Advice on fast Stud 8 tourneys?

[Fraubump]

I play ACR's stud 8 tourneys when they have them. Structure: 1500 chips. Ante starts at 1 with 5 bring-in and then goes up every 10 minutes. After first 4 or 5 rounds you are often faced with risking all your chips on a draw. I have often gone most of a tourney without playing a hand. I wonder whether there is any sensible way to loosen one's starting requirements in these conditions.

[Tom D]

I have been wondering the same thing, and I’ve tried to make some adjustments. What I’ve been trying to do, when the cards cooperated (in the latter stages), is come in with more high-hand starts and push them hard. I know how much I hate it when I have a low draw on third, like Ace, 2, 6, for example, and have to put in all my money hoping to hit.

My thinking is that in tournaments, where you can go to your pocket, missed low draws are going to knock you out sooner or later. You’re just not going to make them all, and the one you miss will knock you out. My results, so far, haven’t been convincing.

Tom D

[bugstud]

I'd guess your best shot is finding one last premium 2-way hand, with 3 to a low straight and/or flush. if you can see 4th and catch good before committing that'd be nice, but given the little info I'll assume that isn't possible. Simply put, headsup you need a premium type draw to go against a big pair and be the favorite. If you're against split kings you're at best a 60/40 fav with A23 low/flush draw. Hope this helps.

[MtSmalls]

I've only recently begun playing in the Stud/8 tourneys, and I have found that as the tournament progresses, the low hands (low draws) go way down in value, down even faster when you have a small stack. If you are at an average stack or smaller, you almost have to treat it as a high only tournament and only occaisionally play for low (three low suited cards). If you are lucky enough to have a big stack you can take a few more chances.

[AlanBostick]

One thing I've been told about high-low-split tourneys, Omaha as well as stud, is that when your stack starts getting small, you should make your all-in stand sooner than you would in a high-only tournament. This is because all too often you get called by just one other player, and end up chopping the antes (or blinds), and not adding much of anything to your stack.

In a tournament against tight players, more hands are going to be played head-up, so your hand selection should be biased towards hands that play well head-up -- pairs go up in value, razz hands go WAY down in value.