[Al_Capone_Junior]

Saying that only A or K are high cards in stud is ridiculous.

When you've got split queens, and there is one or no cards behind you higher than a queen, you of course raise. There's nothing less than premium about this hand.

Say you've got hidden tens and there's nothing higher than a nine out there. Once again, you've got to like your starting hand.

Even split jacks or tens IS a premium hand if there aren't two or three unduplicated high cards out there.

The objective on 3rd in any of these (or similar) situations is to get people out, so your pair will stand a better chance of holding up.

It really is as simple as that.

Now when you've got a smaller pair, but your kicker is higher than anyone else's upcard, and you're totally live, it's almost as good as having a big pair yourself. You've got about a 40-something % chance of hitting two pair or trips by the river. If it's a hidden pair, and your high card is up, I'd play it the same as a "premium hand" in most situations.

al