[beekeeper]

I'd really like to play stud. At our casino (Potowatomi) they have $1-$5 spread. What would be a good buy in for this game? Also, does playing on line stud games prepare one for playing stud in a casino?

Secondly, is there an appreciable difference in players, style of play, and overall table play in limit hold between these stakes: $2/$4, $3/$6 and $4/$8?

Thanks, Bee

[luckychick]

I would change your title to include "stud".

I don't actually know that much about stud (paging Yeltzen? w?) but thought about a year ago I would try to learn it. Played .25/.50 on line, then watched the 4/8 games at Bay101 and Garden City while waiting for my Hold'em tables (long time often). The live games seemed WAAAAAAAY looser live. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about strategy.

I'm actually pretty sad that I never played the Stud8 game at Garden City. Looked both fun and profitable....

[beekeeper]

Changed thread title--thanks.

[xtwalker]

Never played Stud in a casino, but I would sit with $100... plenty of room to play and not have to worry about reloading very often.

Don't know if you are going to find a 2-4 game in any card rooms any more, but if you find a place spreading 3-6 and 4-8, the 4-8 players will likely be a little better than the 3-6 game.

[beekeeper]

Originally Posted by xtwalker

Never played Stud in a casino, but I would sit with $100... plenty of room to play and not have to worry about reloading very often.

Don't know if you are going to find a 2-4 game in any card rooms any more, but if you find a place spreading 3-6 and 4-8, the 4-8 players will likely be a little better than the 3-6 game.

Thanks. What should I bring as a buy-in for the $4/$8?

BTW, I was surprised to read in Card Player magazine that the Stratosphere offers $1/$2 limit and $.25-$1 spread limit.

[yeltzen]

Unless you're sitting in a pot limit or no limit game, you should always sit down with enough to get the max payoff in the event you have a monster hand. There's really no reason to do otherwise, unless you're really strapped for cash. Now, most casinos will let you raise forever if you get heads up, so in theory, the amount you can win is unlimited. I usually just ignore that, and I'll sit down with like $200. The max you can win on a hand, assuming the bring-in is maxed from the start would be $100 (i.e. 20 x 5 rounds). So, $200 is a decent amount to absorb some losses and still have enough to win the max. Keep in mind this will probably never happen, since the game is usually no ante, and no one is ever going to bring-in for $5.

Live $1-5 Stud games are ridiculously tight. Young people find them boring, so they're usually filled with old regulars who are more than happy to keep folding and folding. After all, there's no ante, so in theory they're playing correctly. It's just hard to make much.

Online Stud, on the other hand, is usually pretty loose. I've played in $1/2 games where 4th street is at least 5-handed every time. Good luck getting someone to fold after they call a 4th street bet. It's a big time value-betting game, but there are a ton of tricks you can use in Stud that you can't in Hold'em to make a sick amount of money on a hand. The players are unbelievably passive. If they bet the river, they've usually got a big hand (unless they're just a maniac). Do NOT bluff unless your board is crazy scary, and you've seen them fold before. Value bet the hell out of your hands. Note that you'll hardly ever find low limit Stud games in casinos, and you'll never find spread limit Stud games online. The lowest limit Stud game in a casino is usually $8/16.

I haven't played anything higher than $2/4, so I can't really comment on the differences. Good luck. I do like playing $1-5 Stud in casinos, but, like I said, it's hard to make very much money since the games are usually so tight.

[beekeeper]

Thanks a lot for the information, Yeltzen.

[AceDeuceNoUse]

Some random thoughts....I started off in poker as a live Stud player before Stud8 and Oh8 consumed me like the wicked cruel mistresses they are (and before Hold 'Em decimated the live Stud world).

In the Los Angeles area, you can find readily Stud from 1/2 on up. The one thing I remember was that moving from a 1-5 spread limit (what I started with in Vegas) to a fixed limit can be a bit of an adjustment, as you now have an ante in addition to the bring-in. You have a little more in the pot to play for, so you can get more return on your value bets over the long run.

The biggest I ever played was 4/8, and I must say it was a refreshing change over 1/2 or even 3/6. More action, better players, somewhat easier reads, more interesting showdowns. As with other games, beating the rake below 4/8 is quite the challenge. Depending on the table (lots of regular grinders in the L.A. card rooms) I usually sat down w/40xBB and played TAG. In general, I rarely saw capped pots multi-way; HU, I only went unlimited raises twice (luckily I had the nuts both times ).

The most amusing hand I remember was at a 2/4 at Hollywood Park - everyone called 3rd street and it was a check fest to the river - 8 players! We ran out of cards and had a community river card; I made the winning straight with it .

Stud can be a fun diversion, it will definitely teach you the value of patience and can challenge/enhance your board reading skills.

It is fun to start rolled up and make a FH on the river vs. a rivered flush with only a straight draw showing on your board.

Get yourself a copy of Roy West's book, "7-Card Stud: 42 Lessons How to Win at Medium & Lower Limits". You'll be glad you did.

Good Luck!

[abby99]

Well, this thread certainly brings back memories. Well before I played online, my very first casino poker experience was at Harrah's East Chicago (Indiana, now Resorts, soon to be Ameristar) at the 1-5 spread limit 7-card stud table. I remember thinking how cheaply you could see three cards--zero cost unless you got stuck with the bring-in. I quickly discovered that this was no kitchen-table game of stud. Talk about a table full of tight and skilled players! I still recall one specific hand, when I had made a full house on 6th street. Full of confidence and expecting to drag a huge pot, I was a little startled when my opponent, a very nice old guy, chuckled softly, told me exactly what I had, and then flipped over his hole cards and showed me a bigger boat. Sigh! Anyhoo, that was my one and only casino stud experience. I soon discovered that the $5-10 LHE game game was much easier to beat, especially on Friday evenings when all the 20-something guys were drinking and spewing chips. (I haven't played there since it changed hands.)

BTW, one of my poker buddies plays at Potowatomi somewhat regularly. He tells me that the $5-10 LHE game is can be pretty soft, usually with lots of calling stations.

[beekeeper]

Thanks, Abby

The highest limit I've ever played is $3/$6... thinking of moving up to $4/$8.