How to play this 6-5 low

[mscags]

Anything I should have done differently here. I was pretty confident the whole time I had the best hand even though his board was scary.

7 Card Stud High-Low ($1/$2), Ante $0.25, Bring-In $0.5 (hand converter (http://www.geocities.com/greenage22/7StudConverter.hta.txt))

3rd Street

Seat 1: xx xx 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___folds
Seat 2: xx xx A/images/graemlins/spade.gif___calls
Seat 3: xx xx 8/images/graemlins/club.gif___brings-in
Seat 4: xx xx A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___calls
Seat 6: xx xx J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___folds
Seat 7: xx xx 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif___folds
Hero: 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif___calls

4th Street

Seat 2: xx xx A/images/graemlins/spade.gif 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___calls
Seat 3: xx xx 8/images/graemlins/club.gif 5/images/graemlins/club.gif___calls
Seat 4: xx xx A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif___checks___calls
Hero: 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___bets

5th Street

Seat 2: xx xx A/images/graemlins/spade.gif 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif___calls
Seat 3: xx xx 8/images/graemlins/club.gif 5/images/graemlins/club.gif 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif___calls
Seat 4: xx xx A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___checks___calls
Hero: 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 2/images/graemlins/club.gif___bets

6th Street

Seat 2: xx xx A/images/graemlins/spade.gif 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif T/images/graemlins/heart.gif___calls
Seat 3: xx xx 8/images/graemlins/club.gif 5/images/graemlins/club.gif 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___calls
Seat 4: xx xx A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___calls
Hero: 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 2/images/graemlins/club.gif K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif___bets

River

Seat 2: xx xx A/images/graemlins/spade.gif 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif T/images/graemlins/heart.gif xx___calls___raises
Seat 3: xx xx 8/images/graemlins/club.gif 5/images/graemlins/club.gif 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif xx___raises___calls
Seat 4: xx xx A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif xx___folds
Hero: 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 2/images/graemlins/club.gif K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif T/images/graemlins/club.gif___bets___raises___calls

[Hauser_III]

He needs a 45,46 or 56 to have a better low than you. If he started with one of those three combinations as his hole cards, he certainly played the hand extremely passively, so I'd say it's safe to assume that he drew out on the river. You bet on 4th, 5th and 6th, so what more do you think you could have done to drive him out before the river?

There's two options. You could have tried for a check-raise on 4th or 5th, but given the way seats 3 and 5 ended up playing the hand, I'm not at all sure they would have bet either of those streets. So, I don't think a check-raise would have worked. That leaves completing 3rd, and I don't like doing that with an A up when there's another A behind me if my starting 3 aren't three to a straight or three to a flush, and I certainly don't like doing it when there's also an A in front that's stayed in the pot.

All in all, I don't think you were going to get this guy out of the pot.

[Cleveland Guy]

I'm by no means an expert, but I would have check/called on the river.

you have no high hand, and while you have a good low, the Seat #2 has an A-2-3 showing, so you by no means have the nut low.

I can't see you wanted to drive players out here on 6th and 7th, so I would slow down and check call trying to keep it a family pot.

[Andy B]

I tend to raise on third street. The other guy has a scary board, but I would proceed with the assumption that I have the best hand, especially since he's doing nothing but call. This includes betting the river, and probably three-betting as well. When he smooth calls and then caps, though, it looks for all the world like you're beaten, and there's nothing you can do but pay him off. Tough break.

[SuitedBaby]

I would frequently but not always raise 3rd but that isn't likely to have affected the outcome of this hand. I think you played the river fine, especially considering the initial call by Seat 2 and the usual cards you see turned over for lows in these $1/2 games. I presume as it turns out his call-raise ended up being good poker. Three betting in situations like this will almost certainly make money in the long run. Here it probably cost you 2 big bets but much more often you would make 1 big bet. Wheel?

[mscags]

6532A

[Andy B]

It's a game of inches, folks. Ouch.