Mirage 5-10 Stud: Those lucky 9s again

I had another good session playing 5-10 stud at the Mirage today. However, the player in Seat 2 was making a few things difficult. He was playing almost all hands for the $1 bring-in and then betting on 4th and 5th street if checked to. And he would always bet if he was the high board. Against the tight players, including myself, he's was having quite a bit of success regularly picking up some small pots. And when he got called, he was more than capable of releasing his hand if he truly had nothing at all. He was winning without showdowns- by betting people out of the pot. It's an approach I'm not comfortable playing and haven't completely figured out how to play against.


This is the first of three hands against the gentleman in Seat 2.


The third street boards are:


(x,x) 3d

(As,9s) 9c (ME!)

(x,x) 5s

(x,x) Tc

(x,x) Ad

(x,x) 6c (Seat 2)

(x,x) Jh

(x,x) Qd


The 3d brings it in for $1. I could raise with split 9s but with one of my Aces dead and four overcards yet to act, I prefer to just call the $1. In addition my hidden Spade 2-flush is reasonably live- a nice bonus. The 5s folds. The Tc calls. The Ad calls. The Gentleman in Seat 2 calls with his 6c. The Jd folds. The Qd folds.


The fact that nobody raised on third street leads me to believe my 9s may currently be good.


5 players see fourth street.


The fourth street boards are:


(x,x) 3d,4h

(As,9s) 9c,4s (ME!)

(x,x) Tc,8d

(x,x) Ad,7h

(x,x) 6c,2d (Seat 2)


The Ad bets. This player is similar to Seat 2 in that he often bets if he's got the high board in order to win the small pots on 4th or 5th street. Seat 2 calls. The low card 3d folds.


I've picked up a live 3-flush and may have the best hand but don't think I am going to knock anybody out at this point with a $5 raise so I just call. Raising here is a definite option.


The Tc calls.


Four players see fifth street


The fifth street boards are:


(As,9s) 9c,4s,Kh (ME!)

(x,x) Tc,8d,3c

(x,x) Ad,7h,5d

(x,x) 6c,2d,Th (Seat 2)


The Ad checks. There's no possibility of him limping on 3rd street with a pair of Aces and now checking them. Seat 2 bets. This is the kind of bet which has let him pick up multiple $20 pots over the last couple hours. I've often folded hands like unimproved split 6s or flush draws in this spot. But, not this time.


One of my Aces is dead but I haven't seen any Kings. And I don't think Seat 2 has me beat. I raise the bet to $20 and the two remaining players fold. Seat 2 calls which means he probably has a pair.


The sixth street boards are:


(As,9s) 9c,4s,Kh,9h (ME!)

(x,x) 6c,2d,Th,Js (Seat 2)


For the third time in my recent stud play, a third 9 comes to save the day.


I bet and Seat 2 folds. Even with out the third 9, my tight table image may have been able to win the pot with a sixth street bet.


I'd appreciate some insights about how to play against good players who routinely bet on 4th and 5th street with their high boards to try to win small pots by betting people out.

How to put the fear of God into Jerry


Dear Dynasty,


An excellent hand presentation. (As usual) And a well played hand.

Just a couple of thoughts on the counter strategies that I use against the (Jerry the Jammer) type of player that you described. Guys like Jerry Jammer can be tough to play against at your limit, because they can often bet players with better hands off their cards.


Point no 1. Jerry the Jammer is a great player for someone as good as you are to play against. Whenever you see him at your table be thankful.


(But don’t stay in a game with two Jammers because their double jams can play havoc on your bank roll . And there is now twice the chance that one of them will hit a legitimate hand. So in that situation it is usually best to transfer to another table)


Like me, you can make a lot of money off this type of player. The first thing that I do when Jerry joins the game is to put in a seat reservation with the dealer, and I request the seat on Jerry’s immediate right. And as soon as that seat or a seat close to his right opens I take it. .


One time when I had moved into the seat on the immediate right of a Jerry Jammer player, the guy looked me in the eye and even said “Doc I am totally f--ked now aren't I?’

“ Why yes, yes you are !” I replied


Now the key statistic to remember when you play Jerry is “16% of the time. 16% of the time, each stud player is dealt a PAIR for a starting hand. That means of course that on averages their will only be one starting pair per hand in an 8 handed game. (There could be 8 of course) But on an average there is only going to be one.

Now Jerry Jammer wins pot after pot by jamming the conservative and novice players out of pots.


(This type of player would be totally destroyed if he played in a high limit game. And the key to our beating him is to play him the same way that a high limit player would.) Players like Jerry can only be successful in the long run by playing at the lower limits.


But now since you have position on Jerry, you can use Jerry and his natural playing tendencies to push even more players off their hands.


When you do this you usually are usually going to get Jerry heads up. And since we know the math we know that on an average we are going to have the better hand 85% of the time.


So once I get position on Jerry, I wait until I have a live pair and then when he raises or bets (for what is typically his 8th betting hand in a row) I re- raise him right back. By putting in this RIGHT sided raise I am going to prevent most or all of the other players to fold rather than call 2 bets cold.


And now you usually are going to have Jerry heads up. And you are going to have what is statistically the best hand 85% of the time.


Sure every once in a while Jerry is going to hit some miracle draw. But one of the basic principle of 7 card stud, is that in heads up situations the most likely winner will be the player with the best starting hand. So over the rest of the night you just slowly grind Jerry down. By attacking Jerry whenever you statistically have the best hand?


From then on it is only a matter of time, until that big pile of chips that Jerry has spent most of the night grinding out of the rest of the players is yours.


Point no 2 Always give more importance to Jerries door card on later streets than you would other players. I don’t like to chase betting hands with medium pairs and baby paints.


But the exception is when I am playing against Jerry. When I have a pair of nines for example against many players I am going to drop the hand if I am bet into and through the fifth street bet. But when my nines are an over pair to Jerried door card, there is a good chance that I will call him down. Unless Jerry catches a very scary board.


3 The other thing to do is when you have a strong hand, like a pair of Kings and Jerry comes jamming at you with a door Ace. You should keep jamming him back. You do this to make him pay dearly for his Ace bluff.


For example you bet your pair of Kings into Jerry, And he raises you, then you should re-raise him right back. If he re-raises you again, then you just call him down. Sure there is going to be the infrequent time that Jerry really does have a pair of Aces, but most of the time he is only going to be running an Ace bluff.


But for players like Jerry, every time that they get an Ace in their door they consider it as a bread and butter hand. They have pushed the rest of the table off their hands 80% of the time whenever they have a door Ace. But they are not going to do it to you. When you start with a pair of paints you should call down Jerry’s door ace almost every time.


After you have fed off this guy for about 3 weekends in a row, and you transfer to your usual seat on Jerry’s immediate right, and Jerry looks you in the eye and says “I’m totally F--ked aren’t I”


Don’t forget to say. “ Why yes, yes you are !”


Most sincerely,


Doc AZ

Excellent advice, Doc. But when you talk about making the table call two bets cold, and you're on Jerry's right, wouldn't you be last to act on his raise or bet, after the rest of the table has already either called or passed?

1. I would raise here on third street, or fold with a dead card. ButI wouldnt call. You almost hope to get reraised by one of the later players,but if the A raises you should fold.


2. I would raise here also on fourth street.


3. Well played on fifth and sixth.


I read your posts in reverse. Seat 2 seems like the type of player that does very well at 5-10 but is probably not ready for higher limits. but he might if he could vary his play more.


Pat

Dear MRB and other friends,

Please forgive my mistake. To take advantage of Jerry, and to force him to initiate double bets you always want to be on his LEFT side. I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks


Most sincerely,


Doc Az

That's what I thought you thought -- excellent

advice