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Stud Eight or Better Intermediate Strategy

April 11, 2009

Our last article – Stud Eight or Better Beginner Strategy – covered several basic but essential 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo strategies that every novice player needs to know. Mostly we discussed hand values – the value of starting hands selection, under-valuing door cards and over-valuing the low hand.

In this part-2 article of the Stud Eight or Better strategy guide, we will discuss intermediate level strategies for 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo, including the essentially ability to remain calm and emotionless at the table, knowing how and when to increase the stakes, and the ability to read the rest of the cards on the table, not just your own hand.

Stud Eight or Better Intermediate Strategy – Show No Emotion

Every poker player has heard the term “poker face”. It is not just a suggestion, but a downright crucial aspect to the consistent success of a poker player. However, you don’t just need to be able to mask those emotions outwardly, you need to be able to suppress them inwardly, as well. Becoming emotional, whether it shows or not, is the fastest way to make a bad decision.

A player must have the patience to wait out the frequently long bouts of bad starting hands, and the discipline to stay focused on the good ones. If you lose your cool, you will start betting on junk hands that you would otherwise have folded, and calling bets when you already know you are going to get beaten.

Stay calm, cool and collected on at the table no matter what happens, and you’ll bankroll will be collecting its own rewards in the end.

Stud Eight or Better Intermediate Strategy – Increasing the Stakes

There are two common mistakes made when increasing the stakes in a poker game like 7 Card Stud. The first is when a player makes a profit at one stake level, and immediately decides he is ready to jump to higher stakes. 99% of the time the player loses everything they had just gained, and then some. As the stakes grow, so does the stiffness of the competition. You must be winning consistently at one stakes level before jumping to the next, and even then, you only move up one level. Do not jump from $0.50/$1 to $10/$20!

The second common mistake here is when a player attempts to chase losses by playing for bigger stakes. For one thing, you already lost at the lower level where the player’s were less skilled. What makes you think you can beat the tougher guys? A good poker player never chases losses. If you’re managing your bankroll properly, your losses fell from a bankroll that was reserved solely for poker play – not the bill money! If you needed that cash for something else, you shouldn’t have been gambling with it to begin with.

Stud Eight or Better Intermediate Strategy – Reading the Board

Too many players focus so much on their own hand that they neglect to use their opponents up-cards to their advantage. Some may look at the other cards just to see how strong their opponents hands may be, but then they don’t consider how those cards could impact their own cards to come. The fact is, one is as equally important as the other.

First, yes, you want to see how strong your opponents hands could be compared to your own. If you have a Set of Kings, and your opponent is showing 2h-7c-9d-As, the only way he can beat you is if he manages a Full House or Set of Aces. So, look around the rest of the table and count the Aces. If there are two more showing (remember your own hand here, too), he can’t have a Set of Aces. The Full House is doubtful enough, too. And there’s very little chance of a Straight and absolutely no way he can have a Flush. In general, a players betting confidence will relay whether he has the best possible hand, second best possible hand, or just a marginal hand.

Second, you want to find out just what your chances are of improving your own hand. Like any other poker game, start by counting your Outs. If you have 4 cards of the same suit, there are 9 more of that suit that can help you. If you have an open-ended straight, theres 8 cards that can help you. An inside straight has 4 cards that can help you. Holding Two Pair means there’s 4 more cards that can give you the Full House. You get the point… first, count all of your Outs, then look over the board and subtract all Outs that were already dealt face up to other players. The more Outs you have, the more likely you are to hit your draw for the win.

Stud Eight or Better Intermediate Strategy – Upgrading Strategies

By now, you should have completed the first and second installments of our 3-part Stud Eight or Better strategy guide. Make sure you have applied these strategies with a consistent level of success, then continue on to our final segment:

Stud Eight or Better Advanced Strategy

Written by Rob · Filed Under HORSE Poker Strategy 

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