Name this game?

Here's a game that rears its ugly head every decade or two. Can anyone remember its name?


6-card stud hi-lo; 2-pair for hi, 8 for low; twist two cards or none.

Mack - We call it "viper."


Buzz

Sounds like a good idea having a qualifier for high.


Most annoying thing is having a hand like A3456 missing a pair or straight on 6th and 7th, and having some guy call with a ragged low and a better Ace high.

Thanks, Buzz. Have you studied it as exhaustively as Pineapple and O8?

Mack - No, I haven't studied "viper" much. Much of the advice given in the stud-8 part of Ray Zee's book would seem to apply. However, the most dominant feature of "viper" is the option to exchange two cards before the final betting round. The effect of the exchange option is to give the dealer a tremendous advantage. Early position players need excellent starting cards to continue.


As in all high/low split games, you want to play hands with scoop potential. Obviously you are better off playing pat hands that do not need to exchange two cards, but more often, after the first six cards are dealt, you will need another card to make a good hand, and will opt to exchange two cards for two others - in an attempt to draw the one card you need.


The qualifiers negate the positional advantage a bit, but the game still is clearly very positional, especially if played with a declaration.


Obviously if you don't deal the game yourself, you want to be seated to the immediate right of the dealer, so that you can get an idea of the direction your opponents are going before you exchange two cards. Often you will have a hand with four cards that have a reasonable draw for low and four cards that have a reasonable draw for high, for example [As-2s]-5h-7h-Ts-Qs. In these situations you prefer to be last to act in order to (1) see more cards (to figure the number of outs you have one way, or the other), and (2) also to get an idea of which way (high or low) your opponents are going.


I usually fold anything but premium starting hands when seated in early or mid position. By "premium starting hands," I mean the same as those outlined in the stud-8 section of Ray Zee's book.


Just my (cursory) opinion.


Buzz

Thanks for the analysis, Buzz. I played some hi-lo 6 stud years ago, and thought it best to have a down ace and some kind of hand by 5th street. But with the option of drawing 2, I guess viper can be played a little looser, as in 7 stud.