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poker147258 · High Card Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 9

I am new to the game and am wondering what hands i should start out playing. What hands shoud i play?

dumwaldo · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:53 pm Post subject:

sorry forget this post

didn't realize what forum it was in

since i polluted the forum by not reading first i decided to add some thoughts...

Ideally you want a hand that can scoop the pot. A flush along with 5 low cards, maybe a low straight like the wheel.

Don't forget that every hand has a hi pot but not every hand has a low pot so be carefull about chasing low hands. going after low only hands is a recipie for disaster. concentrate on the high hand and look for the complimentary low hand.

I don't know the statistics of the game and to be honest I only play stud hi/low as part of horse games but to me a hand like A23, A34, A24 are acceptable openers but make it all suited and it is a great opener. In a game of stud H/L I would rather open with a suited A23 than a suited QKA. Either one can make an ace high flush or a straight but the low straight has a better chance at a scoop.

peace,
dumwaldo

byamamoto1 · Bay Area Bidness Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 2180

3 big or 3 little, never in between. like dumwaldo said, you want hands that ideally can scoop the pot. lets say for example you have 88-7 and there is a K in front of you who completes and two other players are staying with 5 or lower. you should fold here. chances are you'll already be facing 3 to the low and a higher pair than your 8's. your caught in a situation where you're stuck between the high and the low. to start with i'd start by playing on really good starting hands and really good low hands. its not about the number of pots you win, but the amount that you win.

Zophar · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:44 pm Post subject:

A few more good starting hands include A,A,baby with 2 suits, 234,235,236,345,346,347,456,457, with suits preferable. Stay away from mid to high pairs(I'll fold KK at a full table w/several low card or ace callers/raisers), more often than not can be a recipe for disaster. As your game improves, you'll be able to open up your hand selection a little.
Also, I've found that when playing at a full table with people who play for high only(usually easy to spot when you see them completing w/paint door cards), I can be succesful playing more of a razz type hand, without asmuch concern for scooping(only when there are atleast 4 players in the hand). I've played a good bit of it and play alot of stud, so I generally have an idea where I stand in the hand.
When playing shorthanded, you can pretty much play a regular stud hand, aswell as low hands. Just be aware of what you could be facing. If you see a board of 3526, obviously you want tou have a high straight minimum to stay in the hand, or an appropiate draw to a bigger hand.

Full Tilt's lowest game is .25/.50, so it's tough to learn I think at that level, so I'd stick to play chips to get a feel, or start at another site that has a smaller game. Pacific Poker used to have a .5/.10 game, not sure anymore though.

flafishy · Three of a Kind Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 77

If you're a beginner, I wouldn't play any high hands at all except for AAx or trips. Concentrate on playing good low hands. They'll get you in much less trouble than playing high hands.

I read a column in Card Player by the resident stud guru there (I can't remember his name) where he said you can't go wrong in Stud/8 by playing only baby flushes, baby straights, AAx and trips.

I would dump an unimproved AA on fifth at the lower limits because you can't get people to fold their marginal high hands as they should, and an unimproved AA is only good heads up.

Any other high pair is not playable ever at the low limits. A good high straight or flush draw is only good if you improve it on fourth and there don't appear to be more than one opponent playing a low hand.

BOYNAMEDSUE · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:33 pm Post subject:

People get sucked in by playing high cards. JJ/QQ/KK aren't good hands in stud8. And any hand containing a 9 is usually no good. 9 is the worst card in stud8.

Play for the low. So many people at the lower limits play for the high that you will make a small profit just by winning the low. Ideally, you want to play hands that win the low, and have a good chance of maybe scooping the pot. The best hands contain 3 suited wheel cards, one being an A, preferably. AAxs with x being 5 or smaller is also good.

And of course, anything rolled up.

longclaw · High Card Joined: 05 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

Ok, here is what I look for in a starting hand. I want 3 "babies" (Aces to Eights) that are suited or that can make a straight. Just because you have 3 low cards doesn't make your hand playable. You must pay attention to the cards behind you. If I have a hand like (2-7) 8 and I look at the cards behind me and see a lot of low cards I probably don't even call the bring in unless I am suited and my flush cards are live. With an 8 showing I am going to have a lot of people chasing my already bad low draw. These hands often end up being just good enough to call all the way, only to be second best.

If you are going to be playing big pairs, like KK or QQ, you must be very careful. I only want to play a hand like this against one or two opponents. You must also pay attention to your opponents board here. If their up cards start flushing or straightening you have to be very careful. If I have a low and a flush or straight draw and my opponent bets into me with two cards nine or higher showing I am going to jam the pot as much as possible. If they have two cards over nine high, it is going to be very hard for them to make a low. If they can't make a low the only way they can scoop is if I brick out on my low draw. Think about it this way- If my opponent raises on third street with a King for his door card, he probably has another King in the hole. When my opponent catches a 9,10,J,Q, or K, he probably now has three cards over an eight. He can't make a low, but if you hit a flush or a small straight you can scoop him. You will win some huge pots with a 6 or seven high straight against an opponent who shows you Kings-up.

If you have SuperSystem 2 I highly recommend that you read Todd Brunson's section on Stud8ob. It is really hard to find good information on this game this is some of the best I have found.

I love Stud8ob. It is a good game to make money at, and after all the crap that has happened this week it looks like I will be playing here even more. See you at the tables.

Uncle_Buz · Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:07 pm Post subject:

I'm not sure about all this advice to chase the low. It seems to me that half the hands played result in "No Low Hand Qualified". So if you chase low, you are in trouble. There is, however, a high hand for every pot and many of them scoop.

The objective of the game is to scoop the whole pot. The "8 to Qualify" rule makes it more advantageous to try to make a high hand than a low "only" hand.

I just love playing a high hand heads up against a player with 3 low cards and a paint, seeing him pair up a deuce on sixth street.

You make two pair or trips much more often than you make a straight or a flush.

However, I do agree, that when you make a straight or a flush with a nut low hand, you usually win a very large pot and collect extra bets from players who hold out hope for half the pot.

DevilfishFan · Royal Flush Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Posts: 906

Playing kings and queens 7 or 8 handed is extremely hard.

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