Been playing a very tight Stud8 game, only playing 3 low connectors, jamming if I catch good on 4th all the way, folding everything else. If I catch bad on 4th and 5th and other lows catch good, I stop drawing unless I am 4 flushed.

I think I need to open up my hand selection.

When can I play with split pairs, if they are higher than any up cards?

Late position only?

How many lows can I float if I am going high only? More the better or will it get to expensive getting squeezed for half a pot?

Any help would be appreciated.

Obama 08

I play a very similar style game (3 low connectors, but will also play 1 and two gappers, 3 suited). I will usually raise these hands on third, and continue raising on fourth if I catch good, occasionally taking a free card on fourth. If I catch bad on fourth and my opponents catch good, I fold.

I also play AAx, KKx, and occasionally QQx. Being rolled up is also good:).

I think you have to play AAx, just to add a tiny element of mystery to your starting hand requirements.

If you're playing big pair, you have to make sure your opponents respect your raises. If they don't, the hand is kinda useless, since scooping becomes very difficult. If it's folded to you in late position, open it up with a raise with your big pair. I think with these kinds of hands, the less opposition the better. That goes with most hands in stud hi/lo, but especially with vulnerable hands like top pair.

People with a lot more stud hi/lo experience will hopefully answer your question soon. I'm interested to read some of the responses.

Funny you mentioning that, I was testing my Stud8 skills and killin' this freeroll (lol) until this hand came up.....

PokerStars Game #12331122132: Tournament #61821748, Freeroll 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Limit - Level XIV (1500/3000) - 2007/09/29 - 01:22:22 (ET)
Table '61821748 94' 8-max
Seat 1: jcr_leafs (159092 in chips)
Seat 2: ac_bobby23 (76564 in chips)
Seat 3: Foandi (1433 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 4: gameid_j (113765 in chips)
Seat 5: dave*&*twigs (4018 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 6: AngelWink (14190 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 7: STS1SS (70245 in chips)
Seat 8: 22BLUFFER22 (23296 in chips) is sitting out
jcr_leafs: posts the ante 300
ac_bobby23: posts the ante 300
Foandi: posts the ante 300
gameid_j: posts the ante 300
dave*&*twigs: posts the ante 300
AngelWink: posts the ante 300
STS1SS: posts the ante 300
22BLUFFER22: posts the ante 300
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to jcr_leafs [9s As Ad]
Dealt to ac_bobby23 [Kc]
Dealt to Foandi [Jc]
Dealt to gameid_j [8h]
Dealt to dave*&*twigs [7s]
Dealt to AngelWink [3c]
Dealt to STS1SS [8d]
Dealt to 22BLUFFER22 [Qd]
AngelWink: brings in for 450
STS1SS: folds
22BLUFFER22: folds
jcr_leafs: raises 1050 to 1500
ac_bobby23: raises 1500 to 3000
Foandi: folds
gameid_j: folds
dave*&*twigs: folds
AngelWink: folds
jcr_leafs: raises 1500 to 4500
ac_bobby23: raises 1500 to 6000
Betting is capped
jcr_leafs: calls 1500
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to jcr_leafs [9s As Ad] [Ks]
Dealt to ac_bobby23 [Kc] [Jd]
jcr_leafs: bets 1500
ac_bobby23: raises 1500 to 3000
jcr_leafs: raises 1500 to 4500
ac_bobby23: raises 1500 to 6000
Betting is capped
jcr_leafs: calls 1500
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to jcr_leafs [9s As Ad Ks] [Kd]
Dealt to ac_bobby23 [Kc Jd] [2h]
jcr_leafs: bets 3000
ac_bobby23: raises 3000 to 6000
jcr_leafs: raises 3000 to 9000
ac_bobby23: calls 3000
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to jcr_leafs [9s As Ad Ks Kd] [9h]
Dealt to ac_bobby23 [Kc Jd 2h] [6c]
jcr_leafs: bets 3000
ac_bobby23: calls 3000
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to jcr_leafs [9s As Ad Ks Kd 9h] [7d]
jcr_leafs: bets 3000
ac_bobby23: raises 3000 to 6000
jcr_leafs: raises 3000 to 9000
ac_bobby23: raises 3000 to 12000
Betting is capped
jcr_leafs: calls 3000
*** SHOW DOWN ***
ac_bobby23: shows [Ah Ac Kc Jd 2h 6c Kh] (HI: two pair, Aces and Kings)
jcr_leafs: mucks hand
ac_bobby23 collected 74850 from pot
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 74850 | Rake 0
Seat 1: jcr_leafs mucked [9s As Ad Ks Kd 9h 7d]
Seat 2: ac_bobby23 showed [Ah Ac Kc Jd 2h 6c Kh] and won (74850) with HI: two pair, Aces and Kings
Seat 3: Foandi folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 4: gameid_j folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 5: dave*&*twigs folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 6: AngelWink folded on the 3rd Street
Seat 7: STS1SS folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 8: 22BLUFFER22 folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)

Nice one outter on the river there pal......

Let me put my 2 cents in here: If you are thinking of expanding, pick your spots. Part of the beauty of stud 8 is you can make a solid case for folding roughly 95% or your hands pre-flop.

Pay a lot less attention to your cards as you do your opponents. If there is a ton of ragged low cards between you and the bring in, don't play much of anything that doesn't blow up your skirt.

If you are seeing a ton of 8's 9's and T's, you likely stand a good shot at stealing the blinds and antes (no matter what your hole cards are).

If you see a bunch of Qs and Ks and 4s and 5s, then it isn't worth getting involved without some power and potential in your holdings.

In a vacuum, you will fare better playing *small* split pairs along with big pairs with a small upcard. Not because you are gunning for a 2-way hand, but because you can be very deceptive in how you rep your holdings on the coming streets. If you have (6-4) 6, and you pair your 6 and check on 4th street, you are likely to be bet into because your puny "low draw" just paired. If you have (T-T) 4 and you hit a 10, other players might not even notice you are still at the table by the time you check/raise, or might think you are on LSD when you check/call.

Similarly, with a hand like (2-3) K you can hit a 5-8 on 4th and 5th and you will look like a durn fool stubbornly holding onto his pair of kings while two other high hands go crazy pushing into each other.

For the love of god, use these examples sparingly, but they will make you much tougher to read and are low risk/high reward plays, in tourneys, SNGs, and cash game play. Anyone can sit around for 3 suited babies, but those hands are difficult to camoflauge and you aren't getting a ton of action if your board has 3 clubs and 3 cards below an 8 on it. Hands you are going high with that look low can really help thin the herd through aggressive betting, getting you heads up with a player who has no clue exactly how the cards on 5th and 6th street are truly hitting you. That = a significant edge to you and eventually your chip stack.

One standard disclaimer: don't use these types of hands to attack villains showing an ace. These villains already have the ultimate tool for Stud8 deception: the ace upcard.

Fold third. The best way to play a split pair like that is to have a suited kicker that's 8 or lower, since you want to scoop.

Actual split high pairs (99-AA* regardless of kicker): In tourneys, I stay away from these unless I'm shortstacked or in a steal position. In cash games, if I can steal, I play them.

*AA is the exception of course, as I alluded to, but that depends on having a 2-8 for my kicker.

Rolled: Umm, yeah. Play them like you would in Stud Hi.

The above also changes if I'm at a table full of morons who are mentally incapable of tying their shoes. If I notice they're playing Stud High, I switch my starting hand requirements to take full advantage of their stupidity.

I'd love to see the rest of this thread. I play stud 8 kind of like BG does. I've attempted to do things like bluff out people who's board look pretty bad like betting at someone who has x-x-3-Q-T regardless of my cards. But unfortunately i only play .04/.08....and that pretty much explains why it hasn't works.

Very good post.

QFT

Print that and read it before you play. That will improve your game as more than anything else that involves a similar cost in time and money.

You mean I'm actually good at Stud8 now?

I've really come a long way. Just for perspective, one of my first actual posts on the forum.. I shudder in retrospect, and got deservingly flamed a new one:

Giving ESPN flexibilty on choosing which WSOP FT's to air...

Good at giving advice Playing could be different, as I well know.

I'd love to get on the same HORSE table someday with some of the regulars here and chat and play.

Yeh well there's a thread in general strat and in stud about playing on merge. They have more poker games than any other network. I'm playing heads-up HORSE there and badugi, among other things...

The FCP Nightly tourney that PSU runs at midnight EST is often PLO/Horse/Stud8/O8B or some mixed variant, as well as NLHE.. We've been getting good turn out.. Lots of folks from OT/Gen Poker/Strat.. Any night check out the private tourney section: there will be a "FCP nightly" tourney, (password: fcpfcp) $5.50 buy in... Right on pokerstars, too.. Check it out.. I play in at least 1/2 of them if I'm not working.

Sweet! thanks for the details. I'd read some references to it, but didn't know the details. That's 10PM for me, a good time.