7 Card Stud Strategy

Pa Poker News,CasinoAces in The Hole~7Card Stud

You’ve heard the expression “Ace in the Hole”? It’s a classic and it means that you have something that may not be readily apparent that gives you power in a particular situation. It’s a 5-Card Stud phrase – and it’s useful in many real-life situations.

In 7 Card Stud, “Aces in the Hole” refers to another poker situation where your great strength is not apparent to your opponents. I have had occasion to play this hand many times. And I think a recent example will demonstrate some interesting aspects of 7-Card Stud strategy.

I was playing on line in a fairly tight $5/10 Stud game. The players were generally good, most of them folded on Third Street if there was a completion. There were a couple of players who didn’t really have a clue. But even they seemed to be relatively timid unless they had called the bring-in already – which they frequently did.

One of the timid players was to my right and he brought it in for $2 with a 3h. I had the Aces wired and a 6c exposed with six players in front of me who hadn’t acted. Here were there hands.

3h $2.00
(AhAs)6c ?????
7s
7c
Ks
Qh
9d
Js

What would you have done?

As it was, I had an extremely strong hand – though not quite as strong as trips. In reality it was just one tiny notch down from trips, since no one could beat me if they didn’t have trips (or, I suppose the other two Aces).

My raise would have looked suspicious, seeing as I only had a 6 exposed. Folks would have suspected me as having, at least, a premium pair in the hole – since my image was tight and aggressive – if slightly wild – with an ante steal semi-bluff thrown in every now and again.

This clearly wasn’t an ante steal situation. I was in early position with the lowest up card save for the bring-in. What else was I likely to have if not a premium pair in the hole or perhaps a pair of 6s with an Ace kicker. My observant opponents were likely to fold. Any  non-observant ones were likely to fold as well since there would be such a small pot and they hadn’t yet entered it.

So I called as did three other people. I wasn’t too concerned about that, since my 6 was also live, making Aces Up a very strong possibility. As it was I went on to call a bet from someone else on Fourth, making it heads up. I hit an Ace on Fifth, bet, and my opponent folded.

But imagine a different scenario. How would you play the following?

You have the same hand but face a slightly altered line up:

3h $2.00
7s FOLD
7c CALL
Ks CALL
(AhAs)6c ?????
Qh
9d
Js

What would you do here?

With this Aces-in-the-hole I’d surely complete the bet. With the two callers I’m nearly certain of getting at least one caller who is going to think it worth the extra 3/5th of a bet to see his fourth card – thinking that maybe I’m being aggressive with a hand he can beat on the next card. Had the King raised, on the other hand, I’d be unlikely to uncloak myself by re-raising – though I might do so if he was a very aggressive player who didn’t like to back down.

In general, if there is already action in front of me, I tend to play my hidden Aces strongly, trying to build the pot and at least to some extent limit the field. As good as they are, I’d much rather be up against a single opponent than a host of opponents. However, that being said, if I am first to act, if I am against at least fairly tight opponents, I will slowplay the Aces until Fourth Street, not wanting to run the risk that I will knock everyone out of the hand.

Compliments of Ashley Adams

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7 Card Stud Strategy

PA Poker News7 Card Stud~Buying a Free Card

You may have heard about players buying a free card in 7 card stud. I know that I didn’t understand what this meant for quite a while. But it is not an advanced move, and it’s used almost routinely in many games. Here’s how it works.

Let’s say that on Fourth Street you have an exposed 2-Flush (8c-Jc)7cKc. Your opponent with (x-x)As9d bets $10 in this $10/20 game. Naturally, with a little less than a 50% chance of hitting your flush and almost surely winning the hand, you’re going to the River with it unless your opponent catches something extremely scary. So you might normally call.

Instead, you can sometimes raise with that 4-Flush. You’ve given yourself a few new ways to win, enlarging a pot for yourself if you do catch the Flush, and also won yourself a free card on Fifth Street if you don’t hit your suited card.

What’s likely to happen is that your opponent will call your raise on Fourth – although if he was betting with only the Ace high then he might fold to your raise. But, in any event, unless he hits another Ace or makes trips or something strong he’s likely to check to you on Fifth Street. This allows you to either continue to push your hand or, more likely, to check behind him if you haven’t caught your third suited up card for the Flush. Since the bets double on Fifth Street you are actually buying a free Fifth Street card for the half price of a raise on Fourth Street.

Now, lest you go crazy with this move, realize that some players are sophisticated enough to recognize what you’re doing. And they will re-raise you on Fourth to make your draw more expensive by two small bets rather than one. They will also lead out with a bet on Fifth if you don’t hit another suited card – figuring that you were on a flush draw. This denies you the advantage of a free card, defeating the entire reason for the move in the first place. So be selective. Done sporadically or against unsophisticated opponents it is an excellent move that you should add to your 7 card stud arsenal.

Free cards, as they’re called, can be “bought” on any street but the River – though they are most common on Fourth and Fifth Street. Just keep in mind that you can sometimes raise with the intention of freezing your opponents normal inclination to lead bet on the next round. Keep in mind that this only works if he is likely to have the highest board on the next round of betting. Your move doesn’t succeed if you are first to go on the next round – as your checking will show weakness and invite your opponent to bet.

There is some additional collateral advantage to using this move from time to time – and it comes at the expense of your best opponents. If you actually do hit a monster on Fourth – perhaps when you started with a hidden pair and hit trips with your second up card – they will remember that you make this move to buy a free card on Fifth when you have a Flush draw. And they won’t give you credit for really having a hand. You’ll be able to raise with (QhQd)KsQs for example and get your knowledgeable opponent to call or even re-raise you, thinking that you’re just pushing your drawing hand with a raise. This can pay enormous dividends – especially if you get another pair and he still assumes you’re on a drawing hand.

Compliments of Ashley Adams

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7 Card Stud Strategy

PA Poker NewsFifth Street Defense~7 Card Stud

Most poker players want to learn how to be aggressive. It’s important in this game of 7 card stud. Passive play is usually the losing play. We don’t want to be “calling stations” that call and check and rarely initiate action.A basic lesson begins with the first three cards – “Third Street”. We learn to raise with what we presume to be the highest pair. As we progress we also learn about throwing in the occasion semi-bluff when we have the highest card but not the highest pair – with a hand like (3h-3d)Ah for example.

These are important tools to be sure. You do need to know how to be aggressive at the table during all phases of a stud hand. But defense is also important. While it feels better to bet and raise, it’s crucial for the winning player to also know when to fold, call and check. This is especially true in limit stud, as the eventual size of the bet compared with the pot becomes relatively small.

This diminishing bet to pot ratio leads many players to adopt a fatalistic attitude about their hand as it progresses from Third Street to the River. If they call on Third they tend to stay in all the way. Clearly this is an oversimplification. But it does generally characterize a profound problem for many players. They often can’t get away from their hands.

For you to play profitably, however, you must learn to get away from hands that started out in the lead but that are likely to have fallen behind. A good time to make that second assessment of where your hand is at comes on Fifth Street.

This is a problem even for better players. They know the aggressive tricks of the trade and have used them to knock players out of hands on later streets. And so, when they see other players being aggressive, they often incorrectly presume that their opponent is being similarly tricky – and so they call. Here’s an example.

It’s Fifth Street. Three players are left in the hand. You have the third hand.

(xx) Ks9c2c
(xx) Jh3h2h
(5cAd)As4c2d

You raised on Third Street, when you were surely in the lead with a pair of Aces. You got called by these three players. On Fourth Street you led again and got called. Now it’s Fifth Street. You aren’t worried by the first player. He’s a calling station who most likely started with a pair on the hole or a pair of Kings and didn’t believe your raise meant you had Aces. You see the 3-Flush. You’re concerned that he may have made his flush. But you also know he may have started with a pair and may only be drawing to a flush. You don’t want to give him a free card. So you decide to bet.The first player calls your bet. The second player, however, raises. Now what do you do?

If you’re a thoughtful and aggressive player you might well conclude that the raiser is bluffing – trying to get you to think he has the flush when he really has a flush draw – hoping to buy himself a free card on Sixth Street by inducing you to check on the next round. It is, after all, highly unlikely that he was dealt five suited cards in succession. So you call his raise.

This is generally a mistake. Here’s why.

While it’s true that he may be bluffing or, more likely semi-bluffing at this point – not really having the flush he is representing – even if he doesn’t have the flush he is probably ahead of you at this moment. In other words, his likely 4-Flush with a lower pair is a favorite to your pair of Aces.

You spotted a likely semi-bluff. But you responded incorrectly, wrongly assuming that if you were correct in your observation that you should call him.

Here’s the problem. If you were 100% certain that he had a pair and a 4-Flush you would be correct to call – even as an underdog. I’m not going to give you all of the math now because I’m too lazy, but leave it to say that you are close enough to make chasing correct because of the money in the hand and the third player who is far behind each of you. If he folds or calls, your battle leaves enough money in the pot it to be profitable to chase.

But you can’t be 100% certain that he doesn’t have the flush. And if he does have one you are a prohibitive underdog – with less than a 5% chance of winning. Combine those two possibilities – that you are a small underdog or that you are a huge underdog – and you have a situation where you should surely fold.

A 3-flush on board on Fifth Street is a huge danger sign. When you see it, even if you think your opponent is bluffing, you should nearly always fold if you only have a pair.

Here’s another Fifth Street danger sign – a more obvious one. Three of a kind. Unless you already have it beaten you should surely fold. Even if you hit your hand you could be drawing dead against a full house. Many players draw to flushes and straights or lower trips against exposed bigger trips. This is a huge mistake. You are worse than a 3:1 dog. Recognize the danger sign and get out.Here’s another situation – when you should respect aggression because it probably correctly represents a stronger hand even if it’s not obvious.

You started with a Premium Pair. Your good opponent calls after you raise on Third Street. You bet again on Fourth Street when neither of you seem to improve. He calls again. On Fifth Street he catches an Ace and you pair your Fourth Street card – giving you two pair. You are high on board with your pair and bet. Your opponent raises you. Unless he is a maniac you should fold.

Here’s a diagram of the hand as it progresses.

(K3)K raise to $20
(xx)9 calls $20

(K3)K8 bets $20
(xx)9Q calls $20

(K3)K88 bets $40
(xx)9QA raises to $80

Your opponent is representing one of two things. Either he has been slow playing trips (9s or Queens) or, more likely) he started with a pair and just hit Aces Up. Either way, you are woefully behind (about a 5:1 dog) and should fold now.

It’s tempting to call the raise, believing that you might catch your full house or that your opponent doesn’t have you beat at this point but is only bluffing. But you must resist that temptation as wishful thinking.

It’s unlikely to the extreme that your opponent would actually be hoping to knock you off of your likely Kings up with a bluff in this situation. Players are unlikely to fold after they have initiated the betting on a round. So bluffing players who do this is unlikely to be successful. Similarly, there isn’t a drawing hand that is likely for your opponent in this example – making a semi-bluff unlikely as well. He’s most likely to have what he appears to have – which is a hand with much better expectations than yours.

Here’s a general 7 card stud rule of thumb that you can use on Fifth Street when you’re facing what may well be a superior hand to yours. If the hand that your opponent is representing is better or has a better expectation of winning on the River than your hand and if his draw is better than your draw then you should fold – even if you’re not sure if he has the hand that he is representing and even if the pot is already fairly large.

Compliments of Ashley Adams

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Parx Casino to Host PA’s first World Poker Tour Event

Pa Poker NewsPA’s first World Poker Tour Regional Event

to be held at Parx Casino of Bensalem PA.

The WPT Parx Open Winter Showdown will run from Monday, Feb. 27 through Wednesday, March 7 and will feature 12 tournaments and $200,000 in guaranteed prize pools.

Schedule of events for POWS:

 

 

Date/Time   Event Buy-in   Fee
Monday 11am 2/27/2012 No Limit Hold’em $30,000 Guarantee $265 $35
 

Tuesday

 11am 2/28/2012 No Limit Hold’em  $20,000 Guarantee $200 $30
 

Tuesday

 7pm 2/28/2012 No Limit Hold’em $10,000 Guarantee $100 $20
 

Wednesday

 11am 2/29/2012 Omaha High/Low 8 or Better $200 $30
 

Thursday

 11am 3/1/2012 No Limit Hold’em $20,000 Guarantee $200 $30
 

Thursday

  

7pm

  

3/1/2012

  

No Limit Hold’em $10,000 Guarantee

  

$100

  

$20
           
 

Friday

  

11am

  

3/2/2012

  

Pot-Limit Omaha $5,000 Guarantee

  

$200

  

$30
Saturday 11am 3/3/2012 No Limit Hold’em  $20,000 Guarantee $200 $30
 

Sunday

 11am 3/4/2012 No Limit Hold’em  $20,000 Guarantee $200 $30
 

Monday

 11am 3/5/2012  

No Limit Deep Stack Turbo – $15,000

 $150 $25
 

Tuesday

 11am 3/6/2012 WPT Regional Event – $40,000 Guarantee $460 $40
 

Tuesday

 7pm 3/6/2012 No Limit Hold’em $10,000 Guarantee $100 $20

 

For more information on this event, contact Parx Casino at: 1-888-588-PARX

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