Poker Game Review - 7 Card Stud High Low

General Strategy:

The first four cards are a major key to winning at Seven Card Stud games. If your starting hands develop according to plan, you can be a strong favorite to scoop the pot. If they don't, you get out early and escape the expensive second best experience.

The three card starting hands recommended are those with the best chance of producing a dominant four card hand.

Good four card hands that are carefully played don't always win but they win a lot more than the others.

Beware of the paired door card. If an opponent is playing a pair in his starting hand, and pairs his door card (first upcard), the odds are two out of three that the door card is part of his pair. A paired door card presents a strong possibility that the holder has a dangerous set of trips.

High Pairs increase in value over low draw hands when it is down to one or two competitors. When a high hand is heads up against a low draw, the high hand usually has the edge.

Watch the board closely for key cards that can seriously diminish your chances of making a good hand. Don't play marginal starting hands like pairs, if both your pair cards and side card are completely "live" (none of your cards showing on the board). Also play low straights cautiously if your key cards are not live.

Keep track of the fives both on the board and folded. This is a key card in all low straights.

Try to find reasons to fold both your starting hands and those that develop on the later streets. Look for a dead card or two in the denomination that you need and for three or more dead cards in the suit that you are drawing to. Look for too much strong competition developing for the high and low prizes that you are after. When you can't find reasons to fold, you can then proceed more confidently.

Unless you are playing a strong draw hand, usually fold if your complete hand is beaten on the board by an opponent's upcards.

Playable Starting Hands:

• TRIPS - (QQQ). Fast play face cards. Just call with Aces and all others until fifth street, then play fast.
• 3 LOW to a STRAIGHT FLUSH - (7d 5d 3d), see below
• 3 LOW to a STRAIGHT - ( 6h 4s 2c), see below
• 3 LOW to a FLUSH - (3c 6c 8c). With these three similar hands, check-fold on the next card if you don't improve your straight or flush and are facing two or more better low hand draws.
• 3 LOW with an ACE - (8 4 A). Check-fold on the next card if you don't pair the ace and are facing two or more better low draws.
• LOW PAIR with an ACE - (66 A)Check-fold on the next card if you don't get trips or pair the ace and are facing two or more better low draws.
• HIGH PAIR/Aces and Faces. (AA KK QQ JJ). Play these fast, split or concealed, if they are not overcarded on the board. Continue fast until threatened by another high hand and don't have a good shot at low or a no-low scoop. Try to drive the weak low hands and high draw hands out.
• NINES and TENS with an ACE - (99 A) (1010 A). Check-fold if you don't get trips or aces-over on the next card.

Normally Not Playable Starting Hands:

• High Straights and High Flushes. Unconnected Low Cards (that can't make a straight) without an ace or flush possibilities.
• Pair of Nines and Pair of Tens without an Ace Kicker.
• Unpaired High-Low Combinations.