7 Card hi/lo -- Lo vs. Lo shortstacks on the bubble

[Chu]

I've been playing a lot of 7card hi/lo recently, and in sng's it seems like 90% of the time the following sistuation occurs:

4 players left. Two fairly large stacks, and two small (i.e. 2x-3x small bets). Large stacks waiting for one of us to knock the other out.

Big stack brings in, other big stack folder, small stack completes with a 7 up. You are also sitting on a razz hand like 237 or A37, with the 7 up. No matter what you do, you get the fealing the other small stack with put himself (and you) all in at some point, and the big stack will fold.

What's the play? Also, what is the general way to play for this sistuation if your one of the low stacks? What people generally seem to do is complete on the razz hands plus AA or KK and hope for action, but that seems like such a coinflip if both lo's are trying that strat.

[PoorLawyer]

I would dump the 237 as it has no two way possibilities. The Ace has much greater value. When I am this short-stacked, I tend to fold in this spot and hope that a big stack can take out the other small one....this assumes that you can stand a couple more bring-in's. If you are down to your last bet then you dont have much of a choice but to put it in and pray.

[Hauser_III]

Is the other small stack somebody that has only been completing with a strong hand, or do you suspect/know he's capable of trying to steal at this point? You're so low in chips at this point that I'm not sure it matters, but if the answer is that he's capable of stealing AND the two big stacks really have been waiting for the two small stacks to knock each other out (which seems like a bad strategy to me, given that both small stacks are extremely short), then it's time to flip the coin and go to war. If you let him take this hand, then on the next hand, you're that much closer to the felt, and you're facing the possibility of being forced to bring in with any three cards. I'd rather get my money in against the other small stack knowing I've got at least three to a low, although I'd certainly prefer to do it with the razz hand with the A, rather than the 237. You haven't got enough time left to pick and choose, and it doesn't sound like the big stacks are going to do your work for you in your scenario.

Of course, waiting and hoping for one of the two big stacks to flame out in a war with the other big stack is a possibility, at least at Party Poker. I'm amazed at the number of times I've seen that scenario play out, with a stack of say 1700 busting out in 4th place in a slugfest hand against a 2200 while a short stack with 100 just watches.