Holdem Split 8 or better

[robug]

We have a local card room that plays only 3/6 holdem split. I have looked for some resources on the best hands to play with and have come up with nothing. I think I would probably do ok playing standard opening hand in the correct position but I would be cheating myself out of half the pot.
My thought on the best low opening hands would be A/wheel suited or small suited connectors.
anyone have any thoughts on how to attack this game?
Thanks

[robug]

Ok, I just payed $100 for a 60 minute lesson in Holdem split and I have determined that playing straight Hi is not the best strategy. Of the 4 big hands I played I got top 2 pair twice and top pair w/ top kicker twice and all 4 hands were busted by straights. It seems thay playing any 2 low cards is a good strategy. I noticed that at least half the hands played made straights. I attribute this to the fact that everyone (but me) was playing any 2 cards under eight.
It this game to loose or is that the proper strategy.
I would like to play this game again but I do not want to be the donater. So, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
John

[HDPM]

Well, I've never played holdem split, but I think some of the concepts from omaha/8 apply. First, how big were your top 2? KQ is a decent top 2, although you will lose to straights some. 78 is useless as top 2, you are going to lose both ways a lot. Clearly A-2 suited is a great hand in this game. Suited A -3,4,5 is a premium hand. You can make the flush, strt, nut low. But say you have A-6 and flop "top 2" on an A-4-6 flop. You obviously have problems multiway and need a full house to chop probably. So what were your top 2 hands? Play stuff that can scoop, just like omaha/8. High hands may have a little extra value in this game since you can't have counterfeit protection in this game. Oops, wait. Can you use just one card for a low in he/8? Assuming that I don't see how any hand w/out an ace is ever playable. Tell more re: rules and what your specific hands were.

[robug]

In this game a A to 5 straight is nut low. The hands I played were J/10 A/10 for top 2 pair and AJ w/ J paired and AK with A paired. All were beat with a little straight. I played the top pair hands to the showdown. The other two I folded on 4th & 5th when betting was capped before it got to me.

When I got up from the table one of the guys in line for a seat told me "Don't expext to win any money playing hands like that. You gotta play small cards or big pairs."

This table seems to be pretty loose. I only saw one hand in 2 orbits that the showdown was heads up.

I agree, A / wheel suited is a premium hand, but these guys were playing any 2 cards 8 or under suited and 5 and under off suit. Not just with an ace. The room manager told me that many of these players have been playing here regularly for 15 years. Everyone at the table knew each other and had a good ol' time joking back and forth. I was also the youngest player at 32 everyone else was 50-60+ if that makes any difference.

I am sure they were playing loose. Would you attribute this to them playing together for so long or just because it was 9:00am and no one was stuck yet. And would my best strategy be to loosen up or stick to the premium lowball hands (a-6 suited) mentioned in the previous post?

Thanks
John

[HDPM]

If you had JT and flop was JT3 and you lost to a small strt you just ran bad probably. But I think what that guy told you was OK. Hands like A-T and A-J are trouble in regular holdem. Where you are splitting w/ lows and don't have the nut flush draw they will cause trouble. In a loose aggressive game you have problems. It sounds like the game can be aggressive, in which case you have to play tighter. I hope some others respond. I'm not the best at figuring out new games for myself.