Party 2/4 stud8 people - lets talk about THIS player... and LAG it up?

[bigredlemon]

If you ever play 2/4 stud8 on party, you know exactly who this player is. This guy's name starts with a "K" and he plays 80% of hands. He's very unpredictable and wins a lot of pots. He will cap with the worst hand drawing almost completely dead, and somehow ends up winning. He'll also throw away his hand at completely random times. I used to think he's the luckiest player in the world, but after seeing him steadily win 20BBs/hr every single session, it makes me wonder whether there's a lot more to his style. He is clearly a winning player with his super LAG style, and I've probably given him more than $500 so far this month through suckouts like the one below.



This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about:


7 Card Stud High-Low ($2/$4), Ante $0.25, Bring-In $1 (hand converter)

3rd Street - (0.88 SB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___completes
Seat 2: xx xx 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 3: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 5: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 6: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 7 (Kguy): xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___brings-in___calls
Seat 8: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___folds

4th Street - (3.88 SB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___bets
Seat 6: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___checks___calls
Seat 7: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___checks___calls

5th Street - (3.44 BB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___bets
Seat 6: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___checks___folds
Seat 7: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___checks___calls

6th Street - (5.44 BB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___raises___raises
Seat 7: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___bets___raises___calls

Villain wouldn't be checking tens or trips here, so I know the best hand he can have is at most tens up. He capped with open 99 and nothing else against my open QQs a few hands before.

River - (13.44 BB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___raises___calls
Seat 7: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] xx___bets___raises

Dumb raise?

Total pot: (19.44 BB)

Results:
Main Pot: $74.75 | Rake: $3

Hero: [ Kd Ks 5c 2h 8d 5s Ac ] [ two pairs, kings and fives -- Ac,Kd,Ks,5c,5s ]

Seat 7: [ Jd 7s 4c 7c Ts Th Td ] [ a full house, Tens full of sevens -- Ts,Th,Td,7s,7c ]




He acts like this all the time, and usually gets payed off very well if he hits his outs. He wins a lot of small pots, and wins a lot of big pots too. I just counted threw my current session, and he either scooped or got half of about 35% of the pots. He usually sits down with 10BBs and turns it into 50BBs after just a few hours.

My usually strategy is the standard strategy used by most of the stud8 players here: play hands with 3 low cards and good scooping chances as well as big pairs in HU or sometimes 3way scenarios. If I completely brick my low drad and someone else hits will, I usually fold 3rd if the pot wasn't raised, and maybe peel one off if the pot was big and all my outs are live for one bet but not two. I usually play big pairs aggressively, but will throw them away on fifth if someone catches scary on 5th. This strategy seems wholly inadequate against this Kguy. It's left me with a to 4th of 20% and a win rate of around 5% to 10% depending on how I'm running.

The first few weeks, I thought it was just bad luck suckouts, and that his luck will eventually catch up with him and I will make it back, but now I'm wondering if his aggressive style is a lot akin to how Doyle Brunson dominates holdem back in the 80s. I noticed a lot of other solid stud8 players had been on a downard slide lately, whereas the much loser and more aggressive players here seems to be doing better. Could it be that our old solid style is going the way of the dinosaurs and it's time to LAG it up or face extinction? I followed a lot of the suggestions in the other thread but it seems to make no difference at all. As some might suggest, waiting until you're a 70% favourite will cost you more in antes and small bets than the +EV you'll get when you do hit a hand. All the little pots you give up is paying for his two smaller pairs to suck out on your overpairs.

FYI, almost all of the bad beats I've posted in the past were all against this guy, and he's clearly taken far more money out of than the reverse, so I think it's more than luck and that he's definetly a player to be feared. (If you're Mr. K then feel free to say hi!)