Example:

8 handed table.
You have 468, and one 5 and one 7 are dead.
A 2 brings it in and an ace completes, then a jack folds, and action on you.


I have been folding these types of hands, but I wonder if that is a mistake.

Call

Folding can never be that wrong. It depends - What is the structure? Any reads (what % of his range is he raising with here)?

It is $5/10, $2 bring in, $0.50 ante.

The guy with the ace either has 3 to a low or a pair of aces. Typical table with about 2-4 people to 4th street on average.

Well then... easiest fold ever.

Fold. Especially if you're putting him on a narrow range of hands. You're playing a bad razz hand for a raise in HU play with 2 of your straight cards dead. This is a horrible place to be in stud8. And, it's an even easier fold if your 8 is up because the Ace will always have the upper hand in HU play unless he has tendencies to miss bets. The only time you'll do well is if he bricks on 4th and you don't, otherwise, you'll be trailing most of the time and for what, just to get your money back with little chance to scoop?

Yep, pretty easy fold. Especially with the 8 up.

I think this is a great question.

Is this a live game? If it is, when you look left, what do you see? Do the 5 and 7 look like they are coming in? If you raise, will you get it heads up with the Ace? Is the 8 your door card? How has the table reacted to 8s as door cards?

Even if Fives and Sevens are live, I toss this if an Ace raises.

I'm pretty sure the 8 was up. The fact of the matter is, it plays poorly against the Ace and for various reasons, one of them being, that you will often get outplayed and be forced to fold.

HU vs. the Ace: you won't know what direction he's going in. If he has a low draw, you're crushed (unless you catch 2 perfect cards and he breaks off). And, even when he has a hand like (AJ)A, if he catches a baby on 4th, what's your plan going to be? Even your *best* card is not going to put you in a good spot---it's going to be tough to tell where you're at, yet, it will be easier for him to see where you are at, which is why having the 8 as your doorcard removes all chance of trying to rep. a better low. It's like a deer in headlights.

And, without having any rules, my usual requirement for entering a pot when an Ace raises means that my low hand has to be strong enough to compete.