I've played a little bit of stud 8 cash games, mostly at the $2-$4 level on stars, and I play the $10 and $20 tourneys on stars as well and Ive had some success in them, usually making it down to the final 2 or 3 tables and then it becomes a crapshoot. However, normally when I play the cash games I dont do as well, and I was wondering what sort of adjustments people think I should be making, what sort of hands become more or less playable when you switch formats from 1 to another. I feel like I shoud be playing less hands where I start with 3 good low cards but little scoop potential because in tourneys there are normally 4-5 people seeing 4th street, but in a cash game its more like 2-3. What are the best suggestions people have.

I don't have much experience in tournaments (played exactly one), but some possible reason's why you're doing worse in the cash games that come to mind are:

1.The quality of play is probably much better in cash games, as you're much less likely to get people who have zero experience in Stud8 in a 2/4 cash game. which leads me to...

2. You most likely need to tighten up in the cash games because there are less donks calling you down because of the better quality of play, as well as the lack pressure to build up stacks.

3. You should always be playing to scoop, and shouldn't be playing razz-type hands anyways.

so if I start with a hand like A26 rainbow and Im in late position, and 1 person brings in, and another raises and its folded around to me am I supposed to just fold and move on?

Does the answer change if the raiser is raising with a 5 vs if hes raising with a K?

This is completley different from tourneys where at least in the early/middle levels of a tourney any good razz hand is very playable on 3rd street because you get 4-5 people that stay in to 4th street, giving you odds just to chase your low. I started thinking about this when I posted a hand on another forum of a tourney I played where I started with A265, caught an A and 5 on 6th street, and caught paint on 7th to miss my low and someone else had a better high to scoop me. Someone responded saying that I shouldnt be playing hands like A26 at all. It just seems to me that if you wait for hands like scoop potential you'll hardly be playing and hands at all unless you start with 3 suited low cards, 3 low connectors, or 2 aces and a low card.

Are 3 suited cards with 2 low cards playable in a cash game? What about 1 low card with 3 suiteds?

I'm a bit of a stud8 newb to begin with, I've only played for a week, and read Todd Brunson's section in SS2. I'll answer as best I can.



I wouldn't play A26o for a raise no matter what the raiser's upcard is. A25o, I definitely would, as long as 3's and 4's were live. If he's raising with a K, and the bring in is >6, then I may call if I had A26 with 2 suits (needing to catch good on 4th).

Now that I think of it, playing A26 against a K might be ok, because you can hit your A at any point in the hand to possibly take the high. But I definitely wouldn't play in multiway for a raise.



other hands you could play include 1 gappers (245, 356) and to a lesser extent, double and two-gappers (246, 236) provided your straight cards are live



I've been told to play so tight that it hurts in Stud8 cash games. The more I play, the more I believe this (in low limits at least)

I play 3 suited cards with 2 low, provided 1 is an A. eg. AQ2s, sometimes I may play a hand like J35s, but I make sure all babies of my suit are live, and then play very carefully on 4th. I dump one low card with 3 suits everytime, unless it's something like AKQs, then I play it just for fun cause it looks sooooo gooood.

I'll have to try that out then, playing super tight for me is very hard, especially coming from a razz and stud 8 tourney mentality where any razz hand is an autocall if not even a raise. Most of the time I play stud 8 is when stars offers a reload bonus because 2-4 stud 8 is very good for bonus clearing since the pot has to clear $20 for it to count towards the bonus

i will answer this in detail tomorrow .

so if I start with a hand like A26 rainbow and Im in late position, and 1 person brings in, and another raises and its folded around to me am I supposed to just fold and move on?

With the possible exception of a situation where 2 or more aces are dead, you should never fold A26 for one bet on 3rd.

Does the answer change if the raiser is raising with a 5 vs if hes raising with a K?

no.


This is completley different from tourneys where at least in the early/middle levels of a tourney any good razz hand is very playable on 3rd street because you get 4-5 people that stay in to 4th street, giving you odds just to chase your low.

If I am in a tournament where 4-5 people are seeing 4th, I am going to be playing to scoop a big pot at some point. This means seeing 4th with a lot of speculative hands hoping to catch perfect. Also pumping the pot with any premium hands. I remember one time I had a suited 456 in the early stages - four way cap on 3rd and 4th -- all in on 5th - I went on to scoop a huge pot and later won the tourney.

I started thinking about this when I posted a hand on another forum of a tourney I played where I started with A265, caught an A and 5 on 6th street, and caught paint on 7th to miss my low and someone else had a better high to scoop me. Someone responded saying that I shouldnt be playing hands like A26 at all. It just seems to me that if you wait for hands like scoop potential you'll hardly be playing and hands at all unless you start with 3 suited low cards, 3 low connectors, or 2 aces and a low card.

The person who told you not to play A26 is an idiot. This hand has scoop potential. If you are up against a low draw that misses, your ace high can be good for the high. If you are up agaist a high hand, you can win by making a pair of aces. You can make back-door straights and flushes.

Are 3 suited cards with 2 low cards playable in a cash game? What about 1 low card with 3 suiteds?

This really depends on how live your cards are. I would probably play both of these hands for 1 bet under most circumstances, but would fold against serious action on 3rd st.

W.r.t. the A-2-6 problem, the worst case scenario is the raiser has a pair of aces or is rolled up. In that case, you're a significant underdog. Otherwise, you're at worst a 45:55 dog (against a pair of Kings or A-5-5). You're favored against 2-3-5 or 3 high cards (say the king has Q-J-K, even if they're suited you're favored). You're definitely getting the right odds to call a single bet.

Assuming $2-$4 with $0.25 ante, by the time it gets to you there's $2 from antes (full table), $1 from the bring-in, and $2 from the raiser in the pot. That makes the pot $5. You need to call $2 with a $5 pot in a situation where you're usually 45% or better to win. Call it every time.

Use a poker calculator to see how your hand stands up against other hands. You may be surprised how good A-2-6 rainbow really is.

This is, of course, assuming the normal stud issues of live cards and whatnot.

alright, apparently I'm an idiot.