Low/High Card in Hole Splits Pot

I'm a new player who's only experience has been playing low limit online and in casinos. I was recently invited to a home game where some of the many variations on the game are played.


They don't play wild cards but they do play a lot of split pots. One variation is 7-stud where the low or high spade in the hole will split the pot with the high hand. How should this be played? How far from the nut low/high should you play? How far down in value do high hands go since you'll likely have to split it with someone? I figure for high hand you have to take odds on the half pot.


I'd love to play with these guys again because as loose as LL online and casinos can be, these guys are insane. It's like me and all fish! Over half the table to the river every hand. Just play strong hands and rake it in. But I think I could do even better if I knew some legit strategies to some of the variations I'm not familiar with, so I'd appreciate any strategy advice on low/high hole card spliting. Thanks.


Ed

Ed - Each poker variation is different. The general advice for high/low split games is to play hands that have a good chance of scooping. But what to do specifically for each different game depends very much on the particular game, and also on your opponents. You want to have good card sense for any variation of poker.


"One variation is 7-stud where the ..... high spade in the hole will split the pot with the high hand. How should this be played? "


We call this game "black mariah." Obviously you want to scoop. And obviously you want to be dealt the ace of spades as one of your initial hole cards.


However, playing when you are dealt the king of spades as one of your initial hole cards should be also be generally profitable - although it may be tricky.


When you are dealt the king of spades as a hole card, and you look around the board and do not see the ace of spades, and your six opponents will all stay to see the river, before the first bet, your chances of winning for high spade are 21/43 + 1/43 + 3/43 = 25/43. Thus before the first bet you are a 25 to 18 favorite (1.39 to 1) to win the high spade half of the pot.


But although, with the king, you are favored to win the high spade half of the pot, you are clearly not a cinch. (You must be concerned about the whereabouts of the ace of spades). You may get some clues from the betting regarding the possible location of the ace of spades. Some players tend to slow play it. Others immediately jam with it. Still others mix up their play. To confuse matters even more, some players jam without it (bluff). And there is a chance that someone will catch it on the river, in which case you will not have much of a clue as to the whereabouts of the ace until near the end of the deal.


When you are in a game where any of your opponents are expected to fold, the chances of your king of spades in the hole winning the high spade half of the pot are even greater than in a loose game.


Unless most of your opponents are likely to fold along the way, you are an underdog to win the high spade half of the pot if you are dealt the queen of spades (or a lower spade) as one of your initial hole cards.


Thus you can profitably play the game if you are either dealt the ace of spades or the king of spades as one of your original hole cards. Otherwise you’re basically only playing for half the pot. In that case, you need an extremely strong hand, something like rolled up trips, to play.


In summation, fold to the first bet if you have anything but (1) the ace of spades in the hole, (2) the king of spades in the hole, or (3) rolled up trips.


Just my opinion.


Buzz

Ed - In reading my message, I realize I left out one little thing.


After everyone has been dealt four up-cards and before the last hole card is dealt, and when all of your opponents are going to see the last card just in case they will be dealt the ace, if you look around the board and do not see the ace of spades, the odds are 18 to 4 or 4.5 to 1 that one of your opponents has or will end up with it.


Unless you also have a good chance at high, you probably don't any longer have favorable odds to continue with the king of spades. And in that case, you probably don't have favorable odds to see the last card yourself. (This goes with having good card sense).


Buzz

If my calculations are correct, by following Buzz's advice you would only be playing one out of every 11 or 12 hands.


You may have to loosen up a bit if you want to be invited back. I might add pairs of aces, kings and possibly queens. If the pair is buried even better.

"You may have to loosen up a bit if you want to be invited back."


Chaos - Very good point.


Buzz