PokerStars, 7 Card Stud Limit - $0.10/$0.20 ($0.02 ante) - 6 players
Replay this hand on Upswing Poker

Seat 6: $6.59 (66 bb)
Seat 8: $6.54 (65 bb)
Seat 1 (Hero): $4.91 (49 bb)
Seat 2: $4.81 (48 bb)
Seat 3: $14.85 (149 bb)
Seat 5: $8.51 (85 bb)

Third Street: ($0.12) Hero is in Seat 1
Xx Xx 6♣ BI bring-in $0.04____BI calls $0.16
Xx Xx J♦ UTG raises to $0.10____UTG calls $0.10
Xx Xx Q♥ MP folds
A♥ 4♠ A♣ Hero raises to $0.20
Xx Xx 8♠ CO calls $0.20
Xx Xx Q♣ BTN folds

Fourth Street: ($0.92) (4 players)
A♥ 4♠ A♣ 8♦ Hero bets $0.10
Xx Xx 8♠ 4♦ CO calls $0.10
Xx Xx 6♣ 7♥ BI calls $0.10
Xx Xx J♦ 8♥ UTG calls $0.10

Fifth Street: ($1.32) (4 players)
A♥ 4♠ A♣ 8♦ 9♣ Hero bets $0.20____Hero calls $0.20
Xx Xx 8♠ 4♦ 2♠ CO raises to $0.40
Xx Xx 6♣ 7♥ K♦ BI folds
Xx Xx J♦ 8♥ Q♦ UTG calls $0.40

Sixth Street: ($2.52) (3 players)
A♥ 4♠ A♣ 8♦ 9♣ T♦ Hero checks____Hero calls $0.20
Xx Xx 8♠ 4♦ 2♠ Q♠ CO bets $0.20
Xx Xx J♦ 8♥ Q♦ 6♦ UTG folds

Seventh Street: ($2.92) (2 players)
A♥ 4♠ A♣ 8♦ 9♣ T♦ K♥ Hero checks____Hero folds
Xx Xx 8♠ 4♦ 2♠ Q♠ Xx CO bets $0.20

Total pot: $2.92 (Rake: $0.10)
Seat 2 wins $2.82

There are some real experts on .10 - .20 online stud on this forum. I'm not one of them. But I keep raising on fifth, then call down the rest of the hand.

It seems weird that 2 would raise a flush draw on 5th, but the 8s are dead so I don't know where else to put him. High pair maybe?

Could be hidden trips (44)842 or (22)842. Could be two pair. If he is semi-bluffing with four flush, he got there on 6th. You beat only a bluff here -- unimproved 8s or unimproved pocket pair. But the pot is huge, you are getting about 15-1, so even though calling here feels bad it's not a huge mistake. There's a case to be made that once you call the raise on fifth, you are going to showdown.

Am I not supposed to be calling spots like this with like at least 2 pairs?

To be clear, all you beat is a bluff here. And the most obvious draw your opponent could have been semi-bluffing on fifth (flush) looks like it got there on sixth. This isn't a good spot for a hero call.

But the issue is that once you call the raise on fifth, the pot is huge relative to the size of a single bet. It's pretty big even then, laying you about 10-1.

When you call the raise on fifth and the bet on sixth, you create a situation where his bet on the river is laying you 15-1. Folding a winner in that size pot is a disaster.

You can make losing calls 15 times and be right just 1 time and break even here. I think this type of situation is why you can have such big swings playing stud.

Thank you MRBA I will keep that in mind

Yeah, if you're calling 6th you should be calling the river too.

I like how you played it until then.

I agree that you need to call river but knowing your player may sway this to a fold. One semi bluff that didn’t get there on 6th is the 56 in the hole. Also pair plus runner runner flush/straight will be in his raising range on 5th too. Just because someone makes an obvious 3rd st error doesn’t preclude them from playing 5th st correctly. You could try and do some math with a sensible range that includes hands you beat and the probability those hands improved on the river and compare to the odds but in the end you’ll find that calling is at worst a small error and very likely correct here.