Stud Hi/Lo

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this is on Stud Hi/Lo, again the web site is an awesome source of information

http://www.7cardstudstrategy.com/

Small Stakes 7 Card Stud Hi Lo Strategy

The first time you sit down to try Seven Card stud Hi Lo you might be a little overwhelmed. After all you are applying a new concept, the low hand, to an already tough game. With just a little practice and study though, it is possible to really excel in this game. The problem is that most players never truly get the hang of the game and with a little patience and some discipline you can be light years ahead of these players fast and exploit them for a lot of money. This article will cover some beginner level strategies that should help you get off on the right track. We also cover more advanced Seven Card stud Hi Lo strategies in our intermediate and advanced sections.


Play adaptable hands in 7 card Stud Hi Lo

In Seven Card stud Hi Lo it is important to play starting hands that have a good chance of becoming both a low hand and a hi hand. This usually means hands including low to middle rank cards and aces. The problem with high starting hands in Seven Card stud Hi Lo is that they are generally harder to adapt into a low hand. Low hands however can provide strong high hands in the form of flushes and straights. You need to be conscience of going after both the high and low half of the pot in Hi Lo, if you consistently make it a point to only go for one half of the pot, you will not be a successful player. With these concepts in mind, let’s look at some of the better starting hands for Seven Card stud Hi Lo, but realize this is not a complete list:
AA7
AA8
AA6
A7(small card)
Three small cards
777
888
AAA
345
You’ll notice that all of these hands have good versatility in terms of both low and high hand strength. There are several other factors to consider early in the hand with Seven Card stud Hi Lo, here are some tips:
If you get a face card or a card over eight on fourth street you should usually fold. The exception would be if you have an amazing three card low hand and your cards are still live.

Medium pairs like 66 and 77 are much more powerful than a low pair with a medium off card like 227 or 336. The medium paired hands are much better because they offer better high hand strength and good low strength as where the other hand offers very weak high hand strength.

Slow playing in Hi Lo is generally a bad idea. If you have a strong hand, or one that is best played heads up, make sure you are being aggressive. Raise and re-raise to put yourself in a better position against your opponents.

Try not to chase both a high and a low hand at the same time in Seven Card stud Hi Lo. You usually will end up costing yourself a lot of money and its also an excellent way to end up with second or third best hands.

The most important basic strategy concept we can stress in Seven Card stud Hi Lo is that of adaptability. You need to play hands that are versatile and simply fold ones that aren’t. You also need to make several considerations in relationship to the number of opponents you will be facing. Some hands play better against multiple opponents (trips, medium pairs, etc) while other hands play best against just a few opponents (AA7, AA6 or other hands containing an ace or two.

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Starting Hands

In Seven Card stud Hi Lo there are many different considerations you need to make regarding starting hand selection. Most importantly among these considerations is the amount of opponents you are going to be up against. Some hands play well in multi way situations while others play best heads up or against just a few opponents. This article will give you an idea of what starting hands are best to play in each situation.


Three of a kind

Three of a kind is an excellent starting hand in Seven Card stud Hi Lo as well as regular Seven Card stud. In Hi Lo the hand is particularly strong if you have aces. Generally speaking you will want to be aggressive right away with anything but aces. With aces you can afford to slow play a bit. This hands plays well in all situations.

Three low cards to a straight, flush or straight flush

These are all powerful hands because they represent a good chance of making both a strong high hand and a strong low hand. These are hands that you will normally want to play kind of slow. Wait to see how the hand develops and then get aggressive on fifth street.

Low pair with an ace or three low cards with an ace

The key to a hand like this is to know when to fold if you don’t improve. Stick with a hand like this until fifth street and if you haven’t improved to a solid low hand or one card draw to a low or at least aces up for a high hand, then you should probably let it go. Also look out for other good low draws.

A pair of aces with a low off card

This is the type of hand where you will want to try and eliminate players as it plays best in heads up or short handed situations. Look to have a good draw or a hand made by fifth street.

Low pair with two to a low straight

This is a good starting hand but you need to improve right away to keep playing with it. If you don’t improve by fourth street, try to find a reason to fold. If board conditions are good, consider going one more card to see if you can make a hand.
A pair of face cards
This is another hand where you are trying to eliminate players and get to a heads up situation. You want to eliminate weak low hands and persuade the players drawing to a high hand to fold. Play this hand aggressively from the start.


Hands to stay away From

One of the other important considerations for Seven Card stud Hi Lo is not necessarily which starting hands to play, but which ones to avoid. There are some hands that simply don’t play well in high low and you want to avoid them. Here is a list of starting hands to stay away from:

Unconnected low cards
High flushes
High straights
Pairs of nines or tens
Any hand with an eight can be trouble, make sure you have some other good cards
Combinations of low and high cards that are unpaired and have no real chance of improving to anything decent.

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Avoiding The Common Mistakes In Stud Hi Lo


Seven Card Stud Hi Lo is a complex game and complex games mean that mistakes will be made and in Seven Card stud Hi Lo, mistakes can be very common. Unfortunately for the new player, mistakes in Seven Card stud Hi Lo can be devastating, more so than in other forms of poker. Because of the sometimes difficult learning curve associated with Hi Lo games, beginners end up hemorrhaging without realizing that they never even had a chance to win. There is good news though, if you go into the game with just a little bit of information on what things to avoid, you can save yourself a lot of money and even put yourself in a position to be profitable. This article will discuss some of the more common mistakes in Seven Card stud Hi Lo.



Play too many hands in stud Hi Lo


This is without a doubt the biggest mistake in Hi Lo. Failure to be selective in your starting hand decisions is the best way to consistently lose money in Seven Card stud Hi Lo. The best way to avoid this problem is to read our article on starting hand selection in Seven Card stud Hi Lo and then stick to those hands. The best starting hands in Hi Lo are those where all three cards are good and helpful to forming a hand. Not two, not one, you need three good, solid cards that all work together!


Chasing half the Pot



Another grave mistake in Seven Card stud Hi Lo is regularly chasing only one half of the pot in Hi Lo. The best strategy to take is one that focuses on scooping the pot. The problem with chasing only half the pot is that many times you are barely breaking even on the win and only rarely will there be a modest profit for your efforts. Stop this awful habit now by adapting a mindset that looks for adaptable, versatile hands that favor low cards and avoid getting trapped into chasing only one half of the pot.

Not folding on fourth street

Fourth street is a critical decision making time in Seven Card stud Hi Lo. You have over half of your hand and it’s time to figure out whether or not you are going to continue. We will argue that most of the time conditions will not be right for you to continue. In order to keep going, the card you picked up on fourth street needs to be helpful to your hand, if it’s not, you won’t get a clearer message in any form of poker to fold and fold now. Find a reason to fold on fourth street. If you cannot, then you have merit to continue.

Failure to keep track of live and dead cards


Knowing what cards are live (meaning they can still help you) and what cards are dead (meaning they are in play or have been folded) is a critical part of solid Hi Lo play. If you fail to pay attention to the cards that are in play or that have been folded then there is no way for you to quantify how well your chances are of either completing your draw or winning if you do complete your draw. Do yourself a favor and quit playing this game if you aren’t going to pay attention to the board cards. You’ll save yourself lots of money and lots of grief. It is crucial to your profitability that you pay constant attention to the cards that other players have, they provide the framework for how a hand develops and for what is possible in terms of hand strength.

[senator xxx]

I like Todd Brunson's section on stud8 in SSII. Scripture.

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7 Card Stud Hi Lo Bluffing Tips

While bluffing certainly is an important consideration in nearly every form of poker, Seven Card stud hi lo is probably one of the more difficult games from which to implement a successful bluffing strategy. There are a few reasons for this:
Hi lo is an action-oriented game, many times the betting and raising is quite aggressive and often times it is hard to convince players to fold.
Many pots are highly contested and multi-way. When dealing with multi-way pots, it is hard to convince everyone to fold. Someone will usually stick around to keep you honest.

Good players will have a pretty good idea of what hand you could have by the end.
With these things in mind, it would be silly to think that you can’t bluff in hi lo; all we are saying is that you have to be a tad more careful than normal and make sure your bluffs are well timed or serve a good purpose.


Bluffing in hi lo is actually an excellent technique to use to confuse and throw off your opponents. Every now and then you should try to bluff and actually expose yourself as doing just that. This is a particularly effective tactic against better players. Good hi lo players are quite analytical and when you bluff for deception it sends mixed messages and makes it that much harder for a player to nail you down.

The best bluffs in Seven Card stud hi lo most likely will come in the early rounds of the game. By sixth street or the river, unless the pot is small, it is going to be hard to convince someone to fold. Take note however that if your sixth street card is particularly threatening when evaluated along with your other board cards, this could be an excellent time to make a well placed bet or raise against an experienced or timid opponent.

Bluffing with an ace on third street in 7 card stud Hi Lo

One of the better times to bluff in Seven Card stud hi lo as we mentioned earlier is during the first few rounds of the hand. Most noticeably, on third or fourth street with an ace showing is an excellent time to bluff. There are some important considerations for bluffing here though and you will need to adhere to a certain strategy to make sure you get the most from your bluffing attempts. Since an ace is a very powerful card in hi lo, it is usually a pretty convincing reason for other players to fold. The important part though is how you go about making them fold! Generally speaking, a good strategy is to usually only enter the pot with an ace door card if you plan to raise. If you have nothing other than the ace, then folding is a good strategy. The reason why is because when you do enter with a raise on your ace, your opponents are generally going to be confused. Since you fold your ace from time to time and exclusively raise other times, you put yourself in a better position to take down pots when you really have nothing. You also keep your opponents very confused as to what might be an acceptable starting hand to you that contains an ace.

Just remember that in Seven Card stud hi lo, your bluffs have to be timed well and you really need to think them over to make sure they are the most profitable play for the situation. Late in the hand, it’s going to be tough to convince people to fold unless conditions are perfect. Early in the hand you can use aces and scare cards to take down a pot or to chase away players who might otherwise be interested in drawing.

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Beginner's 7 Card Stud H/L Strategy

The first time you sit down to try Seven Card stud Hi Lo you might be a little overwhelmed. After all you are applying a new concept, the low hand, to an already tough game. With just a little practice and study though, it is possible to really excel in this game. The problem is that most players never truly get the hang of the game and with a little patience and some discipline you can be light years ahead of these players fast and exploit them for a lot of money. This article will cover some beginner level strategies that should help you get off on the right track. This article will get you started but if you truly want to master Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo you should read some of our more advanced strategy articles below.
Seven Card Stud HL Rules
Top 7 Card Stud H-Lo Hands
Intermediate Stud Hi-Lo Strategy
Expert Stud Hi-Lo Strategy
Stud H-L Tournament Strategy
Heads-up Stud HL Tips
Bluffing In Stud High Low
4th Street Stud HL Strategy
Common Stud HL Mistakes
Scooping In Stud Hi-Lo
Remembering Cards In Stud
Stud HI-Lo Vs 7 Card Stud
Rolled Up Sets In Stud HL
Stud Hi-Lo Vs Omaha Hi-Lo
Seven Card Stud Strategies
Razz Poker Strategies
Play Adaptable Hands In 7 Card Stud Hi Lo

In Seven Card Stud Hi Lo it is important to play starting hands that have a good chance of becoming both a low hand and a hi hand. This usually means hands including low to middle rank cards and aces. The problem with high starting hands in Seven Card Stud Hi Lo is that they are generally harder to adapt into a low hand. Many 7 Stud players converting to Stud HL make the mistake of chasing high hands. Low hands however can provide strong high hands in the form of flushes and straights. You need to be conscience of going after both the high and low half of the pot in Hi Lo, if you consistently make it a point to only go for one half of the pot, you will not be a successful player. With these concepts in mind, let’s look at some of the better starting hands for Seven Card stud Hi Lo, but realize this is not a complete list:
AA7
AA8
AA6
A7(small card)
Three small cards
777
888
AAA
345


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You’ll notice that all of these hands have good versatility in terms of both low and high hand strength. There are several other factors to consider early in the hand with Seven Card stud Hi Lo, here are some tips:
If you get a face card or a card over eight on fourth street you should usually fold. The exception would be if you have an amazing three card low hand and your cards are still live.
Medium pairs like 66 and 77 are much more powerful than a low pair with a medium off card like 227 or 336. The medium paired hands are much better because they offer better high hand strength and good low strength as where the other hand offers very weak high hand strength.
Slow playing in Hi Lo is generally a bad idea. If you have a strong hand, or one that is best played heads up, make sure you are being aggressive. Raise and re-raise to put yourself in a better position against your opponents.
Try not to chase both a high and a low hand at the same time in Seven Card stud Hi Lo. You usually will end up costing yourself a lot of money and its also an excellent way to end up with second or third best hands.
The most important basic strategy concept we can stress in Seven Card stud Hi Lo is that of adaptability. You need to play hands that are versatile and simply fold ones that aren’t. You also need to make several considerations in relationship to the number of opponents you will be facing. Some hands play better against multiple opponents (trips, medium pairs, etc) while other hands play best against just a few opponents (AA7, AA6 or other hands containing an ace or two.
7 Card Stud Hi Lo is also called:
7 Card Stud H-L
7 Card Stud High Low
7 Card Stud 8 or better
7 Card Stud 8b
7 Card Stud Hi-Lo
7 Card Stud Split

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Intermediate Strategies For Seven Card Stud High Low

This Stud HL strategy article was written for players that have already mastered the fundamental concepts of a winning 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo strategy. As you learned in our beginner’s 7 Card Stud Hi Lo strategy guide, there needs to be a huge emphasis on playing only the best hands that have a good chance of scooping the pot. Winning half of the pot just isn’t going to be profitable enough to keep you in the green or to make it worth your time. After you finish reading this article please check out our other Stud HL strategy articles (see below). These articles provide detailed information on strategic concepts like hand selection, bluffing and other tactics.


There are a few intermediate strategies that we are going to jump into right away that you must learn.

Folding early is the key to success in Seven Card stud Hi Lo. You need to be able to recognize early on if your hand has the potential to develop into a good hand capable of scooping the pot. If the card you received on fourth street hasn’t improved your hand in one way or another, it’s time to make a serious consideration as to whether or not you can stay in the hand.

Convincing yourself not to fold is often a good strategy that can give you the proverbial “green light” you are looking for to continue in a hand. By comparing what cards are already out on the board and what cards have been folded you should be able to logically deduce if the hand or hands you are drawing to have a reasonable chance of happening. If you can’t find a reason to fold because of dead cards or hands your competition might be trying to make, then it is probably safe to continue.

If you find yourself in a situation on fourth or fifth street where you have a strong hand, but probably not one that can scoop, you have to ask your self a few questions. First, since you won’t be scooping the pot, can you be reasonably certain that your high or low hand will be dominate and superior to your competitors? When, and only when you are certain of your high or low hands dominance is it okay to pursue just one half of the pot. It is the questionable, second and third best hands that will get you into trouble when chasing one half of the pot. If you can look at your opponents up cards, consider what has been folded and then deduce that your hand is likely the best, then pursing one half is probably okay.


As you can see, the emphasis is really on playing strong hands and being very timid about proceeding if a situation looks grim. With the above information in mind, its important that you realize the importance of aggressive betting and raising when you do decide to proceed with a hand. Generally speaking the best idea is to always bet or raise. Checking is a weak move and it allows your opposition free cards. If you would call an opponents bet anyway's, just go ahead and save them the grief and bet before them. On the same note, if you find yourself thinking that you would probably fold if an opponent bets, then you can safely check without too much worry.
One of the more important mid level stud strategies that you must start to work on is studying your opponents and mixing up your own play to confuse opponents. This is a strong tactic that most casual poker players never figure out. There are a few things you can do to mix up your play in the eyes of your opponents and it will go along way to winning you some chips down the long haul. Every now and then it is a good idea to advertise a little bit with what might be a less than stellar move. Try bluffing when you are not likely to win or raise early on with a hand that you would not normally play or raise with. Additionally, there is no better way to mix things up with an aggressive player then by playing right back at them, even when you may not have the best of things. All of these things will confuse your opponents and make it difficult for them to nail down your playing style, which is critically important to your success as a Seven Card stud Hi Lo

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Advanced 7 Card Stud Hi Lo Strategy

Since you are reading this we will assume that you fully understand basic strategies like hand selection. This page covers 7 Card Stud HL strategies that professional players emphasize. Many of the advanced strategies important to Seven Card stud Hi Lo players are those of observation and deduction based on a number of factors (see below). If you do not have a good memory you may want to pick up some Ginkgo biloba from your local health food store. Another option is using a pen/paper or the notepad on your computer to keep track of dead cards.
Your opponents playing style
Your opponents skill level
The cards currently on the board and in play
The cards that were in play but have since been folded
What hands your opponents might be trying to make
We have a large selection of Seven Card Stud HL strategy articles on this web site. I have added links to other strategy guides that you will find useful below.
How to Play 7 Card Stud
7 Card Stud H-Lo Hand Ranges
Beginners 7 Card Stud H/L Strategy
Intermediate Stud Hi-Lo Strategy
Stud HL Tournament Strategy
Heads-up Stud Hi-Lo Strategy
Bluffing In Stud H/L
Scooping In Stud Hi-Lo
Rolled Up Sets In Stud HL
Common Stud HL Mistakes
Remembering Cards In Stud
Stud HI-Lo Vs 7 Card Stud
4th Street Stud HL Strategy
Stud Hi-Lo Vs Omaha Hi-Lo
Stud Poker Dictionary
Expert Stud Strategy
Expert Razz Strategy
If you have come to the point in the game that you understand the complexities of your own hand then it is time to seriously start digging in to everyone else’s hand and taking your play to the next level. There are a few things you can do right away that will help you figure out what is going on throughout the course of a hand:
Closely watch the up cards on the table. These cards reveal the nature of the current hand. They tell you what your opponents are chasing and give you an idea of what hands you can reasonably pursue or not. Watching the board cards will tell you if mediocre hands are playable or dead. Some keys to remember are that three or more of a suit in which you are pursuing a flush, two or more straight cards or the other two cards of a rank you have paired all constitute what you could consider dead draws; drop the hand!
Keep track of the fours and fives on the table. These are very important cards in Seven Card stud high low. They are key components of the wheel, which is a deadly hand in the game and one you don’t want to be challenging. They also are powerful in middle and low straights that also work well for scooping the pot. It is critical you know of what fours and fives are in play and if any have been folded.




Just like in regular Seven Card stud, it is critical that you keep an eye out for paired door cards in Hi Lo. The assumption here is that the reason most rational players are continuing in a hand is because they had something in their first three cards. Their door card is part of that something and if it pairs it can mean a troublesome two pair or even worse, three of a kind. If you see a door card paired and cannot rule out three of a kind by looking at the other board cards, you need to seriously consider whether or not the high hand you are after will be able to defeat the opponent with the paired door card.

Watch out for slow action on the late streets. Often time players will check around waiting for that one last card they need. Look at their up cards and try to figure out what they are going for. Most likely it is going to be to your benefit to make them pay to draw but be careful; if you have multiple opponents both chasing big hands like flushes, the more people you are up against, the better chances are that one of them will complete. You have to make sure you can beat the hand they are chasing, if you can’t, then the late round checking might serve as a warning signal to get out of the hand.

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Strategy For 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Tournaments

The transition from ring game to tournament play in most poker games is a manageable one. There are certain adaptations that need to be made but for the most part, with a little study and some experience, a good player can make a reasonable transition to tournament play and have some success. 7 Card Stud Hi Lo however is a different beast, requiring what we would consider more than just a manageable or moderate change in technique and strategy to be successful in the tournament setting. The same is true for regular seven card stud. This article will outline the important considerations and changes you need to make when trying entering the realm of 7 Card Stud Hi Lo tournaments. Since I started off playing Stud and then spent a lot of time playing Razz I have naturally been able to do very well in Stud H/L, especially in tournaments.

At the beginning[/CENTER] of a Seven Card Stud Hi Lo tournament it is wise to use a strategy similar to one you would use in a normal cash game setting. You want to play premium holdings that are adaptable and have a good chance of scooping the pot. In general you also want to play hands that are adaptable from the low side of things, not high hands. The best case scenario by sticking with this strategy is that in the first few rounds of the tournament you will be able to scoop a few pots and have a significant chip lead as the tournament transitions to the middle and later rounds.

If your early round strategy has been successful and you have managed to create a nice sized stack for yourself, then you have bought yourself some more time to play as you are and stick to your solid cash game strategy. Things will start to change however and this is where you will need to adapt or you will find yourself in the lounge having cocktails. If your early round strategy was not successful though, you will need to make these critical changes even earlier and start to play in a different manner.


[CENTER]Middle And Late Round Changes


Many times in the middle or late rounds of a Stud Hi Lo tournament you are going to be in heads up situations. This is for a few reasons but the main reason is because a lot of players are short stacked in relationship to the betting levels. Playing low hands gets very expensive and most likely a player may not have enough chips to see the hand out to the end, or at least doesn’t want to take the risk. That is why in the middle and late rounds of a Hi Lo tournament it is very important to adapt your strategy to one that favors high cards. Obviously if you can win with a low hand that is excellent, but the nature of how the competition for the pot will be in the late rounds dictates that you play high hands more often and simply take the money.
Another consideration late in the tournament is the play with aces. An ace on the board is going to be a very intimidating card no matter what. It represents a strong possibility of a good high hand and if the player can draw out they could make a spectacular low hand as well. With this in mind, many players will try and bluff with an ace and steal the pot early. You can employ this tactic as well, but the better idea is to use your aces in the late round to bluff, throw off your opponents and make strategic moves. Don’t solely rely on them to take down pots early, but use them as a tool to extract money and trap opponents.

In closing, it is crucial that you make the key middle and late round adaptations in a Seven Card Stud Hi Lo tournament. If you are a rigid player that opposes change and you think that your winning cash game strategy will win you the tournament, then you need to seriously evaluate if you really want to mess with a Hi Lo tournament. If you can successfully make the change however, you will find yourself in an excellent position to do well in Hi Lo tournaments.

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Scooping In 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

As you should already be aware, the main object of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo is to scoop pots. However, the reality of the game is that there are many hands where you will not scoop, but rather you will split the pot. There are many times you will be involved in hands that will only go one way and will be destined to only split. These are known as one way hands. Let's take a look at how to play one way hands. The most obvious one way hand is a rolled up set. Even if you are rolled up with a small set, 95% of the time, you are looking at a one way hand as you much catch perfect for low. When you get these hands, you want to push them hard and get the hand to heads-up. If you cannot, then you want to push and make your opponents pay to draw to low or better.

Big low hands such as A-2-6, A-2-7, A-3-7, 6-4-A, and 6-5-A are one way low hands that will many times only pull one half of the pot. Yes, it is possible to improve to a pair of aces or aces-up and take high. It is also "possible to catch three running cards to make a straight and scoop, but we are not dealing with possibilities. This type of hand really likes a big pot as you want to increase your half of the pot as much as possible. Many people will come in raising, but if you knock people out with this hand, you will likely only win your money back. In a cash game, this does not help beat the rake. In a tournament, you basically split the antes, which is a small gain at best.

How you play a big low hand on fourth street will depends on several factors. If you improve, you will want to see how your other opponents improved. If someone looks to be improving to a hand that may cause you problems, bet to see where you are at. If you get called, you need to pay attention to this person. If you are drawing to a huge low such as holding A-2-3-6 on fourth, you may want to check call to allow the pot to grow larger. Of course, you still have to catch your next card.
On fifth, how you proceed depends on where you stand. If you have a made low, evaluate you opponents. If you think a strong looking board will probably knock out a weaker low unless they a draw to a straight or some other type of hand. The high hand will likely stay in. Of course, there is always the chance that a bet here can take the pot. If your high opponent started with tens and you have 2-3-4 showing on fifth, a bet might force them out. If you can get the high hand to fold, then the odds of you scooping just skyrocketed.

If you don't have a made hand on fifth, you will want to check-call if there is a bet. Otherwise you will hope for a free card. Once you get to sixth street, start betting your made low at this point. The pot should be substantial enough for players to stay to the end unless they caught really poor for two streets in a row. If you miss on sixth, check-call again and be prepared to abandon the hand if you miss on the river.

Big low hands can be played profitably if you pay close attention to your opponents and can play them to big pots. You want to stay away from too many heads-up situations as you are likely facing a pair and you still have to catch in order to just split. However, when the situation presents itself for a nice multi-way pot, big low hands can make your a profit and in some cases even allow you to scoop a few hands.

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How To Play Rolled Up Sets In Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
In Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, you will be faced with certain situations where you will want to play the game like Stud Hi. Unfortunately, playing Stud H/L the way you would its high only counterpart will usually leave you drawing short or even dead. One of these situations that I would like to discuss today is how to play a rolled up set in Stud Hi-Lo. Being rolled up in Stud Hi-Lo or Stud Hi is extremely rare. So much so that you may only experience it once or twice in several sessions or a tournament. The first inclination for a player that receives a rolled up set is to slow play it. In Stud high, this would be the correct play. You want to try and get a couple of players to call along and then burn them for extra bets. The structure of Stud Hi-Lo requires you to rethink this concept.


First, if you are facing solid Stud H/L players, then they will be coming after you with scooping hands. While three of a kind has the potential to scoop if nobody makes a low, the odds of it holding up are greatly reduced in Stud H/L. As a result, you want to come out firing when you get a rolled up set. If nobody had completed, complete the bet. If someone has raised, then re-raise. You want to make your opponents pay to outdraw you and if possible, you want to get heads-up in the hand.

Playing a rolled up set from ace to eight will be semi-deceptive to the lesser experienced player. They might think you have buried aces or that you are playing a strong low. Rolled up sets from nine to king are a bit different. If you raise with these, you will almost be telegraphing your play to your opponents and they will likely slow down. Hopefully someone will still be stubborn and call you down.
If you are unable to push anyone out on third street with your set, you want two do two things. First, you are going to hammer your opponents on fourth street. If they bet, you are going to raise. The only exception would be if you start with a low rolled up set and they pair their door card. If they are taking a flyer with a pair and caught, then you may be behind. Next, you want to pay close attention to their hand on fifth street. Do they have a potential scooper or not? If not, punish your opponents. If they do, you may need to slow down if you have not filled up.
When you play a rolled up set, you really want to fill up. Filling up will almost guarantee at least the high half of the pot. A percentage of the time you will even scoop. The key concept in playing a rolled up set is to play it fast and be alert to any potential scooping hands. You will be surprised how many times you will have action on your rolled up set from low hands hoping to catch or from players that aren't perceptive enough to put you on a set.

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Strategies For HU 7 Card Stud Hi-L

Even though low hand wins half the pot your hand might not qualify since your must have cards with five dominations that are no higher then an eight. You can either play for the high hand or the low but straights and flushes will not count you out of a low hand win so if your hand is 5432A this hand would be an unbeatable low hand and it's also a 5 high straight to aim for the high hand.



High & Low Hand Strategy

In the beginning to the middle of a tournament it's okay to go after a low hand win but once your heads up you will need to change your strategy a little to mostly go after the high cards. If your starting cards are good for the low hand win then go for it but to win the tourney you will need to play high cards hands more often to win the pots.
Keep in mind that card value will increase each time a new street is dealt. For example, if you were aiming for a high hand but get lower cards that could now possibly win the pot or take half as either the high hand or low if you have the chips call to see another street. Any time there is an Ace on the board your opponent is going to feel a little unsure of his own hand so take advantage of it.
An Ace represents that you have a strong possibility of a good high hand and if you can draw out then it could be a great low hand as well so don't play this card passively but take control of the pot. But don't make the mistake of chasing a low hand this late in the game if your opponent continues to raise without anything showing take caution. Watch what cards they show and don't back down if you have a good hand.
Game Face

It can be hard to keep up with the math so pay attention to the players sitting with you at the final table whether you’re in a live or online tournament. Look for things that will give the player away, learn their playing style, are they aggressive or are they worn out and starting to play passively. Once you get a feel for your opponent you can take advantage of it.
Always look to see what cards they are being dealt since only part of their hand is showing. See how they react, do they take a while to act or is it an immediate raise. Depending on how skilled your opponent is his actions will be deliberate to see your reaction. For instance if he's quick to check that doesn't necessarily mean he has a bad hand.

[rcgs59]

Fourth Or Fold - 7 Card Stud HL Strategy

As you should already be aware of, proper starting hand selection is key to being successful at Stud Hi-Lo. Starting hand selection is just the first step. In many cases, your hand is still a drawing hand. As such, you need to know how long you should stay in a hand when you are playing a strong starter. First, let's look at 3-4-5. You have sixteen outs to improve to some type of straight. You have 20 outs to improve to a reasonable low. 24 outs to improve to any low. You have four cards left in the hand. In order to make a hand, you must catch two out of the next four cards. If you improve on fourth street to a four low or four straight, you have three chances to make your hand.

What happens if you do not improve on fourth? Let's say you catch a 10. Now you have to catch two cards out of the next three in order to make your hand. You are looking at having to catch 66.6% of your remaining hand perfect in order to make your hand. If you don't improve on fifth, then you must catch perfect on the last two cards to make a hands.

This boils down to one simple, but powerful concept in Stud H/L and that is improve on fourth street or get out. Many of you that are relatively new to this game will view this as an incredibly tight way to play, especially if you are a former Stud player. In Stud high, many players will try to play until fifth street to improve or get out.

Stud Hi-Lo differs in Stud due to the fact that your object is to scoop. If you start with 3-4-5, you have to improve to some type of straight to have a shot to scoop most pots. Yes, you can on some occasions improve to two pair and even a full house, but those are rare. In stud high, many players will shy away from 3-4-5 for a high hand. If they start with K-Q-J, they will go to fifth not only to try and improve to their straight, but if they catch a pair of kings or queens, they may be good. Improving to a pair of fives in Stud Hi-Lo is rarely going to scoop. If you stay until fifth and catch, you are flipping a coin to catch your hand assuming that your outs are live.

Improving your hand on fourth street leaves you needing 33% of your cards to hit in order to make a hand. You will almost always have the odds to call down to make your hand at this point. If you don't improve to fifth, you almost never have the odds to make a call.

While this seems like a tight strategy to most, getting out of a hand when you fail to improve on fourth street will save you money in the long run. Don't fall into the Stud high trap of calling to fifth street and then leaving yourself flipping coins for the pot. Play smart and give yourself the best chance to scoop pots. Improve on fourth street or fold.

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bumping for tonight games