Stud/8 hand - (5s 3s) As

[JSD]

I'm just starting to learn Stud/8 and find the whole high-low dynamic to be interesting. This is my first Stud/8 hand post. My question is should I have folded this at any point? I started with a great two-way hand, paired on fourth, made a four-flush on fifth, got aces up on sixth and bricked on seventh.

It seems like fourth would have been the time to fold. I nearly bet out as a semi-bluff, but decided that against bad non-thinking players, this wasn't a good idea. I also nearly folded on fourth, but every other street seemed like a pretty easy call.

When the hearts check-raised on 6th, it looked like he had made his flush, but I had a lot of outs to a higher flush or full house. When I bricked on the river, was my fold weak? I suppose he could have started with split nines and been raising sixth with a garbage two pair.

Party Poker 0.50/1 (0.25 ante) Seven Card Stud High/Low (8 handed) converter

3rd Street: (4 SB) <font color="blue">(8 players)</font>
Seat 1: xx xx 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Seat 2: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
Seat 3: xx xx 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Seat 4: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Seat 5: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Hero: 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Seat 7: xx xx 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
Seat 8: xx xx 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Action: Seat 1 brings it in for $0.25, folded to Hero who completes, Seat 7 calls, Seat 8 calls, Seat 1 calls.

4th Street: (8 SB) <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
Seat 1: xx xx 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Hero: 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
Seat 7: xx xx 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Seat 8: xx xx 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Action: Hero checks, Seat 7 checks, Seat 8 checks, Seat 1 bets, Hero calls, Seat 7 folds, Seat 8 calls.

5th Street: (5.50 BB) <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Seat 1: xx xx 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Hero: 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Seat 8: xx xx 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Action: Hero checks, Seat 8 checks, Seat 1 bets, Hero calls, Seat 8 calls.

6th Street: (8.50 BB)<font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Seat 1: xx xx 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Hero: 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Seat 8: xx xx 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Action: Hero checks, Seat 8 checks, Seat 1 bets, Hero calls, Seat 8 raises, Seat 1 calls, Hero calls.

7th Street: (14.50 BB) Hero catches 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, Seat 8 bets, Seat 1 folds, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 15.50 BB

[MRBAA]

Fourth is a pretty easy call here, I think. No one else looks like having a low or a great high. On fifth, I'd c/r to try to force seat 8 out. I'm not folding on sixth or the river, even though I agree it looks like you're beat.

[Nick_Foxx]

no offense but i think you misplayed this hand

4th street when it APPEARED that you caught well and everyone else caught horrible, you HAVE to bet here - btw there is no way i'm folding this hand on 4th street, it has way too much potential at this point, especially given the non-scary nature of your opposing boards (with possible exception of seat #8)

on 7th street, i would call, it seems unlikely that he is bluffing but you're getting 15 to 1 on your money

[Andy B]

Bet fourth, bet fifth, and bet sixth. On fourth, you almost certainly have the best hand, and you're the only player who can represent a low draw. The pair, the Ace, the three-flush, the low draw, the straight possibility--all of these things have value. You just have to bet on fourth. The Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] was a pretty good card for your hand, considering that this is looking like a one-way hand. Fire! When you make Aces-up on sixth street, what do you figure the other guys have? In a $.50/1.00 game, you automatically put the bring-in on a set? Bet your damned hand already.

On the river, I think you have a call. You're not going to win very often, but you're getting about 15:1, so you don't need to win that often to make this a profitable call.

Buy Ray Zee's book before it's too late.

[Ray Zee]

andy is so right here. why are you playing so cautiously. you should be betting or raising on every street here and calling on the river. there was no real reason you didnt have the best hand at any point, and up to the river you had enough cards to catch to make up for any chance you were beat.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

You should have been the leader here, not the follower. Why play such a good hand so passively?? I would have been betting it the whole way, or raising, depending what the action was with my leading instead of your check-calling.

You must call that river bet. You won't win often but the pot is simply huge and you might win once in a while, making the call worth it.

al

[Bill Murphy]

I will usually play this hand.

[Andy B]

You have a lot of gamble in you, sir.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

4th is an easy bet. With the possible exception of seat 8, nobody caught a good card there and from their perspective you caught great.

Bet 5th, nobody's going to raise you with that board.

On 6th you bet again. Seat 8 is hard pressed to raise even with a flush.

On the river, the pot's too big to fold and if you've been driving all along a flush may even check behind if you check

[JSD]

Thanks everyone for the comments and the help. Its pretty clear to me now that I played this way too passively. I've got Ray Zee's book on order which should hopefully set me on the right course.