1-5 stud: An easy win but how many $$$ can I get?

I haven't played much stud in the past week so here's a hand from about a month ago. As soon as I saw my 4th street card, I "knew" I was going to win and my only concern was how much I could milk out of this monster hand.


Low card 3 brings it in for a dollar. A woman to my right calls with an 8 showing. I'm holding (6c,6d) 6s. I love small rolled-up trips. You've got a monster hand and nobody is going to fear your board. I call the $1 bet. Of course, raising is an option but I prefer to call and get my money on the later streets since there's no ante in Vegas 1-5 games. A J on my left calls and everybody else folds.


The fourth street boards are:


(x,x) 2,?

(x,x) 8,3

(6c,6d) 6s,6h

(x,x) J,K


That's right. Quads on fourth street. So the pot is going to get pushed in my direction in a about 60-90 seconds. The only (and important!) issue left is how to get the most out of it in a 1-5 spread limit game. A $5 bet will make people think I have trip 6s and may scare them off. A $1 bet won't earn much. How do I get the most out of this lucky hand.


This is just the third time I've had quads on fourth street. The first time I had rolled-3s and was the low-card bring in. That lucky factor got two players to call me down and I made a decent pot. The second time I caught quad Kings on fourth street and everyone bailed when I bet just $2 on fourth street.


Wouldn't it be nice to have these problems all the time?

Dynasty,


Definately Check on fourth. ( especially since you didn't raise )

Let some people catch up that will hopefully pay you off.

Depending on how other people's boards develop on fifth will determain whether you check or bet fifth.


Later,

CJ

the problem with the hand is that against good players a check is a dead giveaway. At 1-5 you might be able to get away with a check, but at any other game you may as well bet or raise. It depends greatly on how observant your opponents are and howyou generally play, i.e do you mostly raise or call on third etc. Note that this is a different situation than with big quads, as even a bet there may not help.


I do not think a check is the correct play here, you should bet.


Pat

I'm with CJ -- definitely a check. At low limits, many will not even definitely put you on trips. You could have two pair or

even a flush or straight draw. What you want is for others to develop their hands -- at this limit, many will call you down with two pair and will certainly call with a straight, flush or

full house

If they are calling stations why not bet? Since you did not raise coming in most players will still call a bet, as most 1-5 players will not be afraid of paired 6's. It is not like 5-10 or another structured limit game where you hope to get a raise or bet in on a bigger street.


There are many other factors to be considered; to say a check is proper because you want to slowplay is just not correct. For example, if you almost always just call the bring in with a draw, then I think you will agree that a check is the wrong play, since in your opponents mind you may just have a draw with a pair. Another example is if you almost always bet when you have a pair on board, or if you just are a frequent bettor (as you should be by the way). If this is the case then a check is too suspicious. Also, many players will just thoughtlessly call here without regard for what you did coming in.


there are certainly times where you should check, and this situation must be distinguished from large quads.


Pat

Patrick,


In a 1-5 game. Checking a paired board of sixes is in no means advertising a slow-play. I think it looks perfectly natural. Checking paired Aces is advertising slow play.


Now if you are with a table of itiot calling stations. One might bet a dollar or two to 'tie them in' especially if you are sure they will call.( this is one advantage of spread limit ) But if one comes out firing a max bet, you have probably cost yourself money.


Later,

CJ

I havent played 1-5 in a while, but I still think there are more considerations, such as how you are perceived etc, as posted above. I would bet most of the time in this situation. But if you want to argue that the opponents are so bad that you dont need to think about those things then who am I to disagree. :-) I hope this is a problem you frequently encounter.


Pat

Pat,


I do agree that how you are perceived is to a large degree a consideration on this subject.


Later,


CJ

The fourth street boards are:


(x,x) 2,?

(x,x) 8,3

(6c,6d) 6s,6h

(x,x) J,K


I decided to make a $2 bet on fourth street. I didn't really consider checking since many players will call small bets with weak hands in the hopes of improving. The J to my left called but the other two players folded (Doh!). After that disaster, I started playing scared- scared that my last customer would fold too. So on fifth and sixth streets, I only bet $2 as well. My small bet on sixth street was a mistake because his board was


(x,x)J,K,T,A


I bet small hoping that he would raise me with a straight or a big two-pair. On the river, I bet $2 again with the same hope but he folded. Apparently, he couldn't even beat a pair of 6s.

Dear Dynasty,

Sandbag the hand thru 6th. You want all good hands to come in.


Sitting Bull

I think there is a big difference between playing this hand in higher limit games and at 1-5. At higher limits, most regular, competent players will have some kind of hand and play in mind when they bet or check, and will assume you do too. So when you check a pair of sixes if you are normally a fairly aggressive player and no one has anything threatening, and your sixes are live, they will be as suspicious or more so if you check as if you bet out. In fact, if you are known as an aggressive player, checking could convince them you're strong. But in low limits, half the players are playing their own hands and hopes, half (or more) don't have a clear memory of what's out, and most have only a very superficial impression of how you play. Checking here and hoping they make a straight or better is they way to go, because most of them won't fold if they do. In fact, some may bet into you!

Hello, MrB,

I tend to agree with your thinking.

Sitting Bull