It is rapidly turning into my favorite flavor of poker. I am not all that good at it but, fortunately, most of the players I am running across at the HORSE tables are even worse.
The surprise for the Hold’em player is the number of big hands that stud provides. The average winning hand at stud is a set of 9′s. Flushes and full houses abound. Two pair does win a lot of hands but low two pairs are a danger signal.
People chase at stud when they shouldn’t. Just like Hold’em you’ll get the suckouts but they aren’t as frequent.
At the HORSE table, you get both versions of Stud
Ken, I’ve been playing a fair amount of micro-stakes Stud 8 recently, on Stars and FT. I have found a lot of chasers in that game because you get some people trying to go for high and others for low, and staying for late streets or to the end. This adds a lot of dead money to the pots, so even split pots can be profitable, with scoops being even better. I’ve done fairly well just playing basic strategy, folding my lousy starting hands early, and not going further if I don’t improve right away. I haven’t played any Stud High to speak of but I should dip my toes into that pond too.
Hey Ken,
Stud is a GREAT game and I’m so glad you wrote about it. My brother plays nothing but stud – and has been so disheartened since fewer and fewer B&M rooms spread it anymore. When he visited me over the holidays, I turned him on to PokerStars. He couldn’t believe it! So many soft tables. He thought he died and went to stud heaven. After that, I started adding more stud into my online line-up – and I haven’t been disappointed.
Glad to see some confirmation to the enjoyment (and profit) that stud can provide. Most of my stud is getting played in the HORSE arena. If anything the play is even weaker there. Limit was never my strength — if one exists — so, I am amazed when I win in the Hold’em portion. I play a fair but my most rocklike in the Omaha section. Stud has really been my HORSE profit center and that while still definitely in learning mode.