Seven Card Stud/ 8
(part I)

In this series on specific games, I have focused on Omaha high, Omaha / 8, Stud high and now it is time for stud eight or better. Even though I don't play Stud / 8 very often anymore, mostly because the only cardroom in my region that used to offer it has been closed down, this series wouldn't be complete without at least a basic discussion of the game. It needs to be said that - as happened with Stud high - the popularity of stud eight or better seems to be dwindling somewhat. This is mostly because the sudden rise in popularity of board games, most notably hold'em. (Limit and especially no-limit hold'em have become even more popular than they already were, in part because almost all the poker TV shows are no-limit hold'em, and because -possibly as a reaction- poker tournaments seem to include more and more hold'em events nowadays.

Thus, for now the growth of poker seems to be a growth of hold'em almost exclusively, and both stud games as well as hi-lo games cannot seem to profit from this poker boom.) In fact, quite a few young poker players are not even familiar with the basics of Stud / 8, or are simply not interested in learning to play the game properly. For those who are, this three-part series might be of assistance. I won't get into detail a lot (mostly because I consider myself to be a merely decent Stud / 8 player, as opposed to a good or very good Stud high, Omaha high, Omaha / 8 and hold'em player), but I will give you a few general guidelines that may be helpful to those wanting to improve their game.

• While in Omaha / 8, you would occasionally play high only hands when the situation is right, Stud / 8 puts a premium on playing low cards, especially low cards including the ace. Any time you play a high pair other than a pair of aces, your opponents will know this. (If they see you calling or even raising with a queen up, it isn't hard for them to figure out that you're playing a pair of queens, and good players will easily be able to make the right decisions against you. Heck, they may even be able to outplay you by bluffing or semi-bluffing you out of the hand, for instance when they catch a -to you- very scary card like an ace.)

  The only exception might be when you have a low card up and a hidden pair of kings in the hole - now, you might be able to fool your opponents into thinking you are going for low, when in fact you are going high. Keep in mind that in this game, a pair of queens and even kings is usually a very vulnerable hand, especially in multiway pots. If one of your opponents has a made low on fifth street, you will be playing for half the pot only. On top of that, if one of your opponents catches an ace on any street, this will scare the hell out of you, and lots of other cards will look dangerous as well.

  This means you can hardly ever play your big pair confidently, and thus you will almost never be able to maximize your winnings in case your hand is still good. Quite the contrary: Often, you will have to play your hand defensively by check-calling against a scary board (this is especially true on fifth and sixth street), and you will just have to hope that your opponent doesn't have (or catches) the hand he is representing. Remember, that often in this game you will be forced to call even if you think you may be playing for half the pot and / or you may be beat, simply because with all the money in the middle and the relatively small size of the bet, folding a (potential) winner on the later streets can be considered a catastrophe.

• In Stud / 8, there are very few playable hands that don't contain an ace. It is often said that the ace is basically two cards in one: the best card for low and the best card for high. It is also the scare card in the deck, because any time your opponents will be playing a big pair like queens or kings and they see you catch an ace, they will fear that you may have made aces or even aces up.

  The only hands without an ace that are almost always playable, are quality hands like 234 or 345 with three of a suit. This is because these cards don't just have good prospects for making a good low, they will also give you excellent possibilities for high. After all, with cards like this you could easily win for high by making a straight, a flush or even two small pair that may be good for half the pot or even a scoop - in case your opponents fail to make a low and also cannot beat you for high. (Another hand that is automatically playable is rolled up trips of course. But because this is a very infrequent happening and because lots of other writers seem to think this is a highly interesting subject and have covered it extensively, I will leave this for what it is. Just remember that when you get them, don't automatically go for the slowplay. Usually, playing your hand fast is a much better option.)

Some final words

In the next lesson, I will discuss some other important principles in this game. Take care - and good luck.

Look for more information on this topic in Rolf Slotboom's forum.