a higher flush or full house and raises.

High Straights

High straights are hands that cause many a stud 8 player to have a sick feeling in

his stomach. While they are a good hand for the high because they edge out lower

straights, you have to be very careful when playing them and be confident that they are

the best high hand unless you also have a low or good low draw to go with the straight.

Though a straight will certainly be played more times than it will be folded, when playing

the straight you want to be sure yours is the best high hand or get out of the way.

Reasons to Go

Because a straight is not as strong as a flush, you need to play the hand more

tightly than you would a flush. That means folding anytime it appears a player has made a

hand higher than yours in a multi-way pot, and erring on the side of caution when you are

not sure. Youll remember from the previous section that you fold your flush if you

believe you are beat and in a split-pot. The same advice applies here, but you need to be

even more tight, folding anytime a four-flush bets and lows are involved meaning the pot

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will be split. Even if the four-flush has three or four low cards, it is still too risky to call

him for what will be at the very least two more bets and could very well be more than

that if other low hands are involved. Even heads up, fold if a four-flush with three or four

to the low bets because a split-pot is likely the best you can hope for.

When a pair bets, you can call if you are heads up and going for the entire pot

because a straight is a favorite against trips or two pair - but do not call open trips or a big

two pair unless its heads up and he just made trips or two pair and can not qualify for the

low. When low hands are involved, a lay-down is the safe play when you have no shot at

hitting a winning low hand, unless you are very confident that the player with the pair or

two pair has not filled up.

Raise or Call?

The same advice on raising verses calling with a flush applies to straights do so

when it will achieve your objective of either: 1) building up the pot which you believe

you are a lock to win half of or 2) eliminate players who may be trying to stick around to

hit a low on the cheap. When neither of these things apply, just call with your hand.

Raising is most effective when there is only one or two low draws involved in the

hand and they have invested little in the pot. Here, when the high hand bets (as long as it

is not a four-flush or four-straight representing a straight higher than yours) raise if a

player or two with two low cards or three lousy low cards (ie, 468) are involved and do

not look to have any chance at hitting the high. Ideally, that will get you heads up against

the player with the high hand showing.

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 You also want to raise when you believe doing so will eliminate the high player

who bet, or of course get any low hand involved out of the picture. This is most effective

when three and especially four of the cards of your straight are exposed. For instance,

suppose you have a ten high straight. A player with a pair of queens bets, and the action is

to you. A player showing 3h 8h 9c 7s and a player showing 2h 4c Qd Js are yet to act.

Raise it up. Calls from one or both of the low hands are likely with a call, but not with a

raise. Of course if the queens check to you, you bet. Even if you had to act after the low

hands, still raise to put added pressure on the queens. A split pot is likely, but do all you

can to make sure you hit the high half of the pot.

As with flushes, you do not need to raise a high hand when it appears a raise will

be coming. So if it is checked, just check and if the high hand you think you have beat

bets, just call when it looks like a low hand acting after you will be raising. Of course,

you want to be pretty sure the raise or bet will take place, and if you have any doubts at

all bet or raise. Bets and raises from lows become more likely the more low hands are yet

to act.

Finally, you can raise when you believe you are a lock to win the high half of the

pot, but you need to proceed more carefully than you would with a flush. This means

calling is the safer move as more low hands are involved that have two or more suited

cards. For instance, if you held 8s 9s Tc Jd Qs Ad and there were two other players

involved showing As 3d 7d 8h and 2s 3c 6d 7h, bet into the lows and re-raise as your

straight is nearly a lock for the high half of the pot. But, anytime three or more lows are

involved and any one of them has a three-flush, calling is wiser when you believe a raise

will not eliminate them because there is a chance they might back into a flush and scoop.

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Calling should also be done when lows with three suited cards bet or raise, because there

is a possibility they may have improved to a flush along with their low hand. When four-

flushes are involved, fold if the pot looks to be split and the four-flush bets.

Remember that straights are good hands, but are much more risky of a hand in

stud 8 than in regular 7-card stud due to the fact that when you lose with them you can

end up losing a bundle and when you win with them they are usually just good for the

high half of the pot. (A big reason big straights are straights you should back into and not

draw to from Third Street!). Play them fast when you think you can get people out of the

way and fold whenever you believe you are not the best high hand. Call when you are not

sure about the status of your high hand and have a potential to win the entire pot or when

you believe raising will not be effective in eliminating the players who might outdraw

you.

Quick tips for play of high straights on Sixth Street:

RAISE or BET when doing so will eliminate other players. This increases

your chance to scoop, and also eliminates players who on a high draw. It is

especially effective when you raise after a low hand has bet and high draws are

still waiting, because then they will have to call two bets to stay involved for

half of the pot.

CALL when raises or bets will not eliminate the field and when you are

playing for the entire pot and believe you might be beat but are not sure. You

can also call when it looks like low hands yet to act will be raising after you.

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 FOLD when you believe you are not the best high hand and are in a multi-way

pot likely to be split. This is when trips bet or raise and low hands are lurking,

and anytime four suited cards raise.

Trips

Trips can be played if you can see the river for one bet and do not think you are

up against any straights or flushes from the lows, and can be played for another bet even

if you are behind when there is no chance that the pot will be split. In split-pot situations,

trips become problematic and worse as more low hands are involved because it becomes

more likely that one of the low hands has made a straight or flush. Therefore, when

playing trips, you want to: 1) be up against other hands going high and/or 2) reduce the

field to increase your chances of scooping and eliminate hands that might outdraw you.

Many times, trips will win the high half of the pot, and you can stay involved to the

showdown against low hands if you do not believe that they are drawing to or have hit a

straight or a flush. Unfortunately, many times a flush or straight from a low can be

hidden, so you need to tighten up with this hand anytime you sense a low may have

caught a high hand as well. Do not make the mistake many stud 8 players do and call

with this hand to the river hoping it will become a full house when the pot looks like it

will be split and a low hand has hit a straight or flush to go with his low, because its just

not worth being an underdog for half of the pot.

Split Pot vs. Scooping

Just how tight should you be with trips? In a pot that looks to be split (a player

showing four low cards or at least two players with three-lows) fold anytime a player bets

or raises with a four-flush (especially if he looks to be going high with the flush) and

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whenever a four-straight bets or raises. Folding is also a good idea if a player making two

open pair raises in a split-pot situation, unless more than two of his cards to hit a full

house are gone.

The situation changes when you are going for the entire pot, and you can stay for

up to two bets unless you think you are drawing dead. This is certainly a lot more liberal

than when the pot will be split, but calling for up to two bets is the right move unless you

are looking at open trips that are higher than you or an open pair bigger than you that you

suspect represents a full house, because of your implied odds. And of course, if play is

passive and players look to be on a draw, bet and make them pay to see the river or raise

if you believe a player holds a weaker hand than you, such as a smaller set or two pair.

Do not get savvy though and raise to try to drive out drawing hands, as if you are going

for the entire pot and a player going high has already bet, the raise isnt going to

eliminate him and you may already be behind in the hand. Remember: calling is okay on

Sixth Street even when you may be behind in the hand because you are getting good

implied odds on your hand. For instance, if you suspected you were up against a flush

who bet and was called by a possible high straight, stay in because even though you are

behind in the hand if you hit your boat you know the flush and straight will call your

raise.

Keep reminding yourself that folding with trips is just fine when you have doubts

about being the best hand when the pot looks to be split. The more players that become

involved, the more you should be apt to fold the hand, because the stronger the chances

are of a split pot. Anytime you are looking at two bets, it becomes an automatic fold. The

only exception is if you have three-of-a-kind with three low cards to go with it.

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 Quick tips for play of trips on Sixth Street:

RAISE or BET when doing so will narrow the field. Raising or betting is

especially important because you are vulnerable to lows backing into a straight

on the river, and trips are a good but not great high hand.

CALL one bet when it looks like the pot is not going to be split. You can even

call if you are behind up to two bets against a possible flush or straight because

you are getting good implied odds. You can call one bet against low hands but

need to carefully assess calling a raise from a low hand, getting out of his way

if he has a four-flush or four-straight.

FOLD anytime you are in pot that looks like it will be split and have a doubt as

to whether or not your opponent going low has made a flush or a straight to go

with his low hand. Defensive raises will not help you because you will just get

called or re-raised by the low, so get out of the way anytime you suspect you

are behind for the high in split-pot situations.

Two Pair

Remember: two pair is a very dangerous hand in stud 8. Two pair usually have

very little likelihood of hitting the low half of the pot, so when you have two pair on

Sixth Street and are going to see the river, you must 1) be certain that your two pair are

the best high hand, 2) do what you can to eliminate players and 3) not be in a raised pot

when lows are involved.

Passive Hands

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 The best shot at having two pair win a pot is in games that are passive. While this

means that the pot will not be all that large, you are happy to win anything with two pair.

When players have gotten a free card or two, it becomes easier for you to get them to fold

when they have not improved, being they have very little at stake. So, if you hold two

pair, and have players showing weak boards who have checked on Fifth Street, bet your

hand and try to take it down.

Calling

You can call for one bet with two pair when you have a strong belief that it is the

best high hand. This happens when a player with a three-low bets (assuming you are not

the high) and gets calls from another three-low or four-low hand that does not look to

have made a flush or straight to go with his hand. Of course, if first to act in this scenario,

bet and try to win the pot or narrow the field.

Folding

Even though you are a 10 to 1 long-shot to hit a full house, many inexperienced

stud 8 players can not resist the urge to call. Facing these long odds is even a bad move in

stud when you think you are beat, but in stud 8 it becomes a disaster when you have a

feeling that your two pair is not the best high hand and a player or two appear to have

locked up the low half of the pot. Therefore, you must tighten up when playing two pair

in split-pot situations. Unless its a gem like Ah As 2s 2h 3c 4d, this hand needs to be

dumped anytime there is a raise from a player who may have made a higher hand than

you or a low who may have hit a straight or a flush.

Checking

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 Conventional wisdom when you have a high hand is that you want to bet or raise

to protect it. That is the case when you believe you can narrow the field, but there are

situations in which that can not be done and a bet from you will most certainly be raised.

That is when there is a four-low hand or two or more hands with three low cards of seven

or smaller waiting in the wings. If a player or two is waiting to act and they have played

passively on Fifth Street and caught a bad card on Sixth and do not appear to have a shot

at a straight or a flush, bet if you believe it will eliminate them. Certainly bet your two

pair if a three-low and weak high hand waiting look to be hoping for a free card. But with

a four-low waiting or several three-lows of quality lurking, a bet will be coming from

them unless the game is ultra-tight-passive, so just check and call, folding if its more

than one bet.

The goal with two pair is to narrow the field as much as possible or win it right

here on Sixth Street. When that can not be done, you want to see the river card on the

cheap which means calling for one bet as long as you do not sense a flush or straight from

one of the low hands involved in the pot. When raising begins from lows or highs that

appear to have hit something that will crush your two pair, dump the hand and save

yourself the agony of calling to the river with the second or third best high hand unless

you have a shot at a great low.

Quick tips for play of two pair on Sixth Street:

RAISE or BET when doing so will win you the pot or narrow the field. Two

pair is a hand that needs to be protected because it is very vulnerable to

drawing hands and low hands that may back into the straight. Do not raise or

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 bet though if it appears you will be re-raised, such as when a good four-low or

possible flush or straight is going to act behind you.

CALL or CHECK when you believe that a bet will not thin the field, such as

if you are the high hand but potential low hands or made highs will act after

you, as a bet is certain. You can also call a bet if you are going for the entire

pot and you are not sure if you are the best hand but feel you have a reasonable

shot at the pot.

FOLD whenever you doubt the strength of your two pair. Anytime you do not

believe you are the best high hand and the pot is multi-way, you need to dump

the two pair. You should also fold when bets come from a four-flush or four-

straight, or when you are facing two bets unless you are absolutely certain that

the raiser or the initial person who bet do not hold a higher hand than you.

Pairs

When you are sitting on just a pair on Sixth Street, you have to fold if you do not

have a low hand or a good low draw to go with it and the pot looks to be split unless you

have aces or are very confident that no one going low poses a threat to hit a straight and

your pair looks to be the best high hand. This is done when the field is small, and there

are just one or two low hands involved who do not appear to have made anything for the

high. When you are not sure, you can call for one bet if you believe that the pair will be

good for the high half of the pot and you are on a draw to hit a low hand that, if made,

will get you the low half of the pot. But, if you are just going high with the pair and have

no chance to hit a low and have a hunch someone might have hit a straight or a flush,

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your hand becomes unplayable. The only exception is if you held a pair of aces with a

four-low or four-flush. If it is anything other than that, you need to get away from the

hand. This is because with anything other than aces, you become vulnerable to lows that

back into high hands such as a pair of aces, two pair or a straight.

Semi-Bluffs

An exception to getting away from your pair is when you believe a bet or raise

will win you the pot. This happens when you have a board that looks threatening, are in a

tight game, and players do not have much invested. For instance, if you held a hand of Kd

Kc 2s 3s 5h 6s, you could bet if it is checked to you. (This hand is one you can also call

one bet with so long as the bet did not come from a player with a possible flush or

straight). Use your exposed cards to your advantage whenever you can, but also be alert

to what your opponents hold. A semi-bluff isnt going to win you the pot if players look

to have made high or low hands, but when players have been playing passively hoping to

hit something and are still on the draw, use what you are showing to your advantage and

take a shot at the pot.

Avoid Raises

Whenever a raise takes place, you need to fold your hand unless you are on an

exceptional draw to a low (such as if you held Ad 2c As 3s 4h 6d) or have a good low

hand to go with your pair (such as 6s 6h 2s 5s Ad 3c) or have outs to a straight or flush

with your pair and have a low or four-low that if made has a good chance to be the best

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low hand. With hands like these that have a chance to scoop, you can gamble a little as

long as you believe there is some chance your low hand will get you the low half of the

pot. For instance, suppose you hold 5d 5h 8d Ad 3s 2d and are in late position. A player

holding Js Jc 9d Ts bets, and is raised by a player holding 3d 6s 7h 2c. Go ahead and call.

The player who raised may have a better low than you, but you have a pair, a four-flush,

and a made low hand, so see the river.

Note that the above example gives you a low hand, which allows you to call two

bets. If you just had a pair with no low draw and there was a raise, dump the hand unless

your low options look good and you have outs for a good high. With a good low draw

with the pair that also has outs for a good high hand, your chances to scoop are improved

and as you know by now, stud 8 is all about the scoop.

Remember: do not get married to a pair, especially in stud 8. When your pair does

not have a low or good low draw to go with it, or a draw to a hand that will be the best

high hand if made that you can see for one bet, dumping the pair is the best move. It can

be very tempting to play a pair for another bet when you believe it is the best high hand

and your opponents are just going low, but the problem is your opponents may be free-

rolling and could be sitting on a high hand as well. You can be more liberal when you

hold aces with a four-low and are up against another low hand, but most of the time a pair

needs to be dumped. Maybe you are the best hand, but its not worth fighting for half of a

pot. If few people are involved or you are just heads up, you are just trying to get your

money back. If it is a family pot, it becomes more likely that the pair is beat so unless

youve got other options with the pair, get away from it and save your chips until you are

in better shape.

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 Quick tips for play of pairs on Sixth Street:

BET or RAISE when you believe doing so will win you the pot. This is

typically done when the field is already narrow, or when you have exposed

cards that represent something that looks to be a lock for the low. Raising or

betting is also more effective in tight games and in hands when people have

limped to see Sixth Street and do not have much invested in the pot.

CALL for one bet if you believe your pair is good for the high. You need to

proceed with caution though and get away from the pair if there is a raise.

Never call for two bets unless the raise came from a low with no straight or

flush and you have additional outs to a big high or a good low hand.

FOLD whenever you believe your pair is not good for the high unless you

have a low or draw to what will be the best low if you hit it. Even with outs for

a good high hand, its not worth fighting to get half of the pot unless it has

become quite large.

Low Draws

Your heart is racing when you have a four-low on Sixth Street, because by now

the pot may have become quite large. You are sitting on something that has potential, and

can either turn into gold on the river or cause a stack of your chips to quickly vanish. So

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how should you play those pesky low draws? As is the answer in so many cases in poker,

it depends on many factors.

When you hold four cards to a low, you can stay for one more bet if: 1) You have

a high hand to go with it that has a reasonable possibility for winning the high half of the

pot; 2) You have a hand that is drawing in both directions and 3) You are in a large pot

with high hands and have already called in the previous rounds and believe that if made,

your low will be the best.

When you have a high hand with your low draw, the quality is enhanced because

the possibility to scoop is greater, being you already have what may win you half of the

pot. Obviously the bigger your high hand is the better position you are in.

The more you have invested in the pot, call rather than fold. When you have

invested heavily in the pot on a hand that started out good with promise (such as 2h 3s 4h

6d Ks 9d) you can still call due to the amount you have put in the pot. The only time you

fold a low draw is when it looks like you are drawing dead (drawing to a low that even if

made will not be the best low). Obviously, draws to an eight-low are highly questionable

unless no other low hands are possible, but when youve put a lot in the pot, its worth

your while to call once more and see what happens.

How Many Bets?

Though you can call for one bet with your low draw when drawing to what will

be the best low and the pot is large or you have outs for the high, carefully assess your

situation when facing more than one bet. When the pot is raised, that raise isnt coming

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from a drawing hand at this stage (unless the player is a maniac). A raise means a player

has hit a high hand that he wants to protect, or has a low hand that he wants to jam the pot

with. Dont convince yourself the raise is for some other reason! If you have already bet

and are raised, call as long as the raise was not from a hand that looks to be on a better

low hand as you have already put money into the pot on this hand. If the raise was from a

high hand, call if you have already bet but fold unless you are also on a draw to a high

hand that, if made, will allow you to scoop the pot.

Heads-Up

When you are facing a bet and you are heads-up, or you believe that you will be

heads up as other players yet to act will fold to the person who bet, dump the low draw

unless: 1) you have put in three bets or more; 2) the pot is quite large or 3) you have outs

to the high which will beat your opponent if you hit it and scoop you the pot. If the pot is

large, you are of course not likely to be heads up because other players will have invested

in the pot too, so heads-up or when there is three-way action, the pot is typically small.

With a small pot, you are getting lousy pot odds on your bet, which means you need to

get out of the way if you do not have a good high hand with your low draw. Even a good

low draw becomes junk because it is just that a draw. For it to be good, you want more

hands who may be on weaker draws to pay you off on Seventh Street if you hit your

hand. Why try to hit a hand that will win you just half of the pot if you hit it, especially if

that pot is small?

Summarizing low draws, play them when they look to be a draw to the best low

and the pot is large, or when you still have a shot or a draw to what may be the best high

hand. Try to see the river for as cheaply as you can being you have a draw, and when you

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face more than one bet carefully look at your situation and ask yourself who raised and

with what he may have raised, getting out of the way if he has a better low than you are

drawing to. Finally, dump the hand when have not invested heavily or the pot is small

because you are not getting sufficient pot odds to proceed with it.

Quick tips for play of low draws on Sixth Street:

CALL for as cheaply as you can. Stay in for one bet the larger the pot is, and

when you believe you are drawing to what will be the best low. You can also

stay in when you have a high hand or excellent high draw to go with your low

draw. If raised you can call as long as the raise did not come from a better low

hand than you are drawing to. One of the best situations to be in is to have a

large field and have a hand with scooping potential because you are getting

excellent implied odds.

FOLD in heads-up or three-way situations in which the pot is small. Its not

worth staying involved just to get your money back. The only time you can

stay involved in a heads-up situation is when your scooping potential is

excellent, such as when you have a good high hand or great potential to hit a

solid high or low hand (such as a four-flush with a four-low).

Flush and Straight Draws

Flush and straight draws can be played when you also have a draw to the low that

you think will be the best low hand. They can also be played if there are no low hands

involved and you believe that you are drawing to what will be the best high hand if you

hit it. But when you have no draw to a low hand and it looks like the pot is going to be

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split, dump a flush or straight draw. At best you have about a 4-to-1 shot to hit your hand

which will be good for half of the pot if you do hit it. Those four hearts you hold may

look nice, but they are just going to get you into trouble if you play them hoping to hit a

flush in a multi-way pot where people have already locked up half of the pot, so get away

from them! The rule with flush and straight draws is tighten up when its multi-way,

staying in when you are on a good low draw with your flush or straight draw, but getting

out when you are only going one way. When there is no one involved who can get a low

hand, you can loosen up and stick around to the river for a bet so long as you believe you

are not drawing dead.

Quiz on Sixth Street Play

Question 1: You hold two pair, kings and queens. There are three other players involved

in the pot. They are showing 2s 4h 8s Qh, 3d Ts 6h 8c and 2c 8d Jc Th. You are first to act

with a pair on the board. Do you bet or check?

Answer: Bet. None of the other players are showing a possible flush or straight. You may

be raised if the two low hands go at it, but you need to protect your two pair and, being

the pot looks to be split, should get more money in there from the low hands to build up

the half you are likely to win.

Question 2: You hold trips, 9s 9h Ks 9c Jd 2s. There are four other players involved in

the pot. First to act is a player showing Ts Th 8s 7d, and he bets. He is quickly raised by a

player showing 2d 4d 8d 7c, and is called by a player holding 2c 3c 4c Ad. It is now two

bets to you. Do you raise, call or fold?

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Answer: Fold. Unfortunately your trips are not likely the best hand in this situation. If

you were playing for the entire pot, calling the two bets would be an acceptable risk

because you would be getting good implied odds on your hand. But when you are playing

for only half of the pot and are not sure you are the best high hand, get away from it. The

tens likely have trips, and the four-low may have a straight, and the 3-flush might have a

flush so release the trips.

Question 3: You are on a flush draw, holding 8s Ts Js Ks 4c 6d. The first player to act

bets, holding Ac 3c 7c Jh. He is called by a player holding 3s 2h 8c 6h, and the action is

to you. Do you fold or call?

Answer: Fold. You are in a bad situation if you call because a split pot is nearly certain.

The odds are against you hitting your flush, and to make matters worse even if you hit it

you might not be the best flush as one of your opponents holds a three flush. If you had a

shot at the entire pot, or good low draw to go with your four-flush, you could call, but

calling here is a bad move.

Question 4: You hold 2s 3s 4c 5h Kd Qs and are in a multi-way pot with four other

players. The player holding Js Jc 2s 4d bets. He is called by a player holding 4s 5s 8d Td,

and the action is to you. Yet to act are a player holding 3c 6d Ts 9d and a player holding

6c 7d Qh Tc. Do you fold, call or raise?

Answer: Call. You are still on a draw, and there is a good shot you are up against a

player who has made his low hand. However, you are on a draw to what looks to be the

best low if you hit it, and being the pot is multi-way you are getting good pot odds. You

also have a shot at a straight, making a call worth wile.

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Question 5: You hold a pair with a low draw, Qs Qh 2s 3c 4s 6s. There are two other

players involved in the pot. The player holding Kh 7s Td 8c is first to act and checks. A

player holding 4c Tc 8d Js also checks, and now the action is on you. Do you bet or

check?

Answer: Bet. Take a shot at the pot right now. Your opponents have nothing threatening,

and its worth it to take a shot. Even if you get one or both of them to call you, you still

have a good shot to win the pot on the river as neither one of them are on draws to the

low that are better than your draw.

Question 6: You hold a king-high flush, Ks 7s 8s 9s Js Ad. Three other players are

involved in the pot. A player holding Ac 8d 7d 6d is first to act and bets. He is called by a

player holding 2h 8h 9c Ts and the action is you. Waiting to act is a player holding 8c Kh

6h 2d. Do you raise or call?

Answer: Raise. You have a solid hand in your flush, so raising is the best move. It might

get the player with the marginal low hand or draw to fold, but even if everyone calls your

raise you want to build up the pot for the half you are likely to win. You look to be in

great shape for the high, so play your hand for what it is worth and bang away.

Question 7: You hold a nine-high straight with a low draw, 5c 6s Tc 7d 8h 9h. There are

three other players involved in the pot. A player holding Ad Ac 3s 6h bets. He is raised by

a player who holds 2d 4d Td Kd and the action is to you. Waiting to act is a player who

holds 2s 4s 6d 3c. Do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Fold. This is a tough lay-down, but it is what you need to do. There is no way

you are going to win the low half of the pot, and the raise by the diamonds should be a

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clear signal that you are looking at a flush (especially being he has two high cards).

Maybe he raised on the come with a low draw or is trying to buy the pot, but do you

really want to take that chance calling two bets here and likely more than one bet on the

river? As difficult as it is, fold your hand now and be done with it it looks much better

than it is.

Question 8: You hold a low-qualifying hand of 2s 5h Kd 7s 8c 6c. There are two other

players involved in the pot. One holds Ac Ah 2d 4d and is the first to act and bets. He is

raised by a player holding 3s 4s 5c 6d. The action is now to you. Do you fold, call or

raise?

Answer: Fold. Just because you have a low hand does not mean you have locked up half

of the pot. Many players cant resist calling with a low hand, and get tunnel vision. A call

in this situation is a bad move because you have one of the worst low hands possible, and

there is no way you are going to hit the high hand. Dump this lousy low and wait for a

better hand.

Question 9: You hold a full house, Ks Kh Kd 7c 7s Ac. There are three other players

involved in the pot who look to be going low or on low draws. They hold As 3s 5s 8c, Ad

2d 7d 8h and 3s 4h 5c Qs. You are the first to act. Do you bet or check, hoping for a

check-raise?

Answer: Check. This is a situation in which you can get more money by checking

because a bet or perhaps two bets become very likely. When it comes back to you, you

will raise it up because with each of these players holding what could be a good hand in

either direction, it will be very difficult for them to get away from their hands so they will

pay you off.

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Question 10: You hold a six high low hand, As 4s Ks 6c 3d 2c. A player with an open

pair, 2h Kd Ks 9s bets and the action is to you. Waiting to act are two players, who hold

2d 5h Js Td and 6s 4d 8s Tc. Do you call or raise?

Answer: Call. Your first instinct is to raise, but doing that will cost you money. If you

just call, then the two players who have two and three low cards showing will be more

likely to call. Facing two bets, they are much more likely to fold, meaning you would be

heads up against a hand you will split the pot with. You are essentially a lock for the low,

so try to keep the other players who are going low involved so your payoff will be bigger

on the river.

Summary of Sixth Street

Sixth Street is a place in stud 8 that can see a lot of action. By this point, players

have made a good low hand and are banging away with it, or have made a very solid high

hand they are trying to protect. You want to be in great shape in either direction, either

having made a hand or have a drawing hand that gives you a great chance to scoop if you

hit it.

Sixth Street also further illustrates why it is so much better to be going low than

high in stud 8. When you have a low hand, you can continue on cruise control against

other highs, but when you have a high you have to sweat it out unless its a monster hand

hoping that it will hold up for half of the pot unless all of the low hands are gone.

Because of that, you can play low draws with outs in both directions or in large pots

where you have a shot at the best low, but need to get out of the way with a marginal high

hand such as a pair or two pair when you believe you may have run up against a better

high hand or low hand who has also hit a high hand. You do not do this in stud where you

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are playing for the entire pot because you are getting better odds on your draw but

when you are playing for only half of the pot high draws or marginal high hands become

trash that will only get you in trouble.

The keys to success at Sixth Street are knowing when you have the best high hand

and resisting the urge to try to outdraw a better high hand for half of the pot, and also

knowing when you are behind on the low end. Drawing hands are playable under the

right circumstances, but you need to know what those circumstances are. When playing a

draw, look at the size of the pot, how much you have invested in it, and most importantly

make sure you are not drawing dead. You also have to keep up the pressure on other

drawing hands when you have made a low or high hand to protect your investment

never give a free card to a hand that has the chance to outdraw you.

Chapter 6 Seventh Street

Introduction

Seventh Street can be a place of relaxation or intense stress. Sometimes youve

locked up the low or have a monster high hand, so you can bet and raise with confidence,

knowing that at least half of the pot will be yours. Other times, you have a marginal hand

in either direction, and will be tempted to fold if its just one bet.

How you play your hand on Seventh Street is pretty straightforward in the sense

that it is usually worthwhile to call for at least one bet if you have a hand in either

direction unless you are certain you are beat. This is because you have put in money on

the previous betting rounds, and even if you have doubts it is just one more bet to call.

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Despite that, you will not be playing every hand the same way there will be times when

folding is the right call, and many times you will be betting with the hand.

This section will examine the various hands you can hold and how to play them.

To avoid repetition, in some cases the advice will be straightforward so there will not be

as much depth as on the pervious betting rounds. Other times, hands will be trickier and

more detail will be warranted. The section will wrap up with some general concepts to

remember when you play your hand on Seventh Street, and one final quiz for you to test

your knowledge of how a hand should be played.

Monster Highs and Lows

Monster high hands include full houses or better and a five or six-low. (Though

unless you have a full house of aces full, your boat can at times suffer a bad beat.) With

these hands, its rare that you will be beat so you want to bet or raise with them. Playing

them passively in hopes of keeping people in is no longer necessary, because there are no

more cards to come. People are also more apt to call on Seventh Street with anything,

because they have been in the pot for so long its worthwhile to stay involved even if a

player thinks he is beat because of the pot odds. But, you do not always want to

immediately bet or raise with your hand.

Check-Raising

Check-raising on the river with a powerful hand is usually not a profitable move

in regular 7-card stud, because you are less certain that you will get a bet which you can

raise. It can be a good move in stud 8 though. It is better if you are in early position and

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the player who will bet will be betting close to you. Obviously you want more people

involved as well, to up your payoff. An example of a great situation in which to check-

raise is when you hold a full house, and a player with a good four-low will be acting soon

after you and two or more other players have three or four low cards showing. Here a bet

is almost certain, so go ahead and check and wait for the other players to bet. If you bet

and are raised by the four-low, it puts more pressure on the hands yet to act but if you

check and let a four-low bet who gets several callers and then raise, those involved in the

pot will be more apt to call being its just one more bet to them.

You can also check-raise on the low end. This is when you have a great low hand

that is concealed, such as if you held Ah 2s Kd Ks 4s 5d 3c. No one knows what is

coming when your low hand is concealed, and if you check, the first thing players will

think is that you have a two pair or trips and are playing the hand passively against good

low hands that may have backed into a straight or flush. Here you can check with the

hand when it looks like another player will bet and get callers.

Calling

Calling is not recommended when you have a monster hand. But, every so often

you will be up against someone you think may have you beat. When that is the case, how

you act depends on what he is showing.

When you are up against a player with an open set of trips showing that, if they

represent a full house, would beat your full house, check and call one bet. When the

player has a big pair showing that could represent a bigger full house, raise if it has not

been raised already and call if re-raised. The only time you would just call after a big pair

bets is if you were convinced he had in fact made a full house that beats you with three

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of a kind showing the call is the right move as opposed to the raise, but with a pair he

could just be trying to protect trips. Play your hand for what it is worth full houses do

not come along very often, and if you are beat you are beat. Playing scared will just cost

you money.

On the low end, you of course cant lose with a wheel, so bet with it or check-

raise. With a six-low, you are a near lock, so play the hand aggressively. If you suffer a

bad beat with a player who hit a wheel on one end and a player who hit a flush on the

other, about all you can do is blow off the beat. The only time you call with a six-low is if

a player showing A234 or 2345 raised. Here, you could be beat or in a situation where

you tie for the low, so calling is the right move.

The bottom line with a monster high or low is play it aggressively, and maximize

what you will win. With full houses, try for the check-raise when you think you can get it,

and only call rather than raise when you believe you are up against a bigger boat. On very

rare occasions you can fold a full house when you believe you are beat (big open trips

bet, a four-low raises, and its to you). On the low end, play your hand aggressively as

well, only easing up when you have a belief someone has made a wheel.

Quick tips for play of monster hands on the river:

RAISE or BET most of the time. You have a great hand so play it for what it is

worth.

CALL rarely, only when you have doubts about your hand. This is when a big

pair re-raises you, or when a player holding an open set of trips representing a

possible bigger full house bets.

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 FOLD rarely, only when it costs you more than two bets with a full house you

have a strong suspicion is not going to hold up for the high.

Flushes

Flushes are good hands for the high that, as with monster hands, you play

aggressively in most situations. The only time you play them slowly is when you have

concerns that you may be up against a better hand. Of course, a flush is enhanced when

you have a low hand to go with it as well.

One of the most unwelcome sights for a player who holds a flush or straight is to

see a big pair or worse, trips, held by another player. Do not raise into trips after they bet

unless you believe you are a lock for the low with your flush, but you can raise against a

pair that bets, especially if one and certainly if both of the other cards he needs to have

trips are gone. You also should have been paying attention to how he played his open pair

on Sixth Street. If he bet or raised with it, call rather than raise if you smell a boat. Being

there are no more cards to come your raise cant be done for defensive purposes, so you

want to build up the pot. If the pair you raise or bet into comes back with a re-raise, call.

Low hands should not concern you unless you see three or four suited cards with

an ace. When you see four suited cards with an ace, unless you hold an ace-high flush as

well, check and call with your flush rather than bet into what could be a better flush.

When it is three suited cards with the ace, bet into the hand but do not raise if he comes

out betting.

As with monster high hands, you can attempt a check-raise if you believe it will

be successful and you have no doubt that your hand is good for the high. Again, this is

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best done in early or middle position when it looks certain that a good low hand will bet

and get several callers, as when you raise, the players who have already invested in the

pot are hard pressed to fold.

Finally, you rarely want to lay down a flush unless you are certain that you are

beat. This happens when a possible bigger flush or full house has raised and you are

looking at two or more bets to call. Even then, you still want to call if you have both a

low and a high hand or are playing for the entire pot. With just a high hand, you can call

if you have put a lot of money into the pot unless the raise came from open trips or a big

pair or two pair in a split-pot situation, in which case a full house is very likely. Above all

though, remember that you must be very certain that you are beat. A flush is a very

powerful hand in stud 8, and when you have put in bets on previous betting rounds, you

only want to make a difficult fold when it looks very likely you are not the best high

hand. That means always calling for at least one bet (and calling one more if you are

raised unless you had a perfect read on your opponent) and only backing off when you

are facing two bets or more and the raise came from a possible bigger flush or full house.

Quick tips for play of flushes on Seventh Street:

RAISE or BET frequently with this hand. Its a powerful hand, so play it for

what it is worth. Do not raise an open set of trips who bet, or re-raise an open

pair who bets. Also, do not re-raise a player who has four suited cards that

could represent a bigger flush than you hold.

CALL always for up to one bet unless you are convinced you are up against a

better high hand. Even then, you need to call if you have a low qualifying hand

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 to go with your flush. You should also call if you have been raised because you

invested much into the pot by this point. Losing one more bet is not a big deal;

losing half of or an entire large pot because of a bad read is a disaster.

FOLD rarely, only when you believe you are beat. This occurs when its two

bets or more to you and the raise came from a player with open trips or four

suited cards representing a bigger flush than you hold. The fold becomes easier

if the pot looks to be split because your pot odds are not as great.

Straights

High straights are more difficult to play than flushes due to the fact that they are

not as strong, and are vulnerable to players who may have hit a flush or better high hand.

Even so, straights are a solid hand in stud 8. Lower straights or straights that also have a

low qualifying hand to go with them are more valuable due to the increased potential for

scooping, but higher straights are also strong in that they edge out lower straights and get

you the split pot. The warning signs you need to be careful of are hands that have hit a

flush or better hand.

As with flushes, you can bet into a pair that has checked to you. You can also raise

if he bets and if he did not play the pair aggressively on Sixth Street and there are no

potential flushes yet to act, but call if it looks like something threatening is awaiting (such

as another open pair who played aggressively on Sixth Street). If you fear the player who

bet has made a full house, just call.

Though raising is usually more desirable than calling, there is nothing wrong with

erring on the side of caution. If four suited cards or another pair who played aggressively

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on Sixth Street are waiting to act after you can check because a bet is highly likely

anyway. You also never know if a player may have hit a flush which will beat your

straight, as many times flushes are well hidden.

As with flushes, folding a straight is a rarity, and its always worth seeing on more

bet (because of what you have already invested) unless its obvious that you are beat.

Whenever a raise comes from a player with four suited cards that do not appear to have

hit a low, its a good sign your straight is not going to be good for the high. Never fold if

it is just one bet because you are getting sufficient pot odds to stay involved but when

two bets or more face you, carefully assess the situation and ask yourself who did the

raising? If the raise was from four low cards with no three or four flush, call as you can

put this player on a solid low hand. But if the raise came from a player with three or four

suited cards or a big pair, consider a fold unless you have a chance to scoop, having a

low-qualifying hand with your straight.

While you never want to cost yourself a pot on the river by a bad lay-down, you

are justified in playing a straight more tightly than if you had a flush. In most

circumstances, you want to play your hand aggressively by betting or raising with it when

you believe you hold the winning high hand. But always be on guard for warning signs

and slow down when players who look to be going high start playing their hands hard.

Quick tips for play of straights:

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 RAISE or BET when you believe your straight is good for the high half of the

pot. Never give a free card unless you are certain a raise will follow from

someone yet to act.

CALL when you are not sure about the strength of your straight. When an

open pair, trips, three or four suited cards bet, calling is a safe play, especially

when you have no shot at the entire pot. Always stay involved for at least one

bet unless you are certain you are beat.

FOLD rarely. Times when you can fold are when you have little at stake in the

pot (such as when you have rivered the straight and only put in a bet or two)

and are confident you are beat, or when you are looking at two bets to stay

involved and the pot looks to be split and the raise came from a hand that may

have you beat, such as from an open pair or four suited cards. You can also fold

when open trips bet and you have no shot at the low.

Trips

Trips can be a golden hand when you have a low hand to go with them, or they

can be a devastating hand when you have invested heavily only to get none of the pot.

How you play them is determined by 1) the presence of a low hand to go with them; 2)

how much of the pot you are playing for and 3) what you put your opponents on.

When you hold a low hand to go with trips, you want to bet or raise if you believe

you are the best hand in both directions. When you have doubts, such as if you held an

eight-low with three eights and there is a possible flush held by one player and a good-

looking low held by another player, you can check and call. Its fine to play cautiously

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when you have doubts about your hand, but when youve got trips and a low qualifier,

youve got something very solid, so look for a reason not to play it fast.

If you are playing for the entire pot, you will be more liberal in how you play your

hand, only folding it if you believe youll get neither the high or the low. The problem in

savvy lay-downs is you very well may make the right read on a player who holds a better

high or low hand than you, only to find you misread the other player for a better hand

than he actually held. Trips with the low is a powerful hand, so lay it down only when

you are very sure you are beat both ways.

If you are playing for only half of the pot, you can play trips more tightly. The

problem is many lows back into straights and flushes. That does not mean you lay down

your hand if its just a bet because trips very often win the high half of the pot. But when

raises start, proceed carefully. If its a high hand who raised, he may very well have you

beat; if its a low hand who raised, look at what he raised with if its a four-flush or

four-straight, lay down the hand. You can call if youve already put in money on this

round because of how much you have invested, but anytime you face more than one bet

to get to the showdown, only hold trips and are playing for just half of the pot, be apt to

get away from your hand.

Finally, with any hand you need to have studied your opponents carefully, but

with trips that job becomes even more important. When an opponent bets or raises, use

what he is showing and how he bet on previous rounds to help you deduce what he is

holding. If he has an big open (especially if he paired his door card) and has been playing

it heavily on each round fold if you dont have a low hand to go with it unless the pot can

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not be split. Similarly, if he has a four-flush or four-straight and played it hard on Fifth

and/or Sixth Streets, make the lay down.

Quick tips for play of trips on Seventh Street:

RAISE or BET when you believe you have the best high hand. The best time

to do this is when you either have a low hand to go with your high hand, or are

up against other low hands who do not appear to have made a flush or straight.

CALL always for one bet, unless it is obvious you are beaten (such as open

trips better than you, heavy action on previous rounds and again from a four-

flush or four-straight.)

FOLD when you are only playing for half of the pot and it looks like you are

beat, such as when a four-flush or four-straight raises or bets and it looks like a

raise is coming from a player yet to act.

Two Pair

If you have a good low hand to go with your two pair, and especially if it is aces

up with a low, you can keep calling as long as you do not believe that you are beat in

both directions. With anything other than aces up with a low, you are very vulnerable

especially when another player has an ace showing or a pair that, if it has another pair to

go with it, would beat you for the high. As with trips, be alert for the warning signs. If

you held a hand like 2h 2s 5s 5c 6c 7s 8h, and a bet came from a pair of aces and yet to

act was a player with a three or four-low who had acted aggressively on previous rounds,

lay down the hand its not going to hold up. But, if you held a hand like As Ah 2s 2h 4c

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7s 6d , a pair of kings bet and yet to act was another low, a call is certainly in order unless

the low yet to act looks like it can beat your 76-low hand.

When you are only going high, you usually have to lay down your two pair in

split-pot situations if its more than a bet. Its not worth staying involved for more than a

bet unless you have a strong belief that its good. Unfortunately a straight or flush can be

very well hidden, so when facing more than one bet or a bet with a probable raise to

follow, pause and carefully assess your situation. Folding is the right move unless it

seems virtually impossible for a better high hand to have been hit, as staying in a raised

pot is very dangerous when you are only playing for half of it. Two pairs are painful calls

for many a stud player, but in stud 8 they can be quite costly when you misread what your

opponents hold and come away with nothing.

Quick tips for play of two pair on Seventh Street:

RAISE or BET when you believe your two pair is good and there is no one

left in the pot going low, or raise or bet when you have aces up and a good low

to go with it, as this hand is usually a winner.

CALL for at least one bet if you have two pair with a low. When it costs you

more than one bet, carefully assess your situation and proceed to keep calling

as long as you have a low and you believe that you are not beat both ways.

When it does look like you are beat both ways (such as when you hold a small

two pair with a lousy low) get away from your hand.

FOLD most of the time when it costs more than one bet and you cant take the

low with your hand. A raised pot, even from a low, is dangerous when you are

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 only playing for half of it because something big could be hidden, and its just

not worth it when you cant scoop.

Pairs

Unless its aces, pairs need to be folded if they do not have a low hand to go with

them. A pair can often win the high hand; even an ace-high with a good kicker will win

many pots. But if you are going for just half of the pot, you need to be confident that your

pair is good. Calling for more than one bet is out of the question calling for one bet can

be done in a small field when it looks like no better hand has qualified for the high. But

when the field is large, the likelihood of your lone pair being good for the high is

diminished. Even so, call if you believe its good and thats all it will cost you

especially if youve invested heavily in the pot. More than that though and you need to

get out of the way.

When you have a pair with a low hand, you have to almost treat it as if you have

just a low hand, especially if your pair is eights or less. With two pair or better, you are

somewhat more safe on the high end, but with just a pair you have to assume that

someone may have backed into a better hand. Aces are the exception, as aces often win

the high half alone but with anything less you need to be very careful. For instance, if

you have Kh Kc 2s 5h 6s 8d 7d, a pair of queens bets and a solid low, four-flush or four-

straight is yet to act who played aggressively on Fifth or Sixth Street, get away from the

hand (unless a low hand could not have been hit by your opponents) your kings are

likely not good, and your low is one of the worst there is. You can call if it is just one bet

and you are last to act in this situation, but if you know a raise is coming, get away from

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this mediocre hand. If you held a good low with the big pair, go ahead and call as long as

you believe your low has a reasonable chance of holding up.

The main thing to remember with a pair: always get out of the way when you can

only win half of the pot and it is going to cost you more than a bet. Even if its only one

bet, look for reasons to fold, such as when an open pair bets (he probably has more than

the pair if he is betting) or when a low hand bets who looks like he could have hit a good

high hand as well warning signs for that are the presence of an ace or three or four

suited cards or cards in sequence. With a low, you can fall into the trap that many stud 8

players do believing that your low is not good but staying involved just because you

have a low and a pair to go with it. That strategy will lead you to one of two places the

ATM or the door. With the pair, you need to be sure its good for the high if youre going

to proceed and have no low or a low you think might not hold up and even than you can

only do so for just a bet.

Quick tips for play of pairs on the river:

RAISE or BET only when you believe your low with the pair is a lock for the

low half of the pot, or if you believe you can buy the pot such as if you have a

pair of aces and two small cards showing.

CALL when you believe your pair is good for the high and can stay in for a

bet. Be more apt to call when you have a low hand to go with the pair but this

should be anything but automatic! You do not want to call more than one bet

when you think you are beat for the low simply because you have a pair to go

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 with the low. A bad low with just a pair is a recipe for disaster if you keep

calling with it.

FOLD when its more than a bet to stay involved and you have no way of

winning the low half of the pot. Also fold anytime you believe you are beat for

the high half of the pot and its more than a bet to stay involved, even if no

lows are involved a bet from a high hand means he has more than a pair. You

also need to fold even when you have a low hand and a pair unless its aces and

it looks like you are beat for the low, as not doing so can be very costly.

Low Hands

How you play your low hand on the river comes down to: 1) Who you are up

against; 2) The strength of your low hand and 3) What you have to go with your low

hand.

Obviously, if you are free-rolling, you will bet and raise at every opportunity.

Unfortunately, there will be many times when players look to have made a low hand that

can beat yours. If your low is of questionable quality, stay involved for a bet unless you

believe its likely you are beat, such as when a solid four-low bets and you hold only an

87 or 86 low or when a solid low hand is yet to act who bet or raised on Sixth Street.

There will be many times when you have an eight-low going into the river hoping to

improve but get no help. For instance, suppose you hold 2c 4c 5s 8d 6d Ks 9h. If you

think its probable that your low is good for the low half of the pot, by all means call one

bet if first to act or its checked to you especially if you have put in bets on previous

betting rounds. But you need to pay close attention to what other players hold. When it

becomes obvious that you are beat, when three or especially four low cards representing a

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low that beats your low bet or raise, dump your hand if there is nothing high to go with it

as eight-lows are frequently crushed.

When you have a high hand that goes with your low hand, be more liberal unless

it looks like you are beat both ways, such as when a player holds three or four low cards

in sequence or three or four suited cards with three or four low cards and you hold just a

pair with a marginal low. Obviously if one of your hands is very strong and looks to win

at least half of the pot, you will bet and raise. You can fold if a big pair bets and you are

beat for the high and a player who looks to have made a better low than you will be

acting after you. Frequently though you will not be sure where you stand. In these

situations, calling when you have a low with any type of high hand that is jacks or better

is worth it for a bet your low may very well not be the best, but many pots are split with

a pair being all thats needed for the high.

Raising Doing it and Facing It

When you are confident that your low is good, bet or raise with it. If you have

doubts as to its strength, checking and calling with it is the safe play. But what about

when you face two bets, or called only to have the pot be raised by someone who acted

after you?

When you face two bets, the most important question is: who did the raising?

Many times high hands will raise one another to fight it out for the high half of the pot. If

you like the chances of your low hand, call with it. But, if you have doubts about its

strength as another low hand is involved dump it do not be fooled into thinking just

because you have a low it will win half of the pot. With a marginal low, you need to be

very cautious even two small cards held by an opponent can be the tip of an iceberg that

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will destroy you, so there is nothing wrong with dumping mediocre eight-lows when you

face two bets and have no help on the high end. The more high hands that are involved

and the fewer low hands that threaten you, the more likely it is that your low hand will

hold up. But unless you are free-rolling, it is best to err on the side of caution when your

low hand is marginal.

When a low hand raises and he holds three and certainly when he holds four

suited cards or cards in sequence, dump the low hand unless, of course, you have a

straight or flush as well or can beat his low. Low hands raising on the river mean one

thing: he has something big. Its either a great low hand, a concealed high hand and very

often both. As much as part of you may want to call, you can not do that unless you have

a low that you believe is good. For instance, suppose a player holding 7s 8d Jc Jh bets.

He is raised by a player who holds 3c 9c 8c 7c. You hold Ah 3h 6c 9d 7d 5s Td. Here,

you can call the two bets. The jacks can have at best an 87 low, the clubs are raising with

the flush and a likely low too, and you have a decent low hand. But if your low was an

eight-low, or the raiser had a possible better low, you would need to get away from it.

Finally, when you have called a bet that has been raised, pay it off for one more

bet because of all you have invested. But dont be a chump. If the raise came from a hand

that obviously has you beat, save yourself the last bet such as if you called an open pair

that bet with an eight-low and were raised by a player with four small cards representing

a great low hand.

The bottom line when you have a low hand is this: raise or bet when you believe

its good for at least half of the pot, check and call when you arent sure for a bet, and

fold if you think its beat for the low and you have no high to go with your low hand.

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When its two bets or more, proceed very carefully, staying involved if you are up against

highs but dumping it if you smell a better low. Low hands win half of the pot, but just as

in regular 7-card stud, the second best hand gets you nothing.

Quick tips for play of low hands on Seventh Street:

BET or RAISE when you believe you are good for half of the pot. This is

when you are free-rolling or when it looks like you are up against other lows.

CALL if you are not sure about the strength of your low hand. Calling for up

to a bet is fine unless its obvious you are beat for the low and have nothing to

get you the high half of the pot. Only call two bets or more if you believe you

will get at least half of the pot, such as when a high hand raises another high

hand or a low raises and you have a strong high hand (trips or better) to go with

your low hand.

FOLD when you believe your hand is no good. Many eight-lows get you

nothing, so when a high hand bets you can fold if players who had played three

and four lows aggressively on Sixth Street are yet to act or if a low hand raised.

Quiz on Seventh Street Play

Question 1: You hold 5c 5s 8h 8d 4c 2d 3h, giving you two pair with a low hand. There

are two other players in the pot. First to act is a player who holds 9s 8d 9h Jd, who bets.

He also bet on Sixth and Fifth Streets. A player holding 3s 5d 6c Ks raises, who just

called on Sixth Street. Last to act, do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Fold. Its not easy folding two pair with a low qualifier, but that is what you

need to do here. The aggressive action on the part of the nines means hes got trips or

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better, and you likely are beat by the three-low for the other half of the pot. The fact that

its two bets to stay involved clinches it dump this hand.

Question 2: You hold 4s 4h 4c 5d 7d 2d Ah, giving you trips with a low hand. First to act

is a player who holds 8h 9s 8c Ad. He bets. You are next to act. Two other players will be

acting after you. One holds 3h 8d Ts Js, who limped to see the river making calls on Fifth

and Sixth Streets. The other holds 2h 5c 7c Qh, who also made calls on Fifth and Sixth

Streets. Do you raise or call?

Answer: Raise. The pair of eights may have trips but one of the other eights is

exposed. Even if he were to have eights, he can have no better than an eight-low, which

your low beats. Your only risk for the low is the player with the 257 showing, but being

you have a 7-low and have trips, its worth taking a shot with a raise.

Question 3: You hold Ks Kh 2d 5d 6h 7h 8s. A player with Qd 7s Ah Qs is first to act,

and bets. He is raised by a player who holds 3s 4h 6c 7d. This player also bet on Sixth

Street when it was checked to him. The action is now to you. Waiting to act is a player

with Js 5d 7c Jc. Do you raise, call or fold?

Answer: Fold. You have a low and a big pair but your problem is you are only playing

for half of the pot, as the four-low likely has you beat. Your kings beat queens, but do you

really want to call two bets just to find out he has two pair or trips? The jacks yet to act

also pose a problem. Get away from this hand because not doing so will cost you money.

Question 4: You hold 2h 5d 8s 4s 3c 6h Qs. First to act is a player who holds 7d 8c Ks

Kh, who bets. He is called by a player who holds Ac 5s 5h 4h, and the action is to you.

Do you raise or call?

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Answer: Raise. The presence players both holding pairs on the board is distressing, but

you have a great hand, so play it for what it is worth, and hope you scoop if you dont,

its almost certain youll get at least half of the pot.

Question 5: You hold Js Jh Td Jd 9c As 3c. Two other players are involved in the hand.

First to act is a player who holds Qs Th Qd Ks who bets. He bet on Fifth and Sixth

Streets as well. A player holding Ad 4s 5s 7h raises, and the action is now to you. Do you

raise, call or fold?

Answer: Fold. Laying down trips is not easy, but here you need to do so because you

cant scoop. You may have a good high hand, but theres a good chance that you are beat

by the queens who might have trips. Its not worth finding out for two bets. If the four-

low had just called, give consideration to a call, but even that would be a very marginal

call because of the aggressive play by the queens on Fifth and Sixth Streets.

Question 6: You hold 3s 4s 6h 7h 8h Qd Kd. Two other players are involved in the pot. A

player who holds Js Jd Qs Qh is first to act and bets. He is raised by a player who holds

Ts Th 7c 9d. Do you raise or call?

Answer: Raise. You want to build up the pot as much as you can, being that you are free-

rolling. Even though your low is one of the worst there is, there is no way your opponents

can have you beat, so bang away.

Question 7: You hold 2h 8h 9h Tc Jh 7h As, a jack-high flush. There are three other

players involved in the pot. The first player to act holds Ac 4s 7s Th, and bets. He had bet

on Fifth and Sixth Streets as well. The next player raises, holding 5s 7d 8c 6d. He had

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called on Fifth Street and raised on Sixth Street. The action is to you. Yet to act is a player

who also looks to be going low, holding 5h 8d 9c 2d. Do you raise, call or bet?

Answer: Raise. As when free-rolling for the low, here you look to have a lock for the

high. The best high hand looks to be a straight, and with three other players who are

going low its likely the first two players will call your raise after already investing in the

pot. Raise and build up the half of the pot you will win. If it is raised back at you, just call

as there is an outside shot one player may have three hidden suited cards.

Question 8: You hold a jack-high straight, 7c 8s 9h Ts 2h Jd Ah. Two other players are

involved in the pot. The first player to act holds 3d 5d 6d Ad and bets. He had bet on

Fifth and Sixth Streets as well. The action is to you. Acting after you is a player who

holds 3s 5s Js Ac. He called on Fifth Street and raised on Sixth Street. Do you raise, call

or fold?

Answer: Fold. Not getting away from this will be devastating. Remember: you are

playing for just half of the pot. If you were playing for the whole pot, call and pay off the

flush if he had it (many players like to bluff with four suited cards). But its not worth

calling when it looks like you are beat and a raise may be coming from the player acting

after you.

Question 9: You hold Qs 4d Qh 5s 6s 2h 7c . Two other players are involved in the pot. A

player holding Ad 5d 7s 8h is first to act and bets. He is called by a player who holds 6d

8s 7h Ac. The action is to you. Do you raise, call or fold?

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Answer: Call. You have both a high hand and a low hand, but neither one is spectacular.

You can not be certain that the low is a lock because either one of the opponents could

have hidden low cards that will beat you. A raise in this situation is too risky, so just call.

Question 10: You hold 5h 5d Ks Kh 4c 9c Td. Two other players are involved in the pot.

A player who holds 4s Qc Qh 9d is first to act and bets. Waiting to act behind him is a

player who holds 8d Js Ts Kc. You have played your two pair aggressively, but both of

these players proceeded to call you on Fifth and Sixth Streets. Do you bet again here?

Answer: Check. This is a passive play, but a safe one. Either one of these opponents may

have hit something, so check and call, only getting away from you hand if the three

spades raise it up, as this is a good sign you are beat.

Summary of Seventh Street Play

When you have made it this far, more often than not you will be staying involved

for another bet to see what happens. Youll be doing just what youve done on previous

betting rounds betting and raising when you believe youve locked up part of or all of

the pot, calling when you have doubts, and folding when it looks like you are beat both

ways.

The key at Seventh Street is remembering that last part folding. By all means,

stay involved when you think you have a shot at half of the pot. But when its more than a

bet or looks like it will be more than a bet as someone has bet into a dangerous hand,

proceed with caution. No one likes to fold on the river, but remember this is a split-pot

game. Do not fold if youve got that chance to scoop, but do so if youre only playing for

half of the pot.

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 Chapter 7 Additional Concepts

By this point, you have read through each of the playable hands, gotten a good

idea of how to play them, and have taken some quizzes to help keep your knowledge of

the various streets sharp. But, before you go to your favorite casino or Internet card room,

there are a few additional things you need to keep in mind. This final chapter will cover

topics such as playing in a shorthanded game, going on tilt, how much you should spend,

what limits you should play at, bluffing and another way of attacking stud 8 thats safe for

the beginner or more conservative player.

Shorthanded Play

A shorthanded game is just what it sounds like a game with fewer than eight

players. Follow regular strategy until the field narrows to five players or less. When that

happens, you need to change the way your are playing. Low hands decrease in value, and

high hands become more playable. Aces are huge, but hands such as tens and jacks that

you would not want to play all that often in a game that is full become more playable.

When the field is four players or less, you can attack the game much in the same way you

would were you playing regular 7-card stud.

Big Lows

Some of the best hands in a shorthanded game are big low pairs, meaning

sevens and eights with an ace or small kicker. Hands like 567 and 678 also go up in

value. You need to get away from the more marginal low draws though such as 458, 378,

etc, because you are not getting the number of players you need to give you good odds on

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your draw. As fewer and fewer players are involved, it becomes less likely the pot will be

split.

You also need to be more aggressive with high hands in stud 8 as the hand

progresses. Many players have a hard time betting a hand like 8d 8s 4h Qs, no matter

what their opponents hold because of the fear factor. They think I just have a pair of

eights, I need to wait until I improve before I can bet. Thats a dangerous way to think in

a shorthanded game, because it gives opponents a chance to improve. You have to

remember that the field is small meaning its more likely that your eights are good. Bet

and raise with this hand anytime someone looking to go low has caught a bad card on

Fourth Street. This is especially effective on Fifth Street when a player has caught two

consecutive high cards eliminate him by betting, even if you just have a pair, because

the last thing you want to do is give a free card. When players improve their low hands on

Fourth and Fifth Streets, still bet and raise if doing so will help eliminate other players

who have caught bad cards. Never allow players who look to have gotten no help to stay

in on the cheap bet your hand for value.

Remember: when playing shorthanded, the smaller the game gets the more it

becomes like a regular game of 7-card stud. Play more high hands and play them

aggressively, not feeling as if you have to improve before you can bet with them. Only

ease off of the accelerator when something very scary shows up on your opponents

boards.

Tilting

Stud 8 is a great game, but its also a game in which it is very easy to go on tilt.

Going on tilt means getting progressively angrier over the course of a game that is not

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going well, playing hands that should not be played and calling when you should be

folding. In stud 8, its very easy to go on tilt because you can get heavily involved with a

hand after four cards that looks great, and has great odds to hit at least half of the pot, or

get nothing. Or, you may have hands that look great to scoop and get nothing such as a

flush that also is a low. Its bad when it happens in a game in which you play for the

entire pot, but when a hand looks like a cinch to get at least something and you get

nothing, its easy to get pretty steamed. Anyone who has ever played stud 8 can share

many bad beat stories about such hands. These things are going to happen. How you react

to these things has a big effect on the chips you have left in front of you. If you let bad

beats get to you, those chips are going to vanish pretty quickly. If you just blow them off,

and remind yourself it was just one hand and you played it right based on the odds, youll

be in better shape. After suffering a rough beat, many players want to get back the money

they lost as quickly as possible, so start playing trash hands that they should be dumping,

losing even more money in the process. When you feel yourself going on tilt, go for a

walk, or leave the game and come back the next day. The poker room be it the brick and

mortar type or the online type will always be there. It isnt worth the risk to play

steamed, because you are not focusing on the game and the odds anymore you are

focused on revenge or getting back to even. Either put the bad beat behind you or come

back to the game when you can play it right with a clear mind.

Only Going Low

In a full game, a conservative strategy that is safe for the beginner is only going

low. This means only playing three low cards, aces, and low flush draws and straight

draws. Theres nothing wrong with that kind of play, and its very safe, especially for the

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beginner. When you play hands like 2s Js 9s and limp in, catch another spade, its about

50-50 you will hit your flush by the river. If you do not get any help on Fifth Street, it

becomes extremely stressful staying involved if raises break out so many players avoid

the problem all together and just play flush draws with three low cards with them. They

also dump big pairs like kings and queens, only playing these cards when they are rolled

up. If you are going to play this way, continue to play aggressively when warranted

never forget that even if only going low and improving, you cant get savvy unless you

have a huge hand and set a trap. Make draws pay or get them out of the way to increase

your chances to scoop.

If you only go low and get rid of any high hands minus aces or rolled-up trips,

you can still be a winning player. This is a safe and effective strategy for the lower limits,

because as you have it drilled into your head by now, low hands in full games have a

great potential to scoop and high hands usually have to settle for half of the pot. Playing

high hands can be dangerous, but many times a high hand can scoop as low hands catch

no help. Other times you can hit a solid high hand and see Fourth and Fifth Streets

cheaply for only small bets, which is why this book advocates playing some (emphasis on

SOME) high hands that have potential be long-run winners.

Semi-Bluffs and Pure Bluffs

Semi-bluffs occur when you bet or raise with a hand that probably isnt the best,

but has a chance to hit something. A pure bluff is a bluff with a hand that you believe is

beat, but attempt to take down the pot by betting with.

Bluffs are difficult at the lower limits, because many games are filled with calling

stations where a self-appointed table sheriff will call to keep you honest. But that does

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not mean you can not attempt them. You also want to play the player in that if he is

tight-passive, there is a greater likelihood the bluff will work. Use what you are showing

and what your opponents are showing to your advantage. Four low suited cards, four

cards to a six-low or wheel, or a pair of aces with two cards six or smaller are very

intimidating. When you are up against players who appear to have gotten no help and are

playing passively, you can take a shot with these hands from time to time on Sixth Street

or on the river. Remember though, for a pure bluff to achieve the desired result, its better

with a smaller field, tight players, and a small pot as the less people have invested the less

likely they are to stay involved.

Semi-bluffs are slightly different. If you win the pot right there, thats fine, but

they are also a great way to build up the pot when you are on a great draw. A good time is

on Fifth Street when you have a four-flush with a good four-low, and it is checked to you.

Go ahead and bet. Even if its one bet to you, consider a raise. When you have something

great going in both directions and like your chances to scoop, you need to gamble a bit.

This play can also buy you a free card at a passive table on Sixth Street so if you are

going to call anyway if you dont hit your hand on Sixth, why not just get the money in

now?

What Level?

Some card rooms only have one level of stud 8 they spread; others have a wide

array of limits you can play at. So what level should you play at? The answer is simply to

play at the level at which you are most comfortable.

When you are brand new to the game, your best bet is to play in a home game or

online. This is because home games and online games have smaller limits. You can even

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find a $.04/$.08 game online! This may sound hardly worth your time, but theres nothing

wrong with starting out at micro-limits. You will get more experience with the game, and

feel comfortable. And as you feel more comfortable, you can move on up to the higher

stakes games.

Never, ever play at a limit at which you do not feel comfortable. If you are on a

limited bankroll, and go to the casino ready to play, but all thats going is a $20/$40 game

when you were hoping for $4/$8, dont make the mistake and sitting down just because

you are there. Either play another game or go home. When you play at a level your

bankroll does not allow you to play at, you become a rock. You call when you should bet,

you fold when you should call, and end up missing opportunities.You may have the skill,

but if you dont have the money to afford to play at a certain limit, you will not use your

skill to its full potential.

Online or Brick-and-Mortar?

You can play stud 8 in one of three ways you can play it at a casino that offers

stud 8, online, or in a home game. As with anything, these three options all have pros and

cons.

As you just read, if you are new to the game, consider playing online or in the

home game at first. Theres nothing wrong with playing in the casino, but many do not

offer small-stakes games. If you feel comfortable playing in a $4/$8 game, by all means

give it a shot. But if you play online or at home, you can become more familiar with the

game and rookie mistakes will cost you less.

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 If you play in the casino or card club, you have the advantage of being able to see

your opponents. You can pick up on such things as tells, the body language people give

off when they are sitting on a big hand or trying to bluff. You can also watch how your

opponent plays hands more closely. If you are playing online, you will not be able to see

if your opponent is watching a game, reading a book and playing poker whenever hes

involved in a hand. Thats not to say that online play is without its benefits. The biggest

of these is convenience; you dont have to drive to the card room or wait to get a seat

with the click of a mouse you can be in a game 24/7. Another benefit is variety of games.

Many card rooms only have a game or two of stud 8 going; online there are many

different stud 8 games going at various levels, so you have more options.

Multiple Tables

Another option that you have when playing online is playing more than one table

at the same time. This is a bad idea. Some people play three or four games at the same

time. It can be done, but when you do this you lose information which gives your

opponents an edge. You miss how a player bet on a given round, or how they played

certain hands. But most importantly, its easy to miss what cards have been folded, which

greatly affect your odds so unless you are a genius, just play one game at a time.

Ante Structure

Having stringent starting requirements is solid play in stud 8, as loose calls on

Third Street can get you into a lot of trouble. But that does not mean you can never

loosen or tighten up your starting requirements. One thing to keep in mind is the ante

structure of the game, and how much it is. A high ante structure, such as a $1 ante in a

$4/$8 game, means you are paying more to just be involved in the hand. If you play too

225
tight, the antes will eat away at your chips slowly and steadily. That does not mean you

want to play trash hands, but it does mean you can limp into see Fourth Street with

marginal hands such as jacks with an ace, or 457.

On the flip side is a low ante structure, such as a $.50 ante in a $4/$8 game. The

best is in a spread-limit game, where there is no ante and just the forced bring-in starts

action. That means you are not spending as much to see hands, so can tighten up and just

play when youve got the goods.

The key, especially with a high ante structure where you play more hands on

Third Street, is maintaining your discipline as the hand develops. That means when you

do not improve on Fourth, get away from the hand, or when you improve to a hand you

think is second best, you also get away. Not doing that will be very harmful to your

bankroll.

Tight vs. Loose Games

Sometimes you will find yourself in a game that is very tight. In a game like this,

you need to tighten up your requirements as well. You only want to play very solid

starting hands because obviously, if a tight player is playing a hand he is not playing junk

like a pair of nines. Some players in a tight game play passively, only betting when they

have something very solid or an excellent draw. These are good games to play in as you

can bluff and semi-bluff more often when your opponents catch bad cards.

Other times players play aggressively in that they do not play many hands but

when they do play them they bet and raise when the odds are in their favor. Playing in a

tight-aggressive game is difficult as you are up against tough players who know what

226
makes a good or bad bet. Of course this is the style you want to play, but youd rather not

have everyone at the table playing that way. In these types of games, you need to

maintain focus and discipline, resisting the urge to loosen up because if you do, you will

give the other players at the table an edge.

Frequently at low limits (the focus of this book) you find many loose players.

This is because players are new to the game, are used to7-card stud, or have the mindset

that because seemingly not much money is at stake they can gamble. Loose games are

fantastic in that they offer you the biggest bang for your buck over the long haul, but can

be extremely frustrating as well when players suck out on you and get lucky. Your first

instinct in a loose game is to play loosely too; but thats a mistake. Instead, tighten up and

dont be tempted to play marginal low and high hands. This is easier than it sounds,

because in a loose game youll see a lot of short-term luck one player who seems to

play everything may accumulate a large stack of chips, while you toss in hand after hand

waiting patiently for the good hand that never seems to come. Keep your cool, wait for

the good hands, and play them hard. You might suffer some bad beats in a loose game,

but in the long run these games are incredibly profitable.

Reading Hands

Another skill you will develop over time is the ability to read hands. Part of this is

tells and there is an entire book that is a must for any poker player, Caros Book of Tells.

But another part is going with your gut feeling, observing how the player has played in

previous hands and what he is holding. If he has paired his doorcard and that card is big,

odds are he has trips. If he has three or four low cards showing, he is probably going low.

Know too that stud 8 is a game of deception another benefit of going low. What may

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look like a decent low hand (Ah 2h 7s 8c) may conceal a monster such as three more

hearts buried that also make a player have a better high. Because of this, carefully watch

your opponents at all times, betting when you believe your hand is best but easing off of

the accelerator when you are not sure.

The Last Word

This book has given you the information you need to become a winning 7-card

stud 8 or better player. By now, you know how to avoid bad bets, how to maximize the

amount of money you will win, and how to avoid the mistakes that many stud 8 players

make. Its up to you to implement that information.

You also need to remember that how you play various hands are very subjective

to the situation you are in. There are general guidelines for various hands which have all

been covered, but in a game like stud 8, how you play a hand changes based on what your

opponents hold, and whether or not you are playing in a shorthanded game, for half of or

the entire pot. Because of that, you cant afford to be unfocused. When you are involved

in a hand, watch carefully how your opponents play and what they catch, and most

importantly, pay careful attention to how many cards you need to improve are gone. As

the cards you need to hit a given hand go out, the odds get worse. To illustrate this, odds

information is presented in the appendix to give you a better idea of just how bad a draw

can become when too many cards you need to hit your hand are dead.

Finally, be patient. You can not get a defeatist attitude if you have two or three

losing sessions in a row. On the flip side, you cant think you are ready for the World

Series of Poker Stud 8 event because you leave up $10 at a $.25/$.50 table at an Internet

card room. Keep careful records, and if you are down over the course of 25 sessions or

228
more, evaluate your play. You can not think of poker as one session, but rather something

that you do over the course of many sessions. The goal is to be a long term winner. In

between periods, there will be inevitable ups and downs. How you deal with the rough

periods is a key factor in your success. Keep a positive attitude, keep playing your A

game and remember how the odds tell you to play in a given situation. If you go against

the odds, you might get lucky a time or two, but odds dont lie a hand is either a long-

term winner or a long-term loser.

Stud 8 can be a terribly frustrating game, but if you want to make money, its

arguably the best poker game to play. Be patient and always be learning how you can

make your game even better. There will be bumps along the road, but if you keep your

game sharp and work hard at improving it, you will be a long term winner.

Appendix A Odds Information

Knowing the odds is a key element of success in stud 8. When you are only going

for part of the pot, it becomes even more important to make sure you are making good

bets with your money.

Following are odds information for straights, flushes and low hands, the most

common drawing hands in stud 8. The information provided shows how the number of

players involved in the pot and how many cards that are gone affect the odds and

probability that you will hit your hand. Odds information varies slightly based on how

many people are involved in a pot. The odds are not listed for every conceivable scenario,

as this would easily fill another book! Rather, given are various scenarios and you can

estimate how they change based on how the field grows or narrows.

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 Odds for Hitting a Low Qualifier

These are a sampling of odds that you will hit a low qualifier when you hold four

cards to the low. This means that you will hit a hand that will qualify for a low hand not

necessarily that you will win if you hit your low hand. Fourth Street includes information

for eight and four players; Fifth and Sixth Streets include information for a field of five

and three players. Note just how bleak your situation is on Fourth Street when you catch

a bad card and still need two cards to hit a low-qualifier. This is one of the most important

concepts of stud 8 that many players miss.

One Card Needed

Fourth Street, 8 players

16 low cards left .16 to 1
12 low cards left .35 to 1
8 low cards left .77 to 1
4 low cards left 2.11 to 1

Fourth Street, 4 players

16 low cards left .22 to 1
12 low cards left .45 to 1
8 low cards left .93 to 1
4 low cards left 2.44 to 1

Fifth Street, 5 players

16 low cards left - .32 to 1
12 low cards left - .62 to 1
8 low cards left 1.25 to 1
4 low cards left 3.20 to 1

230
Fifth Street, 3 players
16 low cards left - .43 to 1
12 low cards left - .78 to 1
8 low cards left 1.5 to 1
4 low cards left 3.70 to 1

Sixth Street, 5 players

16 low cards left - .69 to 1
12 low cards left 1.25 to 1
8 low cards left 2.38 to 1
6 low cards left 3.5 to 1
4 low cards left 5.75 to 1
3 low cards left 8 to 1
Sixth Street, 3 players
16 low cards left 1.06 to 1
12 low cards left 1.75 to 1
8 low cards left 3.13 to 1
6 low cards left 4.5 to 1
4 low cards left 7.25 to 1
3 low cards left 10 to 1

Two Cards Needed

Third Street 8 players
All low cards live - .68 to 1
16 low cards live 1.30* to 1 (varies from 1.27 to 1.37 to 1 based on how many of a
given rank are gone.)

Fourth Street 5 players

All low cards live 1.02 to 1
16 low cards live 1.9 to 1 (varies from 1.88 to 1.93 to 1 based on how many of a given
rank are gone).

Fourth Street 3 players

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All low cards live 1.20 to 1
16 low cards live 2.18 to 1 (varies from 2.15 to 2.21 to 1 based on how many of a given
rank are gone).
Flush Odds

A flush is one of the most common draws in stud 8, so its helpful to know what

the likelihood is youll hit your flush. As with the odds for a low, presented are a

sampling of odds based on how many people are involved in the pot and how many of the

cards you need are gone. As you can see, its preferable to have a larger field when you

are on a flush draw as this improves your odds; however as the field is larger it of course

becomes more likely that cards you need to improve will be dead.

One Card to Complete

Fourth Street, 5 players

9 live cards - .73 to 1

8 live cards - .89 to 1
7 live cards 1.09 to 1
6 live cards 1.37 to 1
5 live cards 1.77 to 1
4 live cards 2.36 to 1
3 live cards 3.57 to 1
2 live cards 5.34 to 1
1 live card 11.3 to 1

Fourth Street, 3 players

9 live cards - .80 to 1
8 live cards - .97 to 1
7 live cards 1.19 to 1
6 live cards 1.48 to 1

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5 live cards 1.9 to 1
4 live cards 2.52 to 1
3 live cards 3.57 to 1
2 live cards 5.68 to 1
1 live card 12 to 1

Fifth Street, 5 players

9 live cards 1.04 to 1
8 live cards 1.3 to 1
7 live cards 1.5 to 1
6 live cards 1.9 to 1
5 live cards 2.4 to 1
4 live cards 3.2 to 1
3 live cards 4.5 to 1
2 live cards 7.1 to 1
1 live card 15 to 1

Fifth Street, 3 players

9 live cards 1.26 to 1
8 live cards 1.5 to 1
7 live cards 1.8 to 1
6 live cards 2.8 to 1
5 live cards 2.4 to 1
4 live cards 3.7 to 1
3 live cards 5.1 to 1
2 live cards 8.1 to 1

Sixth Street, 5 players

9 live cards 2 to 1
8 live cards 2.4 to 1
7 live cards 2.9 to 1
6 live cards 3.5 to 1
5 live cards 4.4 to 1

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4 live cards 5.8 to 1
3 live cards 8 to 1
2 live cards 12.5 to 1
1 live card 26 to 1

Two Cards to Complete

Third Street, 8 players
10 live cards 3.2 to 1
9 live cards 4.1 to 1
8 live cards 5.3 to 1
7 live cards 7.1 to 1
6 live cards 9.9 to 1

Fourth Street, 5 players left

10 live cards 4.8 to 1
9 live cards 6.1 to 1
8 live cards 8 to 1
7 live cards 10.7 to 1
6 live cards 15 to 1
5 live cards 22.5 to 1

Fourth Street, 3 players left

10 live cards 5.4 to 1
9 live cards 6.9 to 1
8 live cards 8.9 to 1
7 live cards 11.9 to 1
6 live cards 16.7 to 1
5 live cards 25 to 1

Fifth Street, 5 players left

10 live cards 10 to 1
9 live cards 12.8 to 1

234
8 live cards 16.7 to 1
7 live cards 22.6 to 1
6 live cards 32 to 1

Fifth Street, 3 players left

10 live cards 13 to 1
9 live cards 16.5 to 1
8 live cards 21.5 to 1
7 live cards 29 to 1
6 live cards 41 to 1
Straight Odds
Straights are a fantastic hand in stud 8 because they have a good chance of

scooping. Frequently you will back into a straight when going low or when already

holding a low. The following odds information is based different numbers of players

involved, and the odds change based on how many of a given rank are gone and how

many overall cards are gone to improve your straight. As with flushes, being straights are

drawing hands your odds improve as more people are involved in the pot. Obviously you

will not have exactly three or five people in every pot you play, but the odds given are

general guidelines, so keep in mind that they will go up slightly as you have more people

in the pot, and decline slightly as you have less people involved.

One Card Needed

Fourth Street, 5 players

8 live cards - .89 to 1
7 live cards 1.09 to 1
6 live cards 1.37 to 1
5 live cards 1.77 to 1
4 live cards 2.36 to 1
3 live cards 3.35 to 1

235
2 live cards 5.34 to 1
1 live card 11.3 to 1

Fourth Street, 3 players

8 live cards - .97 to 1
7 live cards 1.19 to 1
6 live cards 1.48 to 1
5 live cards 1.9 to 1
4 live cards 2.52 to 1
3 live cards 3.57 to 1
2 live cards 5.68 to 1
1 live card 12 to 1

Fifth Street, 5 players

8 live cards 1.25 to 1
7 live cards 1.53 to 1
6 live cards 1.9 to 1
5 live cards 2.42 to 1
4 live cards 3.2 to 1
3 live cards 4.51 to 1
2 live cards 7.13 to 1
1 live card 15 to 1

Fifth Street, 3 players

8 live cards 1.5 to 1
7 live cards 1.81 to 1
6 live cards 2.23 to 1
5 live cards 2.82 to 1
4 live cards 3.7 to 1
3 live cards 5.17 to 1
2 live cards 8.13 to 1
1 live card 17 to 1

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Sixth Street, 6 players
8 live cards 2 to 1
7 live cards 2.43 to 1
6 live cards 3 to 1
5 live cards 3.8 to 1
4 live cards 5 to 1
3 live cards 7 to 1
2 live cards 11 to 1
1 live card 23 to 1

Sixth Street, 4 players

8 live cards 2.75 to 1
7 live cards 3.29 to 1
6 live cards 4 to 1
5 live cards 5 to 1
4 live cards 6.5 to 1
3 live cards 9 to 1
2 live cards 14 to 1
1 live card 29 to 1
Two Cards Needed

Starting with 345 TJQ

Note: outs include two cards in either direction to hit your straight for a 345 cards that
would help you include A267. It is highly unlikely that you will ever have all of your outs
to hit a straight live; these odds are presented to show how tough it is to hit a straight
when you catch bad cards on Fourth and Fifth Streets.
Third Street, 8 players
16 live cards 3.05 to 1
12 live cards (one dead card from each out) 5.56 to 1

Fourth Street, 5 players

16 live cards 4.52 to 1
12 live cards (one dead from each out) 8.28 to 1

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Fourth Street, 3 players
16 live cards 5.08 to 1
12 live cards (one dead from each out) 9.25 to 1

Fifth Street, 5 players

16 live cards 9.3 to 1
12 live cards (one dead from each out) 17.4 to 1

Starting with JQK or 234

Third Street, 8 players
12 live cards 4.85 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 8.6 to 1

Fourth Street, 5 players

12 live cards 7.09 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 12.7 to 1

Fourth Street, 3 players

12 live cards 7.9 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 14.2 to 1

Fifth Street, 5 players

12 live cards 14.5 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 26.6 to 1

Fifth Street, 3 players

12 live cards 18.7 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 34 to 1

Starting with QKA or A23

Third Street 8 players
8 live cards 9.48 to 1
6 live cards (one dead from each out) 16.7 to 1

238
Fourth Street 5 players
8 live cards 14.18 to 1
6 live cards (one dead from each out) 25.2 to 1

Fourth Street 3 players

8 live cards 15.8 to 1
6 live cards (one dead from each out) 28 to 1

Fifth Street 5 players

8 live cards 30 to 1

Fifth Street 3 players

8 live cards 38.4 to 1

One gaps 245 through TQK

Third Street 8 players
12 live cards 4.85 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 8.58 to 1

Fourth Street 5 players

12 live cards 7.1 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 12.7 to 1

Fourth Street 3 players

12 live cards 7.9 to 1
9 live cards (one dead from each out) 14.2 to 1

Fifth Street 5 players

12 live cards 14.5 to 1

Fifth Street 3 players

12 live cards 18.7 to 1

239
One gaps A34, A24, JKA, JQA
Third Street 8 players
12 live cards 9.5 to 1

Fourth Street 5 players

12 live cards 14.2 to 1

Fourth Street 3 players

12 live cards 15.8 to 1

Fifth Street 5 players

12 live cards 30 to 1

Fifth Street 3 players

12 live cards 38.4 to 1

General Odds for Hitting Various Hands

Following are odds for hitting various hands. These assume no knowledge of

unseen cards, and are to be used as a general guide when you are playing trying to

calculate whether or not to stay involved.

Odds of Making a Full House When You Hold

Trips on third street: 2 to 1
Trips on fourth street with one odd card: 2.5 to 1
Trips on fifth street with two odd cards: 3.5 to 1
Trips on sixth street with three odd cards: 4 to 1
Two Pair on fourth street: 3.5 to 1
Two Pair on fifth street with one odd card: 5 to 1
Two Pair on sixth street with two odd cards: 10 to 1

Odds of Making a Flush When You Hold

Three suited cards on third street: 4.5 to 1
Three suited cards and an odd card on fourth street: 8.5 to 1
Three suited cards and two odd cards on fifth street: 23 to 1
Four suited cards on fourth street: 1.25 to 1

240
 Four suited cards and one odd card on fifth street: 2 to 1
Four suited cards and two odd cards on sixth street: 4 to 1

Odds of Making an Open-Ended Straight When You Hold

Three to a straight on third street: 4.25 to 1
Three to a straight and one odd card on fourth street: 8 to 1
Three to a straight and two odd cards on fifth street: 22 to 1
Four to a straight on fourth street: 1.5 to 1
Four to a straight and one odd card on fifth street: 2 to 1
Four to a straight and two odd cards on sixth street: 5 to 1

Odds of Making an Inside Straight When You Hold

Four to a straight on fourth street: 3 to 1
Four to a straight and one odd card on fifth street: 5 to 1
Four to a straight and two odd cards on sixth street: 10.5 to 1

Odds of Making a Single-Ended Straight When You Hold

Three to a straight on third street: 13 to 1
Three to a straight and one odd card: 25 to 1

Appendix B - Glossary of Poker Terms

At the card room, you will hear much in the way of poker lingo. The dealer will

be happy to explain any confusing term, and terms are quick to learn. Following is a list

of some of the most common terms you will hear from the dealer or other players during

the course of the game.

Action: The betting that occurs in a game. If the game has a lot of action, there is a lot of
betting. A game with not a lot of action is tight and passive, with little betting.

All-in: Putting all of your money in the pot.

Ante: The required bet to allow you to play in a hand. The most common ante at the low
limits is $.50. Many spread-limit games have no required ante at all.

Bad beat: Having a powerful hand get beat by a bigger monster. Spend an hour in a
poker room, and you will hear the first of many stories from other players about bad beats
they have suffered during play.

Bankroll: Money you have for your poker wagering.

Bet: Putting money in the pot before other players have done so (when it becomes a call
or raise).

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Bettor: The person who puts the first amount of money in the pot.

Bluff: Placing a bet or raise when you do not believe your hand is the best.

Board: The face up cards on the table in a players hand.

Boat: Another term for a full house.

Brick: A term for a face-card. IE, he caught a brick on Fourth Street.

Bring-in: A forced bet required of the low card, it can be for a minimum (half of the
small bet) or full amount (a full small bet).

Busted draw: A hand that didnt complete.

Buy-in: The amount of chips you start out with. Most card clubs have a minimum buy in
for each table that changes as levels increase. Always start out with more than the
minimum.

Call: Placing an amount of money in the pot that equals the amount of money that
another player has bet.

Calling station: A person who will call most of the time, but not raise or fold.

Cap: Putting the last raise that is allowed in the pot. Frequently three raised are the
maximum.

Case: The last card in the deck. An example: you hold two pair, nines and fives, a nine is
dead, and get the last (case) nine.

Cold call: Calling a bet that has been raised.

Come bet: Refers to a semi-bluff bet, betting on a hand that has potential to improve.

Check: Not betting anything when the action is to you.

Check-raise: Checking and raising when the action comes back to you.

Chip/Check: The round token used in play of hands. Different colors are used to
separate denominations.

Come hand: Having a hand not yet made that has more cards to come. A four-straight
with on sixth street is an example.

Crack: Beating a hand, usually a big one.

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Crying call: Calling with a hand that you do not feel has a good chance to be the winner.

Dog: Slang term for an underdog.

Door card: The first card exposed in a players hand.

Drawing dead: Drawing to a hand that will not win because another player has already
made a larger hand.

Early position: The position of betting when you need to act before most of the other
players in the hand. With eight players, early position includes the first three.

Family pot: A pot that involves most of the players at the table.

Fifth street: The fifth card that is dealt to each player.

Fill up: Making a full house.

Fish: An inexperienced player who makes many mistakes, tending to be very loose with
his money.

Flush: Five cards that are of the same suit.

Fold: Laying down your cards and dropping out of the hand.

Forced bet: The required bet when you are the low card on third street.

Fourth street: The fourth card that is dealt to each player.

Free card: A card given to each player when every player has checked.

Free-rolling: Locking up the low half of the pot where it is impossible for one of your
opponents to hit a low better than you hold.

Full house: Holding three cards of the same rank and two of another.

Gut shot: Drawing to an inside straight.

Hole: Those cards that are face down.

Inside straight: A straight that can only be made when a card of one rank is dealt.
Example: You hold 4-5-7-8. Only a six will complete your hand.

Kickers: Your side cards outside of the hand you currently hold. Example: You hold A-
A-Q. The queen is your kicker.

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Late position: Being one of the last players to act in a betting round. In a full game of
eight players, this is the seventh or eighth spot.

Limit: The amount of money that can be bet on a given round. The limit increases in
structured limit games when action gets to fifth street, and is always the same in a spread
limit game.

Limp in: Getting to the next round as cheaply as possible by just calling as opposed to
raising.

Loose: Playing more hands than are justified by the odds.

Loose game: A game in which most of the players stay in to see hands rather than
folding. Loose games tend to have higher pots.

Low Qualifier A hand qualifying for the low half of the pot. It must be five cards of
eight or less that do not overlap, such as 23567.

Middle position: Being in the middle of the betting action. With eight players, this
includes the fourth, fifth and sixth spots.

Muck: Folding a hand.

Odds: The mathematical probability of hitting a hand.

Open-ended straight: A straight that can be made with two cards. Example: You hold
4-5-6-7. A three or eight will complete your straight.

Open pair: A pair on the board visible for everyone to see.

Outs: Card that will improve the quality of your hand. Example: You have a four-flush,
and there are four dead cards. You have five outs for your flush.

Paint: A term for a face-card.

Pass: Another term for checking.

Pocket: Another way of referring to hole cards.

Pot: The total amount of money wagered in a hand, placed in front of the dealer.

Pot odds: Odds calculated by figuring a ratio of the amount of money that is in the pot
to the bet you need to call to continue with a hand.

Protecting a hand: Betting aggressively to force other players out who could draw to a
bigger hand than what you hold.

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Quads: Four-of-a-kind.

Rags: Term for lousy cards held by a player.

Raise: Adding money to a bet made by another player.

Rake: The amount of money taken out of each pot by the card room.

Re-raise: Raising after another opponent has raised.

River: The last card that is dealt face down.

Rolled-up: Three of a kind on the first three cards.

Running cards: Cards that come back-to-back. Example: having a three-flush on fifth
street and then catching two of the same suit on sixth and seventh streets to complete
your flush.

Sandbag: Playing slowly with a monster hand in an attempt to keep other players in.

Scare card: A card dealt to another player that could indicate a powerful hand being
made.

Semi-bluff: Betting with a hand that is not the best but has a chance of improving to the
best.

Seventh street: The last card, it is dealt face down.

Set: Another term for three-of-a-kind.

Short-stacked: Playing when you have few chips remaining in front of you.

Side pot: A second pot created when a player goes all-in. The player going all in has
no stake in the side pot.

Sixth street: The sixth card dealt in a hand.

Slow-play: Another term for sandbagging, playing a hand slowly to keep other
opponents in to pay you off when you hold a powerful hand.

Stealing the antes: Betting heavily on third street to force all of the other players out so
you will win the antes.

Straight: Five cards of different suits in sequence.

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Straight flush: Five cards of the same suit in a sequence.

Table stakes: Rule in most games that a player can not take out extra money from his
billfold during the course of a hand. This is why a player low on chips must go all-in, if
he does not have enough chips to call a bet or meet the structure requirement.

Tell: Body language by a player that gives clues to what they are holding.

Tip/Toke: A small amount of money given from the pot winner to the dealer.

Trips: Another term for three-of-a-kind.

Underdog: A hand in which the odds are against it winning.

Under the gun: On third street, it is the player with the low card who is first to act. Later
on, it is the player to the immediate left of the player who bets.

Wheel The best low hand in stud 8, an ace-through-five straight. It is a lock for the low.

Wired pair: A hidden pair in the hole

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 Appendix C Ranking of Low Hands

What low hand beats what? This list ranks the low hands from best to worst.

1. A-2-3-4-5 13. A-2-4-6-7 25. A-3-4-5-8 37. A-2-3-7-8 49. 2-3-6-7-8

2. A-2-3-4-6 14. A-3-4-6-7 26. 2-3-4-5-8 38. A-2-4-7-8 50. A-4-6-7-8

3. A-2-3-5-6 15. 2-3-4-6-7 27. A-2-3-6-8 39. A-3-4-7-8 51. 2-4-6-7-8

4. A-2-4-5-6 16. A-2-5-6-7 28. A-2-4-6-8 40. 2-3-4-7-8 52. 3-4-6-7-8

5. A-3-4-5-6 17. A-3-5-6-7 29. A-3-4-6-8 41. A-2-5-7-8 53. A-5-6-7-8

6. 2-3-4-5-6 18. 2-3-5-6-7 30. 2-3-4-6-8 42. A-3-5-7-8 54. 2-5-6-7-8

7. A-2-3-4-7 19. A-4-5-6-7 31. A-2-5-6-8 43. 2-3-5-7-8 55. 3-5-6-7-8

8. A-2-3-5-7 20. 2-4-5-6-7 32. A-3-5-6-8 44. A-4-5-7-8 56. 4-5-6-7-8

9. A-2-4-5-7 21. 3-4-5-6-7 33. 2-3-5-6-8 45. 2-4-5-7-8

10. A-3-4-5-7 22. A-2-3-4-8 34. A-4-5-6-8 46. 3-4-5-7-8

11. 2-3-4-5-7 23. A-2-3-5-8 35. 2-4-5-6-8 47. A-2-6-7-8

12. A-2-3-5-7 24. A-2-4-5-8 36. 3-4-5-6-8 48. A-3-6-7-8

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