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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SEVEN CARD STUD HIGH LOW EIGHT-OR-BETTER
by Todd Brunson
The old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,”
is certainly true when it comes to my son, Todd Brunson. In 1989 after
three years of college, studying to be a lawyer, Todd stunned me by announcing
that he wasn’t going back to school for his senior year. “I
want to be a professional poker player,” he explained. We had never
talked much about gambling in my household, and I didn’t even know
that Todd knew how to play poker. It turned out he had been playing in
the area around his college, Texas Tech in Lubbock. He had gotten fairly
proficient and decided he liked it more than his studies. So at the age
of 20, Todd started his career as a pro.
It soon became apparent that he had the skills to win. When he was 21,
Todd won first-place at the $200,000 main-event in the Diamond Jim Brady
tournament at the Bicycle Club in Los Angeles. It was the first of nine
career wins in big tournaments.
Todd had an uncanny ability to remember things, even as a young child.
I’ve always thought that a poker player’s greatest gift is
the ability to recall past hands and events, and I’m sure that his
amazing knack for vividly remembering the past has helped him a lot.
Allow me to exercise my bragging rights by telling you a little story
about Todd. I always knew that he was a great hold’em player, but
he supported my belief in spades this past year in the two biggest games
I’ve ever heard of. A brilliant businessman came to Vegas to challenge
the world’s best poker players. It was clear to me that his strategic
capabilities extended beyond business and into poker. He wanted to play
so high that his poker challengers needed to pool their money just to
accommodate him. For ten days this wealthy executive battled different
players to a standstill, a very rare feat for someone who doesn’t
practice day-in and day-out. We were all impressed.
Then Todd sat down to play him heads-up in a “friendly little game”
of $50,000-$100,000 Texas hold’em. On the first day of their two-day
match, Todd won $7 million. He slipped a little bit on the second day,
tallying only $6.5 million more. I’m certain this game will become
a part of poker folklore.
Todd’s winnings in that Texas hold’em game were over $20 million.
He also plays daily in the world’s largest ongoing poker game, in
which he is one of the most consistent winners. But, although his strengths
at hold’em are unquestionable, his insights into seven-card stud
eight-or-better are perhaps even more remarkable. That’s why I’ve
chosen him to write this chapter. There’s no doubt in my mind that
you’ll be hearing the Brunson name in poker for years after I’m
gone.
INTRODUCTION
Seven-card stud high-low split eight-or-better to qualify for low, commonly
known as eight-or-better, is found in home games and casinos throughout
the world. In seven-card stud, each player is dealt three cards to start,
two down and one up. This first upcard is called the doorcard. There is
a round of betting, then three more upcards are dealt to each player with
a round of betting following each card. Each player then receives his
final card, known as seventh street or the river, which is dealt facedown.
A final round of betting follows.
Throughout this chapter, I’ll use examples to identify each player’s
cards. The first two cards shown will be the players initial two hole
cards and the next one, two, three or four cards are the upcards. A final
seventh card will either be shown by itself to the right of the four upcards
or grouped with the first two downcards.
In many cases, your opponents’ holecards will be represented by
x’s, meaning they are hidden or buried. Here’s an example
where all cards are shown:
You: K-9 6-2-3-K 7
Player One: 2-3 A-J-5-3 2
Player Two: J-J 5-J-Q-7 9
This example shows the three downcards together plus the x’s representing
unknown cards held by the opponents.
You: A-2-A 5-8-7-10
Player One: x-x-x Q-4-6-9
Player Two: x-x-x A-5-8-J
During tournaments, there are many lower-limit ($5/$10 to $15/$30) and
middle- to high-middle limit ($30/$60 to $200/$400) games where less experienced
players can be found. Unfortunately, they seem to dry up when the tournament
ends.
In the bigger limits, straight eight-or-better games are rare, but usually
they are an important part of the composite that makes up the mixed games.
If you have any aspirations of rising to the top in poker, you must learn
all the games, especially eight-or-better. It’s almost always included
in the mixed games.
If you’re unable to find low-limit training games in your area,
you might need to get experience in medium-limit games. Granted $30/$60
or $50/$100 are extremely high limits to start out on, but besides this
book, experience is the most important weapon in your poker arsenal. While
smaller eight-or-better games are not popular in Las Vegas, they exist
in your local card rooms and on the internet. Entering smaller buy-in
tournaments is another good way of gaining experience without putting
too big a strain on your bankroll.
One bit of good news on the bankroll front: Your swings should be much
lower in eight-or-better than in many other forms of poker. First, you’ll
play fewer starting hands. And second, of the low hands you start with,
you will usually get out of the pot early, or find yourself with a playable
low draw after four cards. In this case, you’ll make a low the majority
of the time, which will win you at least half of the pot. As you follow
along, remember that the lowest exposed card is forced to start the betting
by making a token blind bet.
Once you find a place to start your eight-or-better career, read and memorize
the concepts in this chapter, then just try and keep it simple. Unlike
many other forms of poker, in eight-or-better, you usually have to show
down a hand. This means, don’t try and get too fancy too quickly.
At first, keep it simple and play very straightforward poker. The time
to make plays will come, but first you must know how to recognize the
proper situation. My advice: Be patient!
For this book, I have picked what I feel are the eighteen most important
concepts needed to master eight-or-better. The following is the most important
of all the concepts, not just in eight-or-better but all split games.
So, I’m going to start my chapter with this rule.
CONCEPT 1:
SCOOPING—THE PLATINUM RULE
The object of the game is winning the whole pot, also known as scooping.
Of all the concepts I’ll cover in this section, this one is the
most important. I can’t emphasize this point strongly enough. You’ve
heard of the Golden Rule? Well since this is twice as important, I call
it my Platinum Rule. When you are deciding whether or not to enter a pot
or proceed to the next street, you should always ask yourself, “Can
I scoop this whole pot? Or am I playing for half?” If you are only
playing for half, strongly consider folding. There are exceptions to this
rule, and we’ll cover these later in the chapter, but always keep
this rule in mind. Tattoo it into your memory.
Just as the continental divide separates the eastern and western United
States, this concept separates mediocre players from great ones. Extremely
smart and successful people play this game for decades, learn the ins
and outs of the game, and then forever break even—or lose. This
concept simply eludes people for some reason. Learn and practice my Platinum
Rule and you will have a leg up on some more seasoned veterans.
CONCEPT 2:
THREE BIG OR THREE LITTLE, BUT NEVER THREE IN THE MIDDLE
Three Big
If you’re playing a pair, you’ll want the biggest pair. Never
play catch-up like you might in stud high. Two jacks with a king kicker
against a raiser with a queen up is a good spot in stud high, but usually
not in eight-or-better. There are two reasons for this. First of all,
in stud, there’s a real good chance that the raiser doesn’t
actually have the two queens. A three-flush, three-straight or a smaller
pocket pair are actually more likely. Therefore, a call with jacks in
stud is usually a sound play. This is not so in eight-or-better though.
When a queen comes in with a raise in eight-or-better, he will usually
have what he’s representing, a big pair. This is a much more straightforward
game than straight high.
A second reason you won’t want to play less than the biggest pair
in eight-or-better is that you will most likely pick up at least one hitchhiker
going low. Now, not only are you a dog to win the high half of the pot,
there’s a good chance the low half will be gone, even if you manage
to draw out on the queens. And you also need to consider the fact that
the low hitchhiker may make a straight or some other hand that beats you.
So, like I said in the beginning of this concept: Always try and start
with the biggest pair.
Three in the Middle
Avoid split nines, tens, and even jacks or queens on third street if you
have overcards behind you. There are two exceptions to this rule, and
they both come into play on rare occasions:
(1) There’s nothing higher than an 8 on the board; or
(2) You are low with split eights or another low pair.
In the latter scenario, you would simply revert to seven-card high strategy
and play underpairs with a kicker higher than your opponent’s upcard.
Three Little
The three little cards component of this concept is basically self-explanatory.
All three of your starting cards need to be below an eight. However, just
because all three are below an eight doesn’t mean it’s a playable
hand. You will usually need some type of high potential to accompany your
low. This leads to our next concept.
CONCEPT 3: STARTING LOW HANDS
Three Suited Babies
The mother of all low starting hands is the three suited “babies.”
Babies, for the purpose of this section, are aces through eights. If your
hand contains an ace or a three-straight, so much the better. This hand
is only surpassed in value by a rolled-up hand; that is, three of a kind.
When you have three suited babies, the more opponents still in, the better.
If you are the first to enter the pot, raise as you normally would. If
it has already been raised and there are players behind you, just call—don’t
shut out any customers. If you are last to act with no players behind
you, go ahead and put in the extra raise, a move that might disguise your
hand to less experienced players. More experienced players may put you
on this hand, so the extra raise definitely has a drawback. Play it by
ear, but when you are undecided on the correct play, lean heavily toward
raising.
No-Gappers
The next best starting low hand is the three-straight. In this game, no-gappers
are obviously the best option because there are eight possible cards that
would give you an open-ended straight draw to go with your low draw—in
other words, a monster. These hands include: 6-7-8, 5-6-7, 4-5-6, 3-4-5,
2-3-4, and especially A-2-3. You also have eight cards to give you a gutshot
to go with your low draw. Not exactly a monster, but not too shabby, either.
The 5-6-7 and the 6-7-8 are especially good combinations against strictly
high hands. With the 6-7-8, you can catch a 9 or a 10 to improve your
hand but still keep that new strength completely hidden from your opponent.
The 5-6-7 can also catch a 9 that will never look like a good card to
your opponent. For example:
Example One
You: 6-7 5-3-9
Player One: K-Q K-Q-9
In this example, Player One would most likely bet out on fifth street,
thinking you caught bad. You now have an easy raise, having eight outs
(four aces and four twos) to split, and eight more outs (four fours and
four eights) to scoop the whole pot, not once, but twice—on sixth
street and the river.
Example Two
You: 6-7 8-4-10
Player One: K-Q K-Q-9
Again, Player One will assume that the 10 was a bad card for you. In
reality, you now have two chances to hit twelve outs for low and eight
outs to scoop the whole pot. For you, a raise is even easier in this situation
since you have four more outs for low than in the first example. Notice
that you could also catch a 9 on fifth street with the same results.
One-Gappers
The next subset of hands are the one-gappers: 5-6-8, 5-7-8, 4-5-7, 4-6-7,
3-4-6, 3-5-6, 2-3-5, 2-4-5, A-3-4 and A-2-4. Except for the hands with
an ace, you can catch four cards that will give you an open-end straight
to go with your low draw. As with the no-gappers, eight cards will give
you a gutshot. For instance:
Example One
You: 3-5 6
Player One: x-x 8
In this example, if Player One raised coming in, you would simply want
to call. Granted, if you and your opponent are both going low, you have
the best low draw. But if he has split eights or a buried overpair, you
would be well behind in the hand. Also, regardless of his holecards, you
can’t even beat the 8-high.
If you catch an ace, 2, 4, or 7 on fourth street, you’ll want to
raise Player One, regardless of what he catches—the one possible
exception being if you caught an ace and Player One breaks into open eights.
If both you and your opponent catch bad, you should call. This is one
of the rare situations in eight-or-better where you could consider calling,
even if you catch bad and your opponent catches good. There are two reasons
for this:
(1) Obviously, your opponent can catch bad on fifth street while you catch
good, making you the favorite to win the hand.
(2) Even if he catches good again, you can still hit sixteen cards (an
ace, 2, 4, or 7) to put you in good shape against his two most likely
hands—a made 8-low or a pair with an 8-low draw. If he has an overpair
in the hole that aren’t aces, you’re in really good shape.
If you hit bad again on fifth street, don’t even consider calling,
regardless of what he catches.
Two-Gappers and Double-Gappers
The final subsets are the two-gapper and the double-gapper. Two-gappers
and double-gappers are about the same in value. The double-gappers are:
8-7-4, 8-5-4, 7-6-3, 7-4-3, 6-5-2, 6-3-2, 5-4-A, and 5-2-A. The two-gappers
are 8-6-4, 7-5-3, 6-4-2, and 5-3-A. These hands are fairly good, but the
ones without an ace are still marginal. You should usually call one bet
on third street with the marginal ones, but not two.
Your strategy would change only if both opponents go high, or if one is
high the other has an 8-up, and you have three cards smaller than the
8. The reason being: If you make your low, it will probably beat his 8-low.
Also, although it is fairly difficult to make straights with these hands,
it’s not impossible.
Both the two-gappers and double-gappers have twelve cards to catch to
pick up a low draw and eight cards to pick up a gutshot straight draw
to accompany the low draw. They need to develop early in the hand, especially
in multiway pots. Say you have one of these hands in a multiway pot and
you only catch the low draw without the straight. If it appears that you
have the worst low, don’t get stubborn. Get out. Here’s an
example:
Example One
You: 8-4 7-2
Player One: x-x 6-4
Player Two: x-x Q-9
In this example, we should assume that Player Two has split queens or
some other high hand. As you have no high possibilities, you have to fight
with Player One for the low. Assuming Player One didn’t pair, the
only possible situation where you could have the best low draw would be
if Player One had exactly 7-8 in the hole, which is highly unlikely. Even
if that were the case, you would still only get the low about 60 percent
of the time.
Most players will at least take one card here. Don’t bother—save
that extra bet. It may not seem like much now, but a few of these expert
saves, tacked on to the rest of your tally at the end of the night, can
turn a break-even play into a nice win, or keep what would have been a
bad loss into a small one. Remember, every bet counts!
Ace and Two Babies
Next in the hierarchy of starting low hands is an ace with any other two
low cards that won’t make a straight. This hand often will have
the best low draw, with the added potential of hitting the ace at anytime
throughout the hand. It may not even be necessary to pair the ace against
another low hand; it may win you the high all by itself. For example:
Example One
You: A-3 6-7-4-9 K
Player One: 3-6 8-7-10-Q 2
Notice that not only do you have a board lock on the low end, but the
ace-high gives you the best high as well. This results in a scooped pot—the
two sweetest words in all of poker, along with “You win,”
“I give,” “I missed,” and “That’s
good.”
Remember, the ace with two babies that aren’t both wheel cards can
be a great hand. It should be played very aggressively early on. You don’t
want any middle pairs hanging around to steal your high half of the pot,
and if you have the ace-up, you can get rid of even big pairs right away.
Consider this example:
Example Two
You: 4 -6 A
Player One: 5-6 4
Player Two: K-J K
In this example, you can probably get the kings to fold on third or fourth
street if you catch good. The trick is to keep the heat on. Raise the
bet on third street or reraise if it gets completed in front of you. But
this is a tricky hand, and getting rid of the kings is only half the battle
here.
You still have Player One to deal with—that’s the other half
of the battle. Now that you’re heads-up with the best high and the
best low, a scoop looks easy. But looks can be deceiving. If you make
a low, it will be best almost 55 percent of the time, and Player One’s
4-5-6 will wind up with the best high a little over 55 percent of the
time. Net result? The 4-5-6 is about a one percent overall favorite against
the A-4-6. I know this is hard to believe, but it goes to show you the
strength of the straight potential with a 4-5-6. This shows that you’re
better off getting 49.5 percent of a heads-up pot with some dead money
in it, than 32 percent of a three way pot. So try and get those kings
to fold!
Hands with an 8
On a final note in this concept, I’d like to touch on eights, because
you’re in jeopardy almost anytime you have one in your hand. This
point is so complex that Concept 12 is totally devoted to it, but I still
wanted to touch on it here. When you start with an 8—be it in a
straight draw, with an ace and another baby, or even when you have the
proverbial monster of three suited babies—your hand is almost always
marginal. This is true unless you are only up against a high hand. Remember,
an 8 loses to all other low hands except other eights.
If your 8 is the upcard in your starting hand, be very careful. You might
even want to fold on third street against a scary board. Your opponents
might be able to force you out with a worse concealed 8 of their own,
knowing that with an 8-up, you’ve got your hands tied. If your 8
is concealed, your opponents can’t see your weakness, which will
probably stop them from jamming you out of the pot.
I’m not suggesting that you pass all hands containing an 8. Just
keep these factors in mind and don’t get married to the hand. These
are marginal situations that take years of experience to handle correctly.
Now that we’ve covered all the low playable hands, let’s move
on to the high hands.
CONCEPT 4: THE VALUE OF BIG PAIRS
If you’ve ever played seven-card stud high-low split with no qualifier,
you’re used to throwing away big pairs in almost any situation,
because it’s nearly impossible to scoop a pot with these starting
hands. Conversely, in seven-card stud high-low with an eight-or-better
to qualify, these hands have great value. Why? Here’s the difference:
In eight-or-better, players must qualify for low. If your opponent fails
to do so, your high hand will scoop the entire pot. With a qualifier in
play, your opponent can’t freeroll with his unmade hand. For instance:
Example One
You: 3-4 6-7-J-Q
Player One: K-K 9-2-7-9
If you were playing without a qualifier, you would have the low half locked
up with your jack-low—the best low hand Player One can make is a
king—and you would be freerolling with your gutshot. However, playing
with a qualifier for low, you now have to catch the 5 to hit your gutshot
for the scoop, or an ace, 2, or 8 for a low. You go from a huge favorite
to a huge dog as we shift between the two different games.
Aces
Obviously, aces are the best pair to start with in any game. In split
games, aces have the double bonus of being both high and low. Therefore,
aces combined with a low card is a monster that ranks up there with the
three suited babies. Which hand is better, though, is a close call. In
a multiway pot, I’d take the three suited babies, but in a heads-up
pot, the aces with a baby is clearly the best hand you can have other
than a rolled-up hand.
So, how to play this monster? Play it very straightforward. Raise or reraise
right away. Make the scoop much more likely for yourself by narrowing
the field. In the previous section, I explained that it’s best to
play your ace-up with two babies in the hole very aggressively, and this
is why: Your opponents will be confused by the way you play both hands
similarly. And due to the deception you used earlier, they’ll often
die with their kings or queens.
Aces without a small kicker should be played in much the same way. Exceptions
can be made or mixing up your play can be done after you’ve accumulated
enough experience. In the meantime, you must know your opponent and how
he will play his hand. Don’t get too tricky with good players who
will recognize what you are doing and find a way to make your play come
back and bite you.
Here’s a play that should usually be used against novice or overly
aggressive players: If you have split aces and a big card raises in front
of you, just call. You can also limp in from early position if there aren’t
too many low cards out. After slow-playing on third street, check-call
if you catch high, but bet out if you catch low. This will give your opponents
the impression that you have a strictly low hand. Hopefully you will catch
high on fifth street and can get in a check-raise. But once you have three
low cards showing, the jig is up. Play the hand out accordingly, by simply
betting out the whole way. Almost no one will fall for a check-raise against
an ace and two other low cards.
Other Big Pairs
After aces, it’s all downhill from here. Kings and queens still
have value, but much caution must be used when playing them. If an ace
raises in front of you, muck them immediately. Yes, your opponent might
only have two cards under an 8 to go with it, but so what? If he does
have the aces you’re screwed, and even if he just has a low, he
can still hit the ace any time throughout the hand.
So keep this in mind: When up against an ace, big pairs degenerate into
nearly worthless hands. Also, they don’t play very well in multiway
pots. Heads-up against a smaller pair, a low not containing an ace, or
a straight draw are the ideal situations, which brings us to our next
concept.
CONCEPT 5: NEVER HAVE THE SECOND-BEST HIGH HAND
I’ve already touched on this point, but it is so important that
you avoid holding the second-best high hands, that I wanted it to have
its own section. As I stated earlier, don’t play underpairs without
a real good reason; for example, a drunk is playing every hand and raises
with a king and you have split jacks with an ace. This is still an iffy
proposition unless you can get it heads-up between the two of you.
Another time you may want to play the second-best pair is if it’s
buried and you have a big card up. You can probably scare the best hand
out of the pot and either win it right there, or get heads-up with a low
draw. Example:
Example One
You: J-J K
Player One: x-x 2
Player Two: Q-9 Q
In this example, Player One would bring it in and Player Two would probably
raise. A reraise would make Player Two think you had the best hand with
split kings, instead of the buried jacks you actually have. Player Two
would now almost certainly fold. You used the power of your upcard along
with a little deception to bluff out the best hand.
Other high hands that aren’t too good are three-flushes without
little cards and three big connected cards. These are great hands in stud,
but in eight-or-better? Forget about it.
CONCEPT 6:
MISCELLANEOUS STARTING HANDS
We’ve covered the high and the low starting hands; now let’s
discuss hands that have value in both directions, specifically small pairs
with ace kickers, small pairs with baby kickers, and three-flushes with
two babies.
Small Pairs with Ace Kickers
I know I’ve said over and over that you should never have the second-best
high hand, but I also said that there are exceptions to rules, and this
is one of them. A pair below eights with an ace kicker has a lot of value
against a big pair other than aces, and it also has the added value of
its two low cards. If heads-up against a big pair, this hand should be
played out until the end, unless your opponent’s board gets real
scary, that is, he pairs his doorcard. If you catch small, there’s
a good chance that you will get a free card or two along the way; take
them, and don’t bother trying to bluff until you make something
here.
If there is a hitchhiker in the pot who is going low, beware. You’re
now second best in both directions. Very dangerous! If you and the hitchhiker
both catch good, proceed with caution. If you catch good and he catches
bad, get rid of him if you can. If he catches good and you catch bad,
take an early out , or “E.O.,” in dealer lingo. Throw your
hand away before you get put in the middle. If you call on fourth street,
you’ll almost certainly be in that vulnerable position.
Small Pairs with a Baby Kicker
A small pair with a baby kicker is a much more marginal hand. Preferably,
you’ll want a two-straight with your pair, and you’ll need
to catch good here right away, no matter what the circumstances. A possible
exception would come into play if you were heads-up against another low
card and you both caught bad. By catching bad, I mean a 9 or higher. If
you’re lucky enough to hit an ace right off, play it aggressively.
If you’re even luckier and make trips right away, bet out, and if
you then catch bad on fifth or sixth street, go for the check-raise. Don’t
get stubborn with this marginal hand. Don’t even play it if you
don’t think you can pass or take your free cards when appropriate.
Three-Flush with Two Babies
Finally, there is the three-flush with two babies. If your upcard is a
9, 10, or jack and a bigger card raises, you’ll probably want to
pass immediately. Your hand will be too obvious to your opponents, and
you’re less likely get paid off if you make your hand. When you
have the three-flush with the biggest card up, play it aggressively, representing
that pair. You’ll give yourself an extra chance to win if your opponents
catch bad or make small pairs. Also, when you wind up making a low, no
one will suspect it. Example:
Example One
You: 2? 3? K? 5? 6? Q? 8?
Player One: 4? 7? 8? 5? 10? 6? J?
If you came into the pot with a double raise on third street, Player
One will never give you credit for a three-flush. Your hand is so well
disguised that Player One can’t help but lose many extra bets with
his 8-high straight.
Now, if you start your three-flush with a low card and not-so-low card
buried and a low card up, your play should be much simpler. Don’t
try to get fancy here, just make it look like any other low. You might
even improve into a flush draw and be forced to fold with this kind of
hand. Here’s an example:
Example Two
You: 3? J? 5? Q? 9?
Player One: x-x 6? 2? 5?
Player Two: x-x K? A? 8?
In this hand, Player Two will most likely bet. You would call here and
hold your breath, hoping Player One paired along the way and won’t
raise. If he does raise, Player Two will certainly reraise, and you’ll
have no choice but to fold, knowing Player One either made his low or
is representing that he did. This is another time when my Platinum Rule
comes into play: Never play for half.
If you still don’t understand the Platinum Rule this perfectly illustrates
its importance. The low half is already gone and you are an underdog to
get the high half. Would you like to draw to a flush under these circumstances?
If you answered yes, please come find me in the top section of the Bellagio
and sit in my game.
Three-Straight with a 9-High
I’m going to include one more scenario that rarely arises. Say you
have the lowest card and you have a three-straight with a 9 and two other
cards 8 or below, such as 7-8-9, 6-7-9, 6-8-9, or even 5-6-9. These hands
are only playable against high hands without low possibilities. While
these hands are usually unprofitable in straight-high seven-card stud,
the chances of backing into a low and salvaging half the pot make them
worthwhile in eight-or-better. Never get involved with these against a
baby.
Now that we’ve covered starting hands, let’s move on to how
you’ll want to play them on later rounds.
CONCEPT 7:
PLAYING BIG PAIRS
Against One Opponent
When playing a big pair, you will usually be the only player going high
and will be up against either one or more low hands. Let’s start
with the single opponent going low.
When playing a big pair against one player who starts with a baby, you
should check if he catches another low card that can give him a straight
or a flush draw. If he bets, only call him; but if he catches a big card—a
9 through king, or another low card with many gaps—you should bet.
Example One
You: K-10 K-6
Player One: x-x 8-3 offsuit
You should go ahead and bet in this situation. Although Player One has
probably picked up a low draw, his board is very weak for high. Make him
pay to draw. Also, the three might have paired Player One, in which case
he has few low possibilities and a much worse high hand than you. On fifth
street, check-call if Player One catches a third baby and bet if he catches
big.
Example Two
You: K-10 K-6
Player One: x-x 4-5 offsuit
Unlike the first scenario, you should definitely check when faced with
this situation. The reason for the check is that Player One easily could
have picked up a straight draw as well as a low draw, making him the favorite.
A call is still definitely warranted, however. Remember, he may have paired
or started with a pair or three-flush. As in the previous example, check-call
on fifth street if Player One catches a third baby and bet if he catches
big.
Example Three
You: K-10 K-6
Player One: x-x 2-7 suited
Example Three is not as clear cut as the first two, but a check is still
the best option. Player One will almost always bet when checked to, so
the street gets bet anyway and a small amount of deception is gained by
your check. If Player One did pair sevens on fourth street, then catches
bad on fifth, he may call you down with his sevens because of your check
on fourth street.
Also, in Example Three, if Player One started with the mother of all low
hands, three suited babies, you are a monster dog. Even if your opponent
has only three suited cards, because of his low draw, he still has a big
advantage over you. Play conservatively here and check-call.
Once again, if Player One catches a third baby on fifth street, check-call,
and if he catches big, bet.
However, if Player One catches a big card that is suited to his first
two, you should definitely check here. You can call, but if your opponent
catches another suited card on sixth street, you’ll probably have
to fold—unless you have two pair. If Player One catches another
low on sixth street that is offsuit, you should use a crying call here
and on the end. If Player One catches another suited baby card, you should
fold and run screaming from the table.
Disregarding the suits, if Player One makes four open babies in any of
these examples, it’s probably best to fold a pair of kings. Remember,
it’s going to cost two big bets to see the hand out, not just the
one put in on sixth street. If you have improved to trips or kings-up,
you will just have to hold your breath and
check-call on sixth and seventh streets, hoping for the best. You’re
not breaking the Platinum Rule here because at this point, the best is
still a scoop, as Player One could have made two pair and missed his low,
or he could have started with a buried pair or a three-flush.
Against Multiple Opponents
Let’s move on to the second and trickier half of this concept: Playing
the big pair against multiple opponents going low.
When holding a high pair against multiple opponents going low, don’t
put extra bets in on third street unless you feel that you can narrow
the field by doing so. Wait until fourth street, when some people catch
bad, to put the pressure on.
Example One
You: K-9 K
Player One: x-x 4
Player Two: x-x 6
Player Three: x-x 2
Let’s say that in Example One, you complete the bet and are raised
by Player One, only to be called by Players Two and Three. As I stated
earlier, you should just call here and see what develops. Now let’s
say the next round of cards looks like this:
You: K-9 K-10
Player One: x-x 4-7
Player Two: x-x 6-J
Player Three: x-x 2-J
Now is the time to weed out the field. Bet out, knowing that Player One
will raise you. If Player Two or Three is stubborn enough to call the
double bet here, go ahead and really punish them with another raise and
make them pay to draw. It will rarely happen that players catch bad and
call multiple bets once an opponent catches good, but even a so-called
expert recently wrote that he would call a cap with A-2-3 on fourth street
in this spot after he caught a big card. That’s a terrible move
because that player would then have the worst high and the worst low.
Calling would be suicidal.
Now, let’s say the hand develops as follows instead:
You: K-9 K-10
Player One: x-x 4-7
Player Two: x-x 6-5
Player Three: x-x 2-5
Proceed with extreme caution. Check, and if it’s two bets back to
you, get out early and save those bets. Even for one bet you may want
to concede the hand here and now, rather than getting sucked down the
tube. Remember, big pairs play well against one low hand but poorly against
multiple low hands.
This basically sums up concept seven but I want to touch on one other
situation briefly. What do you do when you pick up a hitchhiker who is
also going high when you have the big pair?
Example Two
You: Q-7 Q
Player One: x-x 4
Player Two: x-x J
The first thing you need to ask yourself is, what kind of player is your
opponent? Would he play two jacks here? Would he play a three-flush here?
Hopefully for your sake, the answer to either of these questions would
be yes. But if I happen to be Player Two, the answer is no, and you are
in for a world of hurt. I may have an ace-baby suited, but chances are
I have a concealed high hand. Again, in this situation, you should fold
and run screaming from the table. This leads us into our next concept.
CONCEPT 8:
PLAYING A CONCEALED HIGH HAND
When you play a concealed high hand such as rolled-up trips, buried aces,
or a buried pair bigger than anyone else’s upcard, play your hand
according to what your upcard represents. In other words:
(1) If you have a high card, raise as you normally would with a big pair.
(2) If you start with a middle card, raise. If a bigger card reraises
you, just call until you get to bigger betting on future streets.
(3) If you catch low, represent a low hand and play accordingly. If heads-up
against a high hand, you might be lucky enough to catch bad on fifth street.
This will allow you to raise and get a double bet in on a big bet street.
(4) If you catch what appears to be a bad card in a multiway pot, allow
yourself to be put in the middle, never showing strength, which would
tip your hand.
If you are fortunate enough to start with a rolled-up hand and make quads
on fourth street, remember this: In seven-card stud-high, you should almost
always check this hand on fourth street. No matter how obvious it may
seem, you want to give your opponent a chance to make something or some
kind of draw to call you with.
Conversely, in stud eight-or-better, you want to bet out right away, no
matter what. If your opponent is going low, bet whether he catches good
or not. Make him pay to draw to his low, especially if he’s trying
to backdoor it. Also, even if it appears he is going low, he may also
have a concealed high hand and might be able to continue.
CONCEPT 9: DISPELLING A
LONG-HELD MISCONCEPTION
This is an extremely important concept, not just in eight-or-better,
but in almost all forms of stud. Curious yet? Okay, let me break it down
for you.
You’re playing in an eight-handed stud game and a very tight player
raises with an ace-up. Since your such a good player, you throw away split
kings. Now say the same scenario arises again, only this time two players
have aces showing after three cards. The same player raises, and then
you reraise him, knowing it’s less likely anyone can have aces since
you’re looking at two of them. Smart, right? Wrong. While an ace
is gone, making it less likely a single player would hold aces, the fact
that you’re up against two players showing an ace makes it more
likely that you’ll be facing aces in at least one spot. Still confused?
Let me break it down further.
Situation One
One opponent has an ace-up. What are the chances he has split aces or
rolled-up aces? We multiply three unaccounted for aces by 39 other unknown
cards and get 117 combinations of holecards that include a single ace.
3 x 39 = 117
There are also three combinations possible in which one of your opponents
has two aces in the hole for trip aces.
(3 x 2) / (2 x 1) = 3
That makes 120 total combinations that give your opponent aces or better
(117+3). There are 861 total combinations of cards (42 unknown cards x
41 still unknown cards divided by 2) that your opponent could have in
the hole. So the player with an ace up has aces or better 120 out of 861
times, 13.94 percent of the time, meaning he is a 6.18 to 1 underdog.
Situation Two
Two opponents have an ace-up. How often will one have aces or better?
Now we have four holecards between the two players. Let’s calculate
by multiplying the number of unknown cards remaining as each card gets
removed in order to derive the total number of holecard combinations.
42 x 41 x 40 x 39 = 2,686,320
We divide the total number of unknown cards by 24 holecard combinations
(4 possible first cards x 3 possible second cards x 2 possible third cards
x 1 possible fourth card) to eliminate the possibility of counting the
same hand more than once when the cards are in a different order. This
leaves 111,930 combinations of buried cards that your opponents could
have.
2,686,320 / 24 = 111,930
Using the same formula, we can calculate the number of scenarios in which
exactly one of the four opposing holecards will be an ace. Multiply the
number of non-aces among the unknown cards, 40, by 39 and 38, then divide
that number by 6 (3 x 2 x 1) to eliminate the possibility of counting
differently ordered but equal hands twice, and you get 19,760 combinations
of one ace and three non-aces among the four opposing holecards.
To determine how many combinations exist in which two of the holecards
will be aces, multiply the combination of both remaining aces, 1, by the
number of combinations of two non-ace cards among 40 unknown non-aces,
which is 1560 (40 x 39). Then divide that by 2 (2 possible first cards
x 1 possible second card) to get 780 combinations of two aces and two
non-aces among the four opposing holecards.
That makes a total of 20,540 combinations (19,760 + 780) out of 111,930
total in which you’ll be facing at least a pair of aces from your
opponents’ hands. This means you’ll bump up against aces or
better 18.35 percent of the time. It’s only 4.55 to 1 against that
happening, making the threat greater than when you face a single ace.
Okay, enough with this complicated stuff, just remember: If there are
two aces out, it is about 24 percent more likely that someone has split
or rolled up aces than if there is only one
ace-up.
CONCEPT 10:
RECOGNIZING THE NUT LOW
In all forms of poker, especially in eight-or-better, it is very important
to know when you have a board lock, meaning that it is impossible for
any opponent to have your hand beat at that point. You don’t want
to be raised out of a pot when you have a board lock. Let’s look
at an example (all hands offsuit):
Example One
You: A-4 2-5-7
Player One: x-x 7-6-2
Player Two: K-K 4-9-K
You have a board lock for low with your 7-5 low and, as no one has a
straight or flush possible, Player Two has a board lock for high. Again,
it’s imperative to recognize when you have the best possible hand,
whichever direction you are going. You obviously don’t want to be
raised out with the best hand, and you don’t want to miss any bets
either.
I’ll add that just because you have a board lock doesn’t mean
you should keep raising as you may still be a dog if all the cards aren’t
yet out, even if you have the nuts at the time.
Example Two
You: 8-7 6-2-3
Player One: A-2 3-4-10
Player Two: K-Q K-J-J
Notice that Player One has a 10-up and would need another low card to
form an 8-or-better low. You have a low already made, meaning you have
a board lock. Should you keep raising here? Absolutely not. You must hit
runner-runner in order to make a high (about 20 to 1 against), and you
are actually a dog on the low side by a few percentage points. Of course,
you don’t know that he has perfect low cards buried, but he’s
most likely drawing better than you are, so don’t push it, because
you’re most likely playing for only half the pot. You would even
fold if you could see his holecards.
Valuing a Lowball Hand
The proper way to value a lowball hand is from the weakest cards, not
the strongest. For example, an inexperienced player might not know that
3-4-5-6-8 beats A-2-3-7-8 because he might start counting from the bottom
of the hand, 3-4 or A-2, instead of the top, 8-6 or 8-7. But as you and
I know, the 8-6 hand is obviously a better low than the 8-7. Similarly,
a 7-6-5-4-A, a 7-6 hand, obviously would be better than an 8-4-3-2-A,
an 8-4 hand. Notice that the hands are referred to by their two weakest
cards. An A-2-4-6-7 would be called a 7-6 hand, as would a 2-3-4-6-7.
But weaker players might not know right away that, in a showdown, given
that the worst three cards, the 7, 6, and 4, are all identical, the first
hand would win since the 2 is lower than the 3.
Although it may seem unnecessary to most readers with a background playing
ace-to-five lowball, I want to take time out to make sure everyone is
so comfortable with the low hand values that they don’t have to
give it a second thought at the table. To do this, I created the following
chart to show the ranking of all the qualifying lowball hands. The chart
reads from top to bottom, left to right, from the weakest low hand (the
8-7-6-5-4) to the strongest (5-4-3-2-A, the wheel).
You can use this chart to help you recognize when you hold the best low
possible, given the cards that are in play.
Playing the Second-Best Low Hand
Although having the second best low hand is not a spot you want to be
in, it is sometimes unavoidable. This is nowhere near as bad as having
the second-best high hand. Why?
First of all, you’ll often know for certain when a player is going
high. For instance, if an opponent with a king-up raises into multiple
opponents on third street, he’s definitely telling you that he’s
going high. On the other hand, when that same player raises into multiple
opponents on third street with a 3-up instead of a king, he may be rolled
up or may have a big pair in the hole. Then again, he may not. In the
former situation, you know for sure which way your opponent is going;
in the latter you don’t. You can’t simply muck all your low
hands for fear of being up against a better low. That’s especially
true when you may be the only one that’s actually going low. Also,
just because you’re going low, that doesn’t mean you might
not wind up with the high end of the pot. It’s much easier to improve
your low hand into a high hand than vice versa.
Take K-K-4 for example. With this starting hand, you must catch four runners
to make a low. Meanwhile a hand like 5-6-7 obviously has great low potential.
The difference between the two hands is that the 5-6-7 can easily develop
into a high hand by making either a straight, two pair, or possibly even
a flush—enabling it to scoop the entire pot! Here are some more
examples to drive the point home.
Example One
You: 5-6 7
Player One: K-K 3
Player Two: K-J K
Here, Player Two comes in for a raise, you call, and Player One reraises.
While this looks scary from the outside, this is actually one of the best
spots you can ever occupy in eight-or-better. While another player has
a low card up, you are actually up against two players both going high.
Example Two
You: 5-6 7
Player One: 8-5 3 all suited
Player Two: K-J K
In this example, the action comes down the same way and again you fear
you have the worst low. But once again, you are in good shape. While Player
One is also going low, he isn’t raising on the power of his low
draw but on his two-way draw. You have the best low draw along with some
pretty good potential for high.
Example Three
You: 5-6 7
Player One: A-2 3
Player Two: K-J K
While in the first two examples you were in good shape, in Example Three
you are up against it. But even though you have the worst high and low
draws, you can still draw out in either, or both, directions. Part of
the beauty of poker is that the best hand at the outset doesn’t
always win. If it did, I would be sitting by myself up in the Bellagio
poker room instead of being swamped with customers.
Try not to make having the worst low hand or draw a habit. On the contrary,
try to be drawing better than your opponents the majority of the time.
Just keep in mind that this is not always possible, and remember that
you can’t play poker scared. Aggressive usually, cautious sometimes,
scared never!
Let’s look at one more example:
Example Four
You: 2-4 7-5
Player One: x-x K-Q
Player Two: x-x 2-3
In this situation, you may think you are drawing to the second-best low,
and you probably are. Although you might be tempted to fold, you shouldn’t.
You should take a card here. Your hand still has straight potential and
you may out-draw him for low anyway. An ace will give you a very good
low and a 3 or a 6 will give you a decent low with a gutshot straight
draw for dessert. Player Two may also have an 8 or a worse 7 (7-6) in
the hole, so keep the faith.
CONCEPT 11: PLAYING LOW HANDS
In eight-or-better, how low hands are played is much of what separates
the experts from the merely good players. Much of eight-or-better is fairly
obvious to an experienced player, and many of the situations that call
for the expert plays I’ve covered, and will cover later, rarely
arise. Conversely, low hands will be a constant part of your game, forcing
you into decision after decision. Let’s start off by addressing
how to play these hands as they develop.
Don’t make a habit of jamming it or putting extra money in the pot
with mere low hands on third street. Complete the bet or just call if
someone has already done so in front of you. Hands such as A-2-6 or 2-3-4
are fine starting hands and can develop into monsters, but much of the
time you will simply catch bad and have to fold.
If you do catch bad on fourth, should you call and see fifth street? This
depends on your opponents’ boards, your position, and how many bets
went in on third street. The following examples illustrate the importance
of position and your opponents’ boards:
Example One
You: 3-4 5-J
Player One: x-x 6-7
Player Two: x-x K-9
In example one, you must definitely fold right away, even if you put
two bets in on third street. The reason for this is that if you call Player
Two’s bet, Player One will definitely raise. Then Player Two will
raise again putting you in the middle and forcing you to call at least
two, and probably four more bets to stay in the hand. You will almost
certainly get jammed out of the pot if you call, so save that bet.
Example Two
You: 3-4 5-J
Player One: x-x 6-Q
Player Two: x-x K-9
Can you guess what the action will be in Example Two? Even if Player
Two were Stevie Wonder, he would still bet out into these two boards.
Call, cross your fingers, and say a quick prayer. Again, you must catch
good immediately to continue with the hand. If not, ditch it.
Getting Quartered
For Omaha eight-or-better players starting to play stud eight-or-better,
remember this: In Omaha, getting quartered is a very real fear, even when
you have the nuts. A pot gets quartered when one player has the high and
two players have the same low, or vice versa. When this happens, the two
players with the same hands—usually the low hands—wind up
with only one quarter of the pot and actually lose money if they are two
of the only three still in. In Omaha eight-or-better, getting quartered
happens a lot, even when you have the nuts, because players get to play
two cards out of the four in their hands and share three of the five community
cards. This makes it considerably more likely that two players will wind
up with the same hand.
But in stud eight-or-better, this almost never happens, because you have
to play five cards out of your hand and you share none. Therefore, when
you have a board lock in stud eight-or-better, go ahead and cap it on
the end, don’t stop raising as you would in Omaha eight-or-better.
For example:
Example One
You: A-2 5-7-8-Q 3
Player One: x-x 6-7-8-Q x
Player Two: x-x A-8-K-9 x
Okay, here you have a 7-5, unbeatable against these two boards. The best
Player One could have is a 7-6 low and the best Player Two could hope
to muster is an eight perfect (8-4-3-2-A) not good enough, unfortunately
for your opponents. Keep the pressure on here. Raise and reraise until
the cows come home. Although you can’t scoop, you have half locked
up for sure.
There are times, however, when should not raise even when you obviously
have the best low draw. There are two reasons:
(1) You don’t want to knock anybody out. You want full value.
(2) If you miss, you wind up with nothing anyway. You lose the minimum
as well as disguise the true strength of your hand.
Let’s look at an example that illustrates these points:
Example Two
You: 2-3 5-6
Player One: x-x K-Q
Player Two: x-x A-7
In this example, you have a multiway pot with only a low draw and a gutshot
straight draw for high. You want to make sure it stays a multiway pot,
so don’t raise the obvious high hand out of the pot. When Player
Two bets out, just call him. You will accomplish little by knocking out
Player One, as Player Two has you beat for the high hand right now anyway.
If you are lucky enough to complete your straight, you’ll want as
many victims in there as possible, so let him live.
If you raise Player One out, there are times when you will get scooped
instead of winning the high with a small pair. When this happens, take
a deep breath and take solace in the fact that you played your hand correctly.
You don’t have to win all the battles, just the war.
CONCEPT 12: BEWARE THE 8
When playing your low hands, be extremely careful any time you’re
drawing to an 8 and other opponents are going low. In fact, unless you
have a straight or flush draw, or an ace in your hand to go along with
the 8, you shouldn’t even be in the hand to begin with. Hands like
2-3-8 might look good, but ask yourself, “What am I hoping to make
with this hand?” Remember the Platinum Rule! Even when you have
the straight potential, whatever low you end up with won’t be very
good. Here’s an example:
Example One
You: 8-2-10 7-4-3-10
Player One: 4-5-J 2-6-Q-7
Player Two: 2-8-A A-3-6-9
This is what you can expect to happen when you play these hands. Since
you’re drawing to the worst low, you’ll probably wind up with
the worst low. You started with no high potential, so you got what you
deserved. Hands such as 2-3-8, 2-4-8, 2-5-8, 2-6-8, 2-7-8, 3-4-8, 3-5-8,
3-6-8, and 3-7-8 are all unplayable unless you’re in a multiway
pot against strictly high hands. Although they have no eights, 2-3-7,
2-4-7, 2-5-7, and 2-6-7 are usually unprofitable, even when you are the
low card or bring-in. Don’t fall into the trap of playing mediocre
one-way hands.
Would you buy a business that was losing money and had little potential
to change that? Of course not. Even if you got a cheap price on it, it
would still be a losing proposition. It’s the same when you are
the bring-in: Just because you can buy this lemon of a hand at a discounted
rate, don’t fall for it. Dodge the trap and save your money. Here’s
an example:
Example Two
You: 8-4 2-6-9-J 5
Player One: K-6 K-J-6-2 9
Let’s say you are the low card and have to bring it in. You did
manage to get your money back, so it was worth it, right? I hope you said
“Wrong.” If not, reread this chapter, then take a five-minute
time out in the corner and think about your answer.
Why were you wrong for chasing? You had to call the completion of the
bet on third street, a small bet on fourth, and big bets on fifth and
sixth to make your low. What did you accomplish by taking all this heat?
You got your money back, almost all of which you could have kept anyway—and
half the antes and half the bring-in—at no risk, by mucking your
hand on third street. That means that in a $200/$400 game, you risked
$1,150 to win a profit of $225. And you were an underdog to get that.
In many poker games, you sometimes have to take a stand. Eight-or-better
is not one of those games. If you like to get stubborn, stick to limit
hold’em or stud high. eight-or-better is a game of discipline and
patience.
CONCEPT 13:
KEEPING TRACK OF THE UPCARDS
Keeping track of the upcards is important in all variations of seven-card
stud, but it is imperative in eight-or-better—especially when it
comes to the babies.
If you are going high and there are a lot of low cards out, you know it
will be more difficult for an opponent to complete his low draw. Likewise,
if he were showing three clubs, you need not worry nearly as much if three
or four clubs were seen in other players’ hands on third street.
It’s best to remember each card by suit, but if you can’t,
try to remember all the low cards as well as any duplicates in other people’s
hands and whether there are many cards of one suit out.
Upcards and Hand Reading
One of the beauties of any stud game is that you can get an idea of your
opponent’s hand by his upcards. In eight-or-better, you can usually
tell who’s going high and who’s going low and make your plays
accordingly. Keep in mind that low hands can develop into high hands and,
to a lesser extent, vice versa. Take this situation, for example:
Example One
You: 7? 6? 5? 8? Q? J? 2?
Player One: 2? A? K? J? 5? 7? 4?
Notice that Player One started with a big card up, caught a card suited
to his first card, and then followed that with two babies. This is a very
deceptive hand. It looks like he is strictly high but he wound up with
a decent low, and actually scoops you. These situations are rare, but
they do occur, so keep them in mind. Remember that the cards you’ve
seen will help you decipher your opponent’s hand. The following
scenarios, though, are much more common:
Example Two
You: 3-4 7-5-K-3 5
Player One: Q-7 Q-2-10-4 9
Example Three
You: 3-4 6-2-J-9 5
Player One: Q-7 Q-2-10-9 9
In Example two, you started out going low only to stumble into two pair,
winning yourself the pot, as Player One failed to improve his pair of
queens. In Example three, Player One improves to two pair, only to lose
to your straight. This is why it’s usually correct to check your
high hand on the end against a player going low. If he missed everything,
you won’t get paid anyway. If he has a small pair, he will most
likely fold. If he made a low, you won’t win anything anyway, and
if he made a high that beats you, you’ll lose it all. Lastly, if
you each made a high hand—most likely two pair—and you check,
your opponent will almost always bet, hoping to get paid off by one pair
(unless, of course you have an open pair on board). So you see, the end
gets bet anyway—you just risked much less.
Recognizing When an Opponent
Pairs His Holecard
Another advantage to remembering all the upcards is that it will help
you recognize when someone has paired his holecard. Let’s say a
good player calls a double raise with a five-up, and there are two sixes
and two deuces out on third street. Now, that player then catches a 6
on fourth street and a 2 on fifth street to go with his 5. There is only
one 6 and one 2 left in the deck, so chances are he didn’t pair
either. From this you can deduce that this player likely made a straight
or at least a very good low with a straight draw. Thanks to the additional
information you gained by remembering the upcards on third street, you
could muck a big pair here.
Let’s look at an example where you can tell someone actually did
pair his holecard:
Example One
You: 3-4 2-5-J
Player One: x-x K-J-8
Player Two: x-x 5-7-8
Let’s say Player One bets and Player Two just calls. What could
Player Two have? A low without a straight? Impossible. He would raise
to get you out. A 9-high straight? Again, he would have to try to raise
you out and get the scoop. An 8-high straight? Possible, but highly unlikely.
With the worst possible low, any other low hand would beat his, unless
he improved, so he would want to get the low draw out. So what does Player
Two most likely have? He either started with some kind of high hand, which
is still unlikely since he didn’t attempt to raise the low draw
out, or he has made a pair.
Knowing this, what is your best course of action? Provided no aces or
sixes were out on third street, this hand definitely warrants a raise.
You’ve got eight cards to scoop and five or six to take half the
pot. If you make your low, you know he will need to hit runner-runner
to beat it, as he is drawing to an 8-7 low—if he even has a low
draw at this point. Here’s another example:
Example Two
You: 4-5 7-8
Player One: x-x K-Q
Player Two: x-x 2-6
Player Three: x-x 4-6
In this scenario Player One bets, Player Two raises, and Player Three
folds. What should you do? Most likely, Player Three paired his 6 since
he folded right away. Player Two also has a 6 showing, meaning that there
is probably only one 6 left in the deck. Not only is a raise the wrong
play, a call here is tough as well, since you almost certainly have the
worst low draw with little hope of developing it into a high hand.
I would definitely still take a card on fourth street for one bet—but
not for two—hoping both that Player Two catches bad and that I catch
good, or maybe even snag that miracle 6. Note: Although Player Three folded
on fourth street, the 6 did not necessarily affect his hand. He may have
started with split fours, a pocket pair, or a three-flush and failed to
catch a fourth card of that suit. So, there is still a fair chance that
there are two sixes left. But pairing the sixes is simply the most likely
scenario that would make Player Three fold.
Blockers
In the previous example, the 6 is what’s known as a blocker. Recognizing
when blockers are out can enable you to get in extra raises you normally
might not be able to make. These situations arise in all forms of stud.
They are more important in eight-or-better than stud-high, but not as
important as in razz, which is another name for seven-card stud ace-to-five
lowball. In razz you can go from an underdog to a huge favorite, depending
on the other cards that are out.
Let’s look at another example that illustrates the effect of blockers:
Example One
You: 5-5 5-2-3-7
Player One: x-x 7-6-4-A
To emphasize the point, let’s say the last 5 was out on third street.
In this situation, you should not only raise Player One, you should put
four or more bets in, depending on who your opponent is. If you make any
low, even an 8-low, you can raise with almost no fear of being scooped.
In order to scoop, Player One would need to make a better low hand—assuming
you hit yours with a 6 or an 8—and have three sixes, sevens, or
aces to go with it.
CONCEPT 14:
ELIMINATING THE COMPETITION
No, I don’t mean killing off the other good players, although,
if a few were suddenly whacked, the rest would probably fall into line.
Just kidding—put your gun away.
In the previous section, I talked about not raising, or smooth-calling,
to keep a third opponent in the pot. In this concept, I will talk about
raising in order to limit the field, which will maximize your chances
at scooping the whole pot. Often, when hands develop and boards start
looking scary, you can use this to your advantage by representing something
that a player holding a high hand would be afraid of, so you could bluff
him out.
So, if you’re in a three-way pot with the best low and a weak high
that has a chance to beat your other opponent who is also going low, a
raise to force out the high hand might enable you to scoop the whole pot.
For example:
Example One
You: A-2 4-3-J-6
Player One: x-x K-Q-4-3
Player Two: x-x 7-6-5-10
If Player Two bets here, a raise might knock out Player One. If that
happens, your A-J might be good for high. If the A-J isn’t good
enough, pairing the ace, jack, 6, or maybe even one of the babies might
earn you the scoop. This probably would not have been possible if Player
One had stayed in for the showdown.
But if Player One does get stubborn and stays in, it’s great value
anyway, as you have the nut low and are assured of getting at least half.
Another time to knock out an opponent is if you have the worst low or
low draw and only you know it. Take this scenario:
Example Two
You: 7-8 4-5
Player One: x-x 8-6
Player Two: x-x K-Q
In this example, if Player Two bets out, a raise might get Player One
to fold. Why do you want him to muck here? He probably has the best low
draw but doesn’t know it, as your 7 and 8 are buried. This is the
kind of situation you want to be in—three cards to come with a low
draw and a straight draw, even if it is just a gutshot, against a strictly
high hand. One last example:
Example Three
You: 3-4 6-7
Player One: x-x 5-J
Player Two: x-x K-10
Player Two will certainly bet out here, and you must raise. Why? For
value, for one thing. As we just discussed, this is a great spot to be
in. However, the main reason you’ll want to raise here is to force
out Player One. “Why?” you ask. You’re thinking, “I
have the best low draw, maybe I should let him hang around.” No,
absolutely not! It would be easy for him to catch good while you caught
bad, and then you might wind up with the worst low draw.
I see fairly good players just call here on a regular basis. This is a
horrible play. These are the spots you’re waiting for. This is the
time to divide and conquer!
CONCEPT 15: STEALING THE ANTES
Ante stealing is not as intricate a part in stud eight-or-better games
as it is in many other forms of poker, especially in full games, mostly
because the low card is almost always below an 8, so any player with such
a card has one-third of a playable hand showing.
As in other games, if you’re going to try to steal the antes, you
obviously need to be in late position. If there is an ace or multiple
low cards behind you, don’t even think of trying it. Your best chance
is when you have an ace-up, and there’s nothing but middle cards
behind you. The reason being, even if one of your opponents has a split
middle pair, he will probably muck it when an ace raises in front of him.
Here are three examples.
Example One
You: K-J A
Player One: x-x 10
Player Two: x-x 9
Player Three: x-x 4
Example one is the situation you’re looking for to steal the antes.
Remember, the lowest card on board in the first round of betting—the
4 held by Player Three—is forced to start the action by making a
token blind bet, so basically, your only concern is whether or not the
low card has a hand.* If he does, he probably will not reraise you anyway,
but just calling here gives you another shot at stealing this pot. This
arises when you catch good on fourth street and he doesn’t. He’ll
probably give up right there and you will get the pot. If you both catch
good and you are on a cold steal, say with two paints in the hole, give
it
* For betting purposes on the first round, the ace plays as the high
card, not the low.
up right there. Don’t go down with the ship; just check and muck
with a coy smile.
Example Two
You: 9-4 J
Player One: x-x K
Player Two: x-x 9
Player Three: x-x 4
This is another good spot to try to pick up the antes. If you can get
by the king, the 9 is probably out unless he holds an overpair. Play the
way I just described against the 4. The most important thing to remember
is that you should throw your hand away immediately should the king, or
anyone else for that matter, reraise. Don’t throw good money after
bad.
Example Three
You: 9-2 J
Player One: x-x A
Player Two: x-x 8
Player Three: x-x 4
I put in this last example just to make you feel smart. If you can’t
recognize that this is a bad spot to try to steal, hang up your guns and
mask. You’ll never make it as a thief.
CONCEPT 16:
DEFENDING AGAINST THE STEAL
Once again, this is not a very common situation in eight-or-better. Be
sure your timing is right and don’t overuse this play. When a loose
and aggressive player, especially one on tilt, raises in late steal position
with a low card, what do you do? If you feel he may be stealing, you should
probably reraise him with any hand that you would normally just call with.
You don’t want to give the thief a free chance to win the pot, which
is exactly what he’ll do if he catches good and you catch bad with
only one bet each in the pot on fourth street. On the other hand, if you
each have two bets in on fourth street, the pot is now big enough to justify
a call even though you might be behind. Remember, if he started with a
bad one in the hole, you’re not behind—you’re even.
That reraise on third street is a kind of insurance against the luck of
the draw. You now double your chances to stay in the pot by forcing yourself
to see an additional card on fifth street. Also, you are compounding his
mistake for him; if he had the bad one buried, he’s now putting
in two bets with that bad hand. If you find yourself on the other end
of this situation, don’t call, hoping for some miracle. Get out
immediately and save that extra bet.
Let’s look at some examples of this technique.
Example One
You: 2-3 5
Player One: x-x 5
In the first example, Player One raises in late position. Often, you
would just call in this spot. However, if you suspect a burglary is in
progress, reraise and bring this thief to justice.
Example Two
You: A-8 5
Player One: x-x 7
The same goes for this example, only this time the ace you hold makes
the reraise much easier. Reason being, even if Player One has a legitimate
hand, you will probably still have him beat for high with your ace. The
play in the second example can be used much more than in the play in Example
One. In addition to defending against the steal, it can be used to push
around weaker players, to establish a loose, confident image, or just
to mix up your play. It would be a much better hand if your other two
cards besides the ace were sevens or lower.
Example Three
You: 6-J 5
Player One: x-x 6
Finally, in this third example, when Player One raises in late position,
just fold, even if you are the low card and feel strongly that he is on
the steal. Get out now! Don’t try and get fancy or out-play him.
If he’s bad enough to raise here, he will hang himself later on,
so save those extra bets for that time.
CONCEPT 17: AN ADVANCED PLAY
As seldom as the last two concepts occur, this scenario comes into play
even less frequently. But, rare or not, this play, if executed properly,
can have such powerful repercussions, I felt it deserved it’s own
section. As with the last concept, be sure that your timing is right and
don’t overuse this play. Here we go!
If you start with a monster on third street and cap it in a multiway pot,
put in a raise on fourth street to back down an opponent going high, which
will keep you from getting put in the middle if you catch bad. This can
be used in any poker game, but works by far the best in stud eight-or-better.
Let’s look at a couple of examples:
Example One
You: 2? 3? 4? 10?
Player One: x-x 7? 4?
Player Two: x-x K? J?
In this example, after third street is capped, Player Two will bet out.
If you call, Player One will most likely raise. Then, Player Two will
definitely reraise, Player One will go to four bets, and Player Two has
an easy decision in capping it. With a hand as big as yours, you can’t
go out. You also want to put the minimum amount of money possible into
the pot at this point.
The solution? Instead of just calling, raise. If Player One paired, the
raising will stop right here, saving you three bets. If not, Player One
will go to three bets and unless Player Two is a beginner, he will just
call, saving you two bets.
Example Two
You: 2? 3? 4??10?
Player One: K? J?
Player Two: 7? 4?
Similarly, in this example, Player One will bet out and Player Two will
raise unless he paired—and there’s a good chance he will raise
even if he did pair. Once again, if you just call, Player One has an easy
decision to raise, and you’re looking at a capped pot. And once
again, the solution is the same. A raise will freeze Player One and cause
him to just call. If Player Two did not pair, you’ll still have
to call another raise from him, but four bets are better than five.
Not only do you save these extra bets, the beauty of the play is the deception
it provides you. Both players will put you on a high hand, and the opponent
that’s going high will be scared to put a bet in the pot throughout
the hand. Meanwhile, since you’ve put in so many bets, your opponent
going low will never give you credit when you make your low, often putting
too many big bets in on the end. I’ve often used this play and had
both players so confused that they checked all the way to the river. With
these free cards you can backdoor all kinds of hands, such as straights,
flushes, lows, and even two pairs or trips.
Before we move on, I want to once again emphasize that this play should
not be used on a regular basis. It should only be used after a lot of
bets have gone in on third street, adding the equity required to make
this successful.
CONCEPT 18: PARTING THOUGHTS
In conclusion, I want to tell a short anecdote. This final story has
to do with all forms of poker, not just eight-or-better—even all
of life for that matter. Although it doesn’t pertain only to the
game that I covered in this chapter, I wanted to include it in a book
as great as Super/System 2 for posterity’s sake.
Let’s say you went to a pet store and saw a dog you fell in love
with because of its bark. Would you then take the dog home and yell at
it and tell it that it was stupid for barking? Would you try to teach
the dog how to meow or moo instead? No, of course not. Doing so would
be unreasonable and ridiculous.
You would probably say a person who did this was irrational or even crazy.
However, if you look for games with bad players, then get in the game
and yell at them and tell them that they’re stupid when they play
badly and beat you, isn’t that the same thing? Isn’t that
crazy? Dogs bark. That’s what they do.
This is tantamount to what bad players do—they lay bad beats on
people. You wanted to play with them because they play bad. So, you have
no right to get mad or make speeches when they do play bad and wind up
beating you.
Don’t try to teach a dog to meow and don’t try to teach bad
players how to play good. It’s their money and they can play it
as they like. Also, think about how fussing at bad players makes you look.
If this bad player has enough money to play crazy and loose in the same
game you’re trying to win in, how can you call him a sucker? I find
nothing more amusing than when a player of modest means tells a recreational
player worth many millions that he’s a sucker. (A few years ago,
I heard Phil Hellmuth, who didn’t have a lot of money at the time,
tell Larry Flynt that if he kept playing that way he’d go broke.)
As the old saying goes, if you can’t handle the heat, stay out of
the kitchen. Find a kinder, gentler poker game with less maniacs and more
stable players. You will probably win less, but you might manage to hold
on to your sanity a little longer.
Keep in mind that I’m referring to comments that will be taken seriously.
Good-natured joking and ribbing—or giving the needle, as we say
in poker—is part of the game. It provides a sense of camaraderie
not found in most other forms of gambling. So don’t be afraid of
poking a little fun here and there. In fact, a little needling will keep
many players coming back who normally wouldn’t do so. Just keep
it good-natured.
Remember, the point of playing games is to have fun, and poker is the
greatest game ever created!
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