Hi all:

I dabble in some mix-games / stud-8 online that have a smaller player pool. That means that I end up playing a fair amount of heads up. The rake is equivalent to Pokerstars rake. The limits I play online generally range between 2/4-5/10. At these small stakes, is the rake beatable against modest competition? There are plenty of times after battling with someone that is aggressive that we're both losing to the rake.

As to the strategy, are there any good materials out there for heads-up/short handed stud/8? My HU strategy on 3rd street is generally to attack the bring-in if I have a low-up card. I attack wider if the upcard is a high-card. I've also been working in occasional completes with high-cards v low-cards too, but against tougher competition I get limp-reraised a fair amount by low-cards. I understand that alot of this is player-dependent, and my strategy tends to evolve based on my opponent's tendencies. Hopefully this generates a discussion.

Thanks!