STUD....Part 2

You have decided that maybe you should play but there is a lot more you need to know before you commit chips to the pot.

How do they play a particular hand, do they mix it up or play the same hand the same way, are they fish, loose or solid. Knowing this can make you chips and save you chips

If you are starting with a pair look around is there a 3^rd card out there, are you holding 3 spades, if so you don’t want to see other spades up. Consequently later if someone is betting with 2 queens up and 2 have gone then you can be sure they have 2 pair

Rarely in stud is it correct to slow play a hand early, if you think you have the best hand raise and re-raise, get smaller hands and drawing hands out now

If you have a concealed pair and the highest up card always raise to represent it.

If you have a split pair you can a raise if your odd card is higher than the opponents up card.

The following hands are generally correct to fold

Small pairs

Small cards to a straight draw

Flush draw without holding the ace

Hands where your cards are dead

As the game progresses and the antes increase the value of a draw diminishes greatly and pairs are more important

this is where good players can read hands, how does this 4^th card compare to 3^rd street, do players bet on this or not, does a player look at there down cards if so they are probably on a draw and forgotten where it fits in.

Unlike 3^rd street if you have made a hand here, 2 big pair or a set know you can slow play

Again if you are still drawing raise to get others out so they cant outdraw you

Especially in a drawing hand if you see any of you needed cards or even those in your hand up somewhere on the board guaranteed 2 of you will be holding each others cards

If you hit 2 small pairs you are in a lot of trouble, 2 overpair are likely to come out later

Bet if you have a pair up

Raise if you have a concealed set

Raise if you have 4 to a draw

Bet to drive players out of the pot

Fold if you missed or are drawing dead

You should now know where you are in the hand, if you miss your draw here with the bets doubled up it may be time to call it a day and fold

This generally is dependant on the size of the pot, let’s assume you have a big hand and are still not sure what your opponent is holding.

If the pot is small you should generally slow down to get others to put money in the pot so they will not fold if you bet.

If the pot is big then just raise away most players will not leave a big pot in a limit game as odds are to good

If your hand is 2^nd best then raise to drive everyone out of the pot except the best hand, this means your expected win odds go up giving you correct odds to play.

Sounds daft but so many times players forget that a flush beats a straight, aces beats kings, just take a minute to think through your hand and the way everyone else has played, can you remember all the folded cards.

So you are here and still only have a pair, don’t assume a fold is correct, you may play on if your cards are live, there is only one player in the pot, you have high cards, your opponent is a good player

Any hands you are playing now you will normally play through till the end so be sure you are winning or if you make your draw it will win

There is not much to do here except raise and reraise to get money in the pot, most players will not fold here so make them pay

At this point it is just bet, raise and showdown

Pay careful attention here to what cards people are showing, look at each street and see how they played the hand through, this will give you a great edge later, most players look to see who won and then get on with the next hand, look at there cards and let the dealer announce the winner…..