4 replies to this topic

[ElToasto]

I've been playing alot of heads up stud and short handed i.e. 4 or less. I'm having a huge problem figuring out how to play a leading yet vulnerable hand. I only play 1-2 limit so the play is pretty terrible. How hard should you push say 77-8 or Q2-Q. I've been betting the crap out of these hands and getting killed by drawing hands. Should I slow down and wait for an actual hand or play it differently or what? I'm getting sick of having a premium pair sucked out on by a running two pair or gutshot and the like. I'm a pretty experianced player but having some serious problems lately short handed. Any short handed stud specialists out there? Help!

[TS Clark]

ElToasto said:

I've been playing alot of heads up stud and short handed i.e. 4 or less. I'm having a huge problem figuring out how to play a leading yet vulnerable hand. I only play 1-2 limit so the play is pretty terrible. How hard should you push say 77-8 or Q2-Q. I've been betting the crap out of these hands and getting killed by drawing hands. Should I slow down and wait for an actual hand or play it differently or what? I'm getting sick of having a premium pair sucked out on by a running two pair or gutshot and the like. I'm a pretty experianced player but having some serious problems lately short handed. Any short handed stud specialists out there? Help!

I play a lot of stud, but I can't say I have a lot of experience playing it shorthanded. But my sense is that you aren't far off in your approach. Rather, you are having some bad luck.I would not play a 77-8 too strongly (this hand doesn't figure to be outright better than a lot of playable holdings by an opponent), but your approach with Q2-Q seems correct. When you have a premium pair (JJ-AA), you simply can't let people draw for free. You're going to get sucked out on sometimes, but you have to punish people for drawing.For non-premium hands, expand your range of hands and be just as passive as your opponent will let you be on these. Use their strategy against them. But when you do have a made or strong hand (like the Qs you reference above), you have got to attack.Good luck. You're braver than I am for playing a drawing game like stud short-handed or heads-up.

[SOWhatKid]

im a near pro at stud you played you're hands right at the beginning but it all comes down to the board they have and what possible could they be calling you with. If you have a feel for this game the 1/2 game shouldn't be a problem to beat sometimes I just know what there down cards are before they even make a play I have no idea why maybe it was a gift. But keep playing this game you will get better,and better it will even improve you're other games

[jayboogie]

Bet, keep betting with your pair, make it costly for your opponent to catch up, you will undoubtedly get rivered repeatedly playing stud. You'll often hear the birds say I've got 7 cards to make a hand, I may have nothing on 4th street but make something on 7th, this is the type of opponent you want. I was playing Stud Hi Lo shorthanded tonight at only 5/10, but wow these guys are terrible, playing starting hands like 2Q9 and etc, against these players practically any pair is worth betting and calling down with just about, you need to pound these pots when your ahead and get the money in there, because the fish will always try and catch up, so make them pay to do it. You find some of the worst poker players in the world playing Stud. They think it's a drawing game with no skill involved. I'm playing headsup and I cap on 4rd street with split aces and I get some idiot to come along capping his split queens, of course he sucks out, but it's only a matter of time before you take their money when they play like this.There's just so many weird situations you get into playing Stud against bad players, their play makes no sense and it's nearly impossible to put them on a hand. Particularly playing Stud Hi Lo, they'll play JT3 and somehow it turns into a low hand. Tonight I got rivered repeatedly by these birds, dropped 50 BB's, but had some damage control at the end and ended up only dropping 15 BB's, so I was happy with that considering all the beats I took.Anyways, my advice is just to know who your opponent is. If it's a good player, you need to be careful and make sure your betting a good hand, because they're not gonna call you without a good hand or draw themselves. If it's a bad player, bet bet bet with even marginal hands, because you'll get called down, slow down on the latter streets though if your hand is not that strong and unimproved.

[Don Giovanni]

SOWhatKid said:

im a near pro at stud you played you're hands right at the beginning but it all comes down to the board they have and what possible could they be calling you with. If you have a feel for this game the 1/2 game shouldn't be a problem to beat sometimes I just know what there down cards are before they even make a play I have no idea why maybe it was a gift. But keep playing this game you will get better,and better it will even improve you're other games

near pro eh? you have a "gift" huh? ok man