You can’t call yourself a great poker player if you can only play one game – like Texas Hold’em – so have a look at Stud 8 to mix it up a bit and broaden your poker skills.

WHY PLAY SEVEN-CARD STUD 8?

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

There are a lot of split pots, but in the long run your prospects are very healthy, particularly as bad players will tend to hang around for longer. If you master hand selection and knowing when to fold, along with a few other tricks, you’ll have a nice edge in most games.

SKILL OVER LUCK

Unlike stud high, the variance in stud 8 is greatly reduced by the amount of split posts. But while bad players often get half through good luck, the experts can consistently put themselves in positions of potential high reward without having to risk much. This, after all, is precisely what most poker players want!

So, you already rate your skills at Seven Card Stud 8? See how your answers to these 3 quick player scenarios compares to ours!

SO WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Think you’ve mastered stud 8-or-better? What would you do in these situations then? (Scroll down for our recommended approach and why…)

1. The game is full ring $10/$20 stud 8 with a $1 ante and a $3 bring-in. You are first to act with 7s-2c-(8h) and the several low cards out include a 2 a 4 and a 5.
Do you a) fold b) call or c) raise?

2. You have Kh-10c-(Ks) in late position, a new unknown player raises in early position showing As, all fold around.
Do you a) fold b)call or c) re-raise?

3. You have Ad-8s-(Ac)-(Ah)-(Kh)-(Ks) on sixth street and your opponent shows 3h-4h5h-7s. He bets $20 into you.
Do you a) fold b) call or c) raise?

……scroll down for answers…..

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1. FOLD. This is the kind of hand that will get you into a multitude of trouble however you play it. It might appear to have some appeal but will likely struggle to win either high or low – and cost you a fair amount to discover this. Get out early – even a $3 call could cost you further down the line.

2. FOLD. Generally speaking, unless you know the raiser to be extremely loose and aggressive here you are only asking for trouble in playing an obvious pair of kings, and even then you may come to grief down the line. Even if the raiser doesn’t have the bullets he will likely have some kind of low draw, which makes you about even money with him. Plus, the fact that your hand is obvious gives him a huge advantage throughout and tips the balance well in his favour. This kind of hand is probably the most misplayed in stud 8 – proceed with extreme caution!

3. CALL. Though this is an extreme example, it illustrates the perils of raising when you have nothing to gain. Your opponent certainly has the low locked up here, so by raising all you do is allow him to three bet when he has or is drawing to a straight flush that would allow him to scoop you. You almost certainly have the high locked up, but remember in this game that’s only half of the story!

A couple of the best Internet poker rooms for learning to play a range of Stud poker games, including 7-card Stud Hi/Lo at a range of stakes are:

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