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Strategy For Seven-card Stud: Low Poker
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In seven-card low stud, players use their best five cards out of the seven dealt to form the lowest hand possible, as opposed to high stud, where players look to form their highest totals. (See the section on lowball in the draw poker chapter for ranking hands in low poker.) Strategic thinking in razz is different than in high poker. Good lowball hands always start out as drawing hands, hands which need advantageous draws to develop into winners.
Your first four cards may be A 2 3 4, a golden start, but if the following three cards you receive are a pair of jacks and a king, then your hand melts into nothing. On the other hand, seven-card high stud presents situations where you're dealt lock hands for starters, such as the starting hand K K K. Regardless of future draws, these trip kings are heavily favored to win. Subsequent draws cannot diminish the inherent strength of those cards. In contrast, lowball hands which don't pan out die on the vine and become worthless.
To be competitive in seven-card lowball, you must, nonetheless, enter the betting with strong starting cards, ones that can go all the way. Following are the minimum opening or calling hands that should be played in Razz.
Seven-Card Low Stud • Minimum Starting Cards
Three-card 7-high or better (lower) Three-card 8-high with two cards valued 5 or lower Three-card 9-high with the other card as ace, 2, or 3 An ace plus a 5 or a lower card, and an odd card.
If you don't hold one of the above combinations, you must fold. You don't want to play underdog cards and contribute to other players' pots. If you can get a free ride into fourth street, take it, but hands of less than the above-mentioned caliber can-the blind, and no raises occur behind your position, you're already in-take the free card on fourth street.
Relatively low supporting cards in low poker are called smooth hands, such as the trey (3) and deuce (2) in the starting hand of 7 3 2, or the 4, 3, 2, and ace in the hand 8 4 3 2 A, a smooth eight. Hands where the supporting cards are relatively high are called rough, such as the 6 and 4 in the starting cards 7 6 4, called a rough seven, or the 7, 5, 4, and 3 in the hand 8 7 5 4 3, a rough eight. Smooth hands have greater possibilities than their rough counterparts.
You should play them more aggressively.
If you make an 8-high hand or a smooth 9 on fifth street, you're in a strong position. You can play forcefully against players still holding drawing hands. You should raise their drawing hands. You're the favorite, and you either want to force them out of the pot or make them pay for every card they try to buy. Play aggressively against weak players. They'll stay in too long with inferior hands. When you've got the goods, why not make your winning pot that much larger?
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Tags: draw poker, drawing hands, poker, stud players
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