7 Ways to Improve Your Stud-8 Poker Game

This is a very key concept in any high/low game. When you start with a good high hand, such as (KQ)K you have no chance to make a low hand: However, when you start with a good low hand, such as (A4)5 you have opportunities to back into a high hand like Aces-Up.

Additionally, when you have a powerhouse low hand you have excellent potential both ways.

There is more to choosing a starting hand in Stud 8 than having three low cards, your cards must have some sort of high potential. There is a tremendous difference between a hand like (24)7 and (24)5: With (24)5, any Ace, 3, or 6 gives you a strong draw to a low and decent high potential. Conversely, with (24)7, catching an Ace, 3, or 6 -or any other low card– really only improves your low potential.

Big pairs spell doom to Stud 8 players. Unlike 7-Card-Stud where few players play hands like AXX, in Stud 8 you’ll find many players with an Ace in their hand because of low potential. So, your pair of Kings or Queens is even more likely to get run-down than usual. And this doesn’t even consider that you are playing for only ½ the pot to begin with.

Calling away with (23)578 is a bad idea when it’s obvious one player is going high and another player has a potentially better low hand, such as (xx)247. Even if you catch good on 6^th street, your opponent may still be out in front of you.

When you have a made low you want to make sure you are punishing players who have no low potential, and you want to be raising potentially better low draws out of the pot; or at least making them pay as much as possible for the opportunity to run you down.

Since you are playing for only ½ the pot to begin with you want to make sure you get a lot of action early on in the hand. Not only to increase the pot, but to keep people interested in chasing long-shot hands because of the size of the pot. The worst thing that can happen is you spring your trap on 5^th street only to be up against a made low hand that could outdraw you.

Unless you started with a monster, getting bricked on 4^th street means you are pretty much done with the hand if a raising war breaks out. Far too many Stud 8 players just can’t let go of a hand like (A2)5 when they catch a Jack on 4^th street: I see people calling two bets cold in this spot quite a bit.