Grand Adventure

I’ve been trying out play money stud hi-lo. Doyle Brunson’s Super System poker bible has the most clear and concise strategy chapter on how to play this version of poker I’ve ever read. (and I’ve read a LOT of poker books lately). It’s so good, I guarantee you will increase your fake chips if you follow his system.

The format of Stud is what you’d expect like you play at home. Fixed # of cards, some dealt down (first two, last card) and 4 cards are dealt up for all to see. Three cards are dealt at the start, two of them down. Most Stud Hi-Lo is a limit game. If you are to a hand you’ve got to bet, and hope people raise you to build the pot.

Doyle has very sound advice: Try to win both the High and Low pots. Simple enough. He says this is because if you just split the pot you are essentially just winning what you put in back. Note: this is probably most true when you are playing against real Stud Hi-Lo pros…less so online at the ante and Blinds I would play. If there are multiple people in the pot, who are chasing either a high or low hand (perhaps both, but that’s rare) then they are building it up for you to scoop.

For the low hand, it must be 8 or less with no pair to qualify. Here’s where people forget: flushes and straights don’t count when considering the low hand. I see a lot of players going after the high hands and winning. But mostly just half the pot. And that will only incrementally increase your chips. You are better waiting for a good starting hand that can be a strong hand both high and low.

I like Stud Hi-Lo because the pace is pretty stately. Way less stress than No Limit Hold Em. Nobody can make a huge move forcing you to agonize over folding or not. You are more likely to stay in pots longer than you should but that will rarely break you (i.e. you can recover from bonehead moves…and we all make them). A disciplined player who sticks to the system (i.e. much less luck/variance in Fixed Limit, Stud Hi-Lo) will come out ahead because the system works. I can’t even say that about 2-7 Single Draw (even though I play that passably well).

Some tips:
1) Go for LOW HANDS. A 4-8 straight is a strong hand for high, and qualifies for low too. Examples of good starting hands are 7 or lower non-pair. A baby pair + and 8 or later. For more refinement than that pick up Doyle Brunson’s book.
2) If you hit “paint” on your fourth card or greater, you should toss in the hand unless that paint gives you a dominant high hand. At that point, forget about making low, and pay attention to see if your hand will get beat. If it is beat, dump.
3) If you have two cards greater than an 8 already, you are pretty much beat. Sometimes I will hang around to see if I keep getting low cards but if that third card > 8 pops out I dump. This has served me well because so many new players will stick around for their high hands. Only stay in if your high hand is dominant. (check other’s up cards…you can often tell if you are drawing dead, or all your outs are pretty much covered).
4) DO NOT chase both high and low simultaneously. You will probably get burned. If you do this you did a poor job in your hand selection at the start.
5) A low three card straight is a solid starting hand.
6) Remember that Aces are both high and low. Trips Aces is a really good starting hand because you know that few others will have a good chance at the low end, and you already have a very strong high hand.

Hi-Lo is a nice change of pace, and expands your skills beyond the run-of-the-mill NLHE. And it’s much more like the “real thing” with play money than NLHE is with play money unless your blinds are much higher level. Lots of get-rich-quick guys at NLHE play money tables playing like they’ve seen on TV. Its frustrating if you are trying to play a straight game. So…try out Hi-Lo if you need a break.