[PseudoPserious]

Hi all,

One of our local indian casinos recently changed the structure of its $1-5 stud game.

Before, it used to be no-ante with a forced bet by the low card. This bet wasn't live, but could be anywhere from $1-5 based on how much the low-card liked his hand.

Now, the game is no-ante with a forced $1 bet by the winner of the previous pot. The winner can bet more than $1, but has to do so blind, before the cards are dealt. The bring-in is not live, so if the bet gets called around, you don't have the opportunity to raise.

The $1 blind bet by the winner could just as easily be a white chip taped to the dealer button, so in effect there's a single $1 blind bet at the very first hand, and for the remainder of the session, there's no blind bet at all (the pot is just $1 smaller than people think it is).

With nothing in the pot at the start except the right to play your hand for free (unless the pot is raised), and with no blind/ante money being at risk ever, is the proper way to play this game simply to be absurdly tight?

I.e., Should you wait for trips and (if you're feeling saucy) an over-pair that you can raise the max on, provided that there are some limpers before you (so that you can win something more than the dealer button)? Or am I just being silly?

I know that low limit stud is more of a 'trapping' game than a 'knock people out' game, but with absolutely no penalty to endless folding, and such a small pot at the start, why play any other way?

Thanks,
PP

P.S. I'm not a stud player, but if you sit in this game for an hour before their daily tournaments, you get extra tourney chips. So, no, I don't mind sitting and folding until I get trips.