[Andy B]

Maniac on a stud table. Yum. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I don't particularly like playing hold'em with maniacs, but I do like playing stud with them.

If you have a reasonable hand and you can get it heads-up by re-raising him, do so. Be very careful though. If there are a couple of callers in between you already, you're liable to wind up with a big four-way pot with everyone staying in until the river. This probably isn't what you want if you have a pair of Jacks or something. In that case, just call and hope you hit something. Another thing that can happen is that people will tire of folding and will decide to play their pair of Sevens for $10 anyway. If there are enough folks doing this, you are again better off just calling and trying to make a hand or perhaps thinning the field out later.

I tend to side with Lin (who I happen to think has as much "balls" as any of you $5/10 weenies [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]). I think that a lot of people on this forum over-emphasize the need to loosen up when the ante is high. If the game is loose, the plain and simple fact of the matter is that you are going to have to show down the best hand most of the time. If the other players aren't going to let you (or the maniac) run them over, you probably shouldn't loosen up all that much.

This is where Lin and I differ--I don't consider playing small but live three-flushes to be "loosening up." I have had a lot of success in loose low-limit stud games, and I believe that a significant portion of my profit comes from flush draws. Lin writes:

"The fact that a bunch of people are hanging around on the late streets when you have a little straight or flush draw usually means you are up against better draws, and in the long run, this means you're actually an overall dog."

I think that what you're saying is quite valid if you are in a multi-way pot against decent players. If you're in a game that usually has two- and three-way pots, and you suddenly have a six-way pot, your small flush draw probably doesn't have a whole lot of equity. Unfortunately, by the time you figure out that you're in trouble, the pot's probably too big to fold. I think, however, that stonekiller2 is talking about generally weak opponents, and I think that small flush draws are still profitable against these guys. It is true that the maniac's raising on third street combined with the fact that the limits don't double on later streets cut down on your implied odds, but I think that the multi-way nature of these pots should still make small flush draws profitable. Straight draws are another matter. I won't say that you should never play a straight draw. I will say that the vast majority of stud players would be better off if they never played for a straight.

I wouldn't classify anything Lin wrote as asinine, though.

I think that CJC asks a good question, but I rarely check-raise in low-limit stud games. It tends to antagonize people and get them out of the gambling mood. This can be a very bad thing, and the extra bet you may gain may not be worth the price. If you do something tricky like check-raising, it may encourage your opponents to try something tricky. If they have been barely paying attention up to this point, that isn't a good thing.

Good question, good thread. Thanks for bringing it up.

Cheers,

Andy B

Currently a $6/12 weenie [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]