I sat down to play because a WSOP champ was at the table and I was itching to get heads up with him ... Luckily, I struck gold, so much so I didn't know what to do - I was torn between trapping and capping ... but definitely wanted a lot of action - just didn't know how to go about it, I certainly didn't want him folding at any point.

My image had been quite tight ... and the villian was playing very solid - great reads , great laydowns ...

7 Card Stud High-Low ($30/$60), Ante $5, Bring-In $10 (converter)

3rd Street - (1.17 SB)

Seat 1: xx xx 3___calls
Seat 2: xx xx T___folds
Seat 3: xx xx 2___brings-in___calls
Seat 4: xx xx A___raises
Seat 5: xx xx 7___folds
Hero: 6 8 5___calls
Seat 8: xx xx 6___folds

4th Street - (5.17 SB)

Seat 1: xx xx 3 T___folds
Seat 3: xx xx 2 K___folds
Seat 4: xx xx A 4___bets
Hero: 6 8 5 2___calls

5th Street - (3.58 BB)

Seat 4: xx xx A 4 4___bets
Hero: 6 8 5 2 K___calls

6th Street - (5.58 BB)

Seat 4: xx xx A 4 4 Q___checks___calls
Hero: 6 8 5 2 K 9___bets

River - (7.58 BB)

Seat 4: xx xx A 4 4 Q xx___checks___calls
Hero: 6 8 5 2 K 9 4___bets

Total pot: (9.58 BB)



The key streets I suppose are 3rd, 4th and 5th ...

On 3rd, I went for the overcall , which you might think is completely nuts but it's a style I like because I wanted money in and multi-way action

On 4th, I genuinely had a monster, but here I wanted to disguise my hand figuring that I would be sick if I caught a flush on 5th and he check-folded....

On 5th - I know I pretty much have a lock on the high. If he's got a low draw then we're both playing low, If he has split aces then he's in bad shape both ways. If I raise in this spot will he muck ?

6th and 7th I get paid off 2BB ... which I figure was because of the earlier deception ... but maybe I gave his hand-reading skills too much credit and cost myself bets on the early streets.

So, trap or cap ?

I don't play stud 8 often, but def cap 5th.

I think I may start deleting threads with polls in them.

I think most of us would also flat-call on third. Raising an Ace is likely to get it heads-up, and I'd be looking for multi-way action myself. Fourth is definitely worth jamming. The only thing is you're out of position. The guys behind you ought to be folding anyway, but I'd call and hope someone sticks around.

Fifth is definitely a raise. You almost certainly have an equity edge here. What do you think he might fold here? You don't want him backing into a low cheaply, and I doubt he folds very often anyway. After that, just keep your foot to the gas. Nice hand.

Are there former WSOP champs other than Raymer who play in this game?

I think there is approximately 0% chance he will fold if you raise - have you EVER seen someone bet/fold 5th in a spot like this?

Well, no I've never seen anyone bet/fold 5th in this spot ...

I was in a hand once, where I had split aces and a guy on a naked low draw who was showing three cards to a flush did (semi-bluff) raise me, and it took me a few seconds to keep going - you're either in really bad shape, or just in front - my read on that guy was that he was a serial bluffer and I just didn't believe him.

Not that I've seen

3rd is fine. I think you can keep it multiway and see what comes off, but be prepared to jam it later if you catch well and your opponents don't.

4th is really key. You ABSOLUTELY need to jam here. One of two things happens: either you make a huge pot where you have a great deal of equity or you get it headsup with the A. I like either scenario. As it would have turned out, you would have built a pot to get headsup with huge hogger equity. That's what you play the game for.

5th is a definate raise. He's likely going all the way - collect the bet and don't let him draw at half the pot for cheap.

On later streets, you are getting paid off regardless. He's got either aces up or a smooth low draw, either of which is calling it to 7th. The pot is large and he's not folding on 7th unless he has a total bustout, even though his situation is quite dire versus your scary board.

Smoothing calling 4th can only be right if you think the two guys behind you are so bad that they'd call a bet there. Aren't most people going to be good enough that you can pretty much assume they will fold, hense you need to raise 4th because you aren't gonna be getting any takers anyway.

I guess this illustrates the difference between stud8 and stud hi ,

On 4th I could be jamming with any kind of a straight draw ... not neccessarily in spades.

On 5th ... I could raise and he's gonna call for sure with a smooth low draw, and to keep me honest with aces up - also doesn't want to be seen to be pushed around too easily. I wouldn't like to be in his spot though.

7 Card Stud High-Low ($2/$4), Ante $0.25, Bring-In $1 (converter)

3rd Street - (0.88 SB)

Seat 1: xx xx 8___calls
Seat 2: xx xx A___folds
Seat 3: xx xx 6___folds
Seat 5: xx xx 8___folds
Seat 6: xx xx 4___calls
Seat 7: xx xx 8___calls
Hero: 3 7 2___brings-in

4th Street - (2.88 SB)

Seat 1: xx xx 8 J___checks___folds
Seat 6: xx xx 4 T___checks___folds
Seat 7: xx xx 8 7___bets___calls
Hero: 3 7 2 8___raises

5th Street - (3.44 BB)

Seat 7: xx xx 8 7 J___folds
Hero: 3 7 2 8 K___bets

Total pot: (3.44 BB)


Pretty much the same hand ... maybe the raise on 4th gave it away ? ... maybe this guy is just better than Raymer !?

I think the raise on 4th is standard with pretty much any low draw, you're up against an 87 and 2 bricks, it's not like you're representing a 4 flush. On 5th he bricked, who knows what he would have done if he paired the 7...

i think flush is too huge; consider it nut. flush+4low i cant not bet. pop 5th. i hear you on 4th to try for any extra callers, but once they fold, theres no more room for passive. he will call your extra bet with a ton of dog hands, and theres no guarantee that floating him $60 here will win you that back later. i think you gotta jam 5th.

EDIT I MEANT THE ORIGINAL POST'S HAND