Pot Limit Eight or Better

Can anyone give me the strategy adjustments that i require compared to limit.


My general thinking is that it is better to play for low hands with scoop potential (as with limit eight or better but even more so). Basically because a lock low can hold a highhand to ransom, by betting or raising the maximum on 5th, 6th and 7th. The high hand has to invest a fortune to get half of what is a compartively tiny pot on 5th.


Is this correct thinking, or am i totally off the mark?

What if the high hand raises the pot on 3rd and 4th and your low catches a brick on 5th? Are you going to try to catch low if the pot is raised?

Where is this being played? PL and NL games are not that great when played as hi-lo split. A low can almost always buy the pot or a high can blow out the low in the first two betting rounds. The low has the advantage in that the big bets come in the later betting rounds (5 rounds also seems like to much for a PL game who wouldn't get set all-in?). Often the low will have locked half the pot and freerolls for the other half while the high cannot win it all and has to put in all his money for a hope at half the pot.


If you just play very good lows you should be able to do very well in this game.


Let us know how this game plays.


Paul Talbot

Apparently it is frequently played with 4 betting rounds, having had 4th street dealt before any betting ensues.


I think this gives low hands tremendous advantages, however, and why would anyone ever play without a massive hand?


Clubmates of mine have wanted to play some pot limit stud, and have put me in charge of organising the game. I wanted to play hilo, mainly because i play it better than high stud, and they have never played it but are keen to "give it a go".


I wanted to cut doen the betting rounds to 4. Would starting at 4th be better, or a 2 card flip of 4th and 5th at the same time be preferable?

cut out the seventh street bet. in pot stud games if someone calls a pot sized bet on sixth its silly to fold on the river except with certain draw hands that had the odds. plusw by then most people are allin unless the stacks are big.

That kinda defeats the purpose of cutting the betting rounds though. I wanted to reduce the number of rounds so that is still money to be bet on the end, so bluffing or value betting the end are still viable options.


Also many of these players will bet a long way from the maximum, particularly on the earlier rounds, so this will aid having a pot size bet available on the end.


For a 5 or 6 handed game, what would you suggest as minimum buyin for a $1 ante, $3 force game. I want it to be at least $300, but would prefer $500.

300 is okay but a good general rule is 40 times the total of the blinds and antes.


by giving extra cards early you really help the tight players enormously and may find the loose players never win a hand and soon lose interest in playing..

Players can only bet up to half the pot.

Now thats a bloody good idea. Still enough to bet that you can discourage a busted draw, or push a man off a high pair when you have a low made, but not brutal.


Ray, as for helping the tight players, i'm all in favour but if it kills the game it's not worth it. Stewart Reuben suggests starting at 4th street in his book with Ciaffone, so that's what i thought would be good.