Hello! Bull needs advice

[Dick in Phoenix]

Hi, Bull - At the risk of hijacking your thread, I have always wanted to ask about the following (as spread at Casino Arizona in Phoenix):

3-6 stud, .50 ante, $1 bring-in.

$1 jackpot taken out of the antes, $2 rake at $10 ( !!!! )
and $2 more rake at $30. Typical toke for a decent pot is $1.

At the risk of over-generalizing, the players tend to be very loose and somewhat passive. An 8-player game (without me in it) probabaly averages 4-5 seeing 4th street with no 3rd street raise. It's hard for me to say what the average pot is, but I am pretty sure that most go over $30.

Thanks, guys. I'll post my opinion later, so as not to influence yours.

[SittingBull]

deplete my stack if I'm VERY SELECTIVE with my starting hands. Remember,the ante is more than 15% of the SB.. Hence,one must loosen up --not play as if he is in a no ante game.
The question is--how much looser than in a no ante game?
Happy Poering, [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
SittingBull

[SittingBull]

How have u been doing PHAT?
SittingBull

[Phat Mack]

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How have u been doing PHAT?
SittingBull

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Haven't been playing worth a lick, but other than that, been doing very well. Hope you've been the same. Glad to see you posting again--It's been a while.

One other thing to consider about the game is how many players stay on which streets. Hard to forcast over the long term, I know. If a lot of players are sticking around and playing passively, it's hard to win without tightening up. If you can get it heads up by 4th or 5th, you can play the extra hands that the antes seem to require. This game seems borderline, but no way to really know.

[Andy B]

$.25 is 12.5% of $2. This is a relatively low-ante game.

[Andy B]

Your opponents have to be cooperative, but it should be beatable, if you feel the need to fly from DC to Phoenix to play $3/6 stud.

[Andy B]

Bear in mind that I have never played $1-5 stud with no ante (I've played an hour or three of the $.50 ante game at Foxwoods). I would probably play the medium three-straight in this game but not bother in the $1-5 no-ante game. To play a one-gap straight, I think I'd need a two-flush, and I'd want to be in very late position. I would hate to throw a full bet after a piece of cheese like that. Actually, the combination of the low ante and high bring-in makes playing hands like that all the more dubious.

I would probably play a few more of the small pair/indifferent kicker hands in this game than in the $1-5 no-ante game, but the overhead is really low enough that you can sit back and wait for good cards.

[timmer]

It depends of course on your opponents. but if you cut the tipping down to a per down basis and only to the better dealers then It is beatable.

Here is a rule of thumb I just made up.

If the total rake is equal to or greater than the big bet you need to be the best player at the table to show any appreciatable profit. Or if the average pot exceeds the amount needed to max the rake.

the Ante makes this game and the fact that you may hit a jackpot or recieve a players share from time to time likely makes this game slightly profitable if you play it for a reasonable amount of time.

at $.50 per hand You could easily tip the vast majority of your profit in this game

[Ray Zee]

bull,
what you play depends alot on your opponents. but this is a small ante game. easy to beat but you need to play tight. big pairs will win the money especially since the pots are shorthanded. big high flush cards and big straight cards. play live cards and duck the dead hands. tend not to call if you cant beat the raisers up card paired if he isnt a very frequent raiser. good luck.