Free Poker Advice

Strategy post time!

Q: What is the optimal way to play Stud Hi\Low?

1. Play mostly to scoop pots with 2-way hands
2. Play to split pots after building them up vs multiple callers
3. Keep calling until you have all 7 cards, then make your decision

Trick question: the answer is 4. Don’t play at all.

Once upon a time, I actually enjoyed playing Stud, albeit Stud Hi. I was probably not as good as I thought I was (somewhere in my archives are some ill-fated attempts at putting up a strategy post or two about Stud that I’m too lazy and\or embarrassed to link up again), but more importantly, I was at least better than those I was playing against. I mostly played Stud SNGs on Party; back then, it didn’t take 2 days to fill up one small stakes SNG. It was my first successful foray into non-NLHE games, and by successful, I mean that I recall actually eeking out a small profit in those games.

Last night, on a whim, I played the Skillz game. I got home with plenty of time to register but decided against it because it was a Stud H\L blogger game. I don’t know what it was that caused me to change my mind & register shortly after the game began, but it was probably the worst decision of the night (and believe me, considering just the hands that I saw, there were plenty of bad decisions last night). In hindsight, I would have been more satisfied if I used the same $11 for the buyin to instead clean up my cat’s puke.

The game started off just splendidly. The very first hand I had (22)AA by 4th street against NewinNov & two cards showing for a low by 6th. He called all the through 6th then 2-bet me on 7th. The hand? A flush draw, no low, through 6th street that got there on 7th. Later on in the game, he had to clarify what qualified for a low. Wonderful.

It didn’t get much better than that. The only other notable hand was when I started with rolled 8s that made quads by 5th street against Heffmike. I misplayed the hand since I missed out on an opportunity to squeeze another bet out; my plan to check-raise 6th street was foiled by his check. Nevertheless, that hand got me to my highest chip stack, somewhere in the 5k range.

The rest of the night consisted of me playing mega-draws that just could never get there. Why is that

A) when I was calling down with draws I couldn’t hit, but everyone else was

B) when I was betting with mega draws, I still didn’t hit, but everyone else was

The hand that killed me was when I started with a high OESD, got 4 cards to a flush by 5th street , yet my bets couldn’t deter cemfredmd from calling through 6th street with (xx)35KT when I had J9Ax with three hearts showing. He did have three clubs showing, but it's hard to put him on two clubs underneath as well. I couldn't hit anything on 7th and had to check-fold yet again.

All this donkey-calling made put me on mega-tilt, and it seemed like pretty much everyone else felt the same way. The game lacked the jovial atmosphere of the Mookie or any other NLHE blogger game. I was pretty much pissed off before I started, semi-tilted after the very first hand, and ready to kill myself when I realized I lasted for almost two hours of that trash with nothing to show for it.

Congrats to CK for lucksacking her way to the title. I don’t say this to imply that she is a lucksack or is devoid of any Stud H\L skills; I say this only because I am convinced, after last night’s game, that any Stud skills are rendered useless by the donkey calling in a blogger game, and it really only becomes survival of the luckiest.

(keep in mind that last statement comes from someone who probably just sucks at Stud anyway)

......

At least the entire night wasn’t a loss. When I wasn’t taking the Skillz game seriously, I was taking some more hits from the pipe that is the Super Turbo. These had been a source of my recent bankroll surge so, even though I know that my success in these probably wasn’t sustainable, I keep going back for more. The surge kind of died down over the last couple of days until the final game last night, where I outlasted all but two monkeys in one of the 5-table super turbo monkey games, upping my meager bankroll to it’s highest in months.

On a side note, I would REALLY love to see the results after 10,000 of these multi-table turbos between A) an experienced & successful turbo player and B) an I-drink-my-own-piss monkey. I’m convinced they wouldn’t be drastically different if the monkey doesn’t just crush the other guy.

......

Mookie tonight. I’ll be there. Hopefully I won’t have to bring-in on 5 consecutive hands late in the game again.