Variance And Other Questions

[TaoTe]

I've Read through the FAQs and did a futile search on variance in 7stud. Though I found some information, I still have questions. Hopefully, someone here has answers.

1) Variance: what is the standard variance for stud in comparison with other forms of poker such as HE & O8, at the same limit?

2) Hourly rate: For an experienced/winning player what is the normal expected rate of earned BBs per hour?

3) Is stud worth learning? I'm sure that since I'm asking this on the stud forum I'll get many affirmatives, but what are the positive/negative aspects of the game as opposed to other limit games?

As always, I'm excited and terribly interested in learning new forms of poker. I just wanted to know what to expect to ease the leap into a new thing.

Regards,

Tao

[BeerMoney]

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I've Read through the FAQs and did a futile search on variance in 7stud. Though I found some information, I still have questions. Hopefully, someone here has answers.

1) Variance: what is the standard variance for stud in comparison with other forms of poker such as HE & O8, at the same limit?

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Comparable to hold em. Not as much as 6 max of course.

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2) Hourly rate: For an experienced/winning player what is the normal expected rate of earned BBs per hour?


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Depends on how good you are of course.

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3) Is stud worth learning? I'm sure that since I'm asking this on the stud forum I'll get many affirmatives, but what are the positive/negative aspects of the game as opposed to other limit games?


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Honestly, I'm not sure. It seems the 10/20 and 5/10 on party is drying up. In fact, I've seen some of the regulars down at 2/4 and 3/6. This is not a good sign. I think with the tight ante at 5/10 and 10/20, the correct play is to sit around and wait for a hand, and that's what everyone else is doing, and ultimately just paying the rake.

I really think a lot of the players on this forum right now are struggling at the 5/10 now because the games are drying up a little. Of course, I could be way off, but this is the feeling I'm getting.

I guess it depends on what limits you're interested in playing. 3/6 or 2/4, sure, these are probably still good. I'm just not really sure about the others.


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As always, I'm excited and terribly interested in learning new forms of poker. I just wanted to know what to expect to ease the leap into a new thing.

Regards,

Tao

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Ok. I hope this helps. Intersted to hear what others say.

[dandy_don]

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1) Variance

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Man, that's hard to answer because everyone plays differently. For me, early on the variance was wild; although I've never had a what I'd call a bad loosing streak (in stud anyway), there were times early on when one night I'd win 30 or 40 BB's in an hour or 2 and that would be followed the next time with a 25 to 30BB loss. Looking back, I consider the bulk of it to be the looseness of the low limit tables. On lower limit tables, it can be quite difficult to get a premium pair heads-up, as pairs require. I'd often raise and re-raise with premium pairs and still get 4 or 5 callers with regularity. Sometimes, you can't make those guys fold to a better starting hand and with 4 or 5 callers; someone's going to out-draw your pair starting hand.
As I have moved up in limits (I'm still playing lower limits, but now moving into the $2-$4, $3-$6 games as the bankroll dictates), the bulk of the players at these levels fold to a completed bet or raise with something like a K in the door, making a play with pairs and 1 or 2 callers profitable (and less fluctuations in the bankroll).

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Hourly rate:

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I'm horrible at keeping records, but the site I'm playing now is really high compared to playing at Stars. Over the past 5 weeks, I'm up over 160BB's, but I couldn't tell you how many hours were involved (I need that tracking software in a bad way). I hate the software of the site I'm playing now, but I have to stay because of the softness of the tables.

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Is stud worth learning?

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For me, it was only because I enjoy the game more than Hold'em or Omaha. I believe that there is more money to be made at the Hold'em tables, but I play Stud because I want to. If a new player signs up with an on-line site, he's going to the hold'em tables, not to the stud tables. We typically get the regulars and players like yourself that are considered "Hold'em players" that have a lot of general poker knowledge and want to diversify.

[TaoTe]

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1) Variance

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Man, that's hard to answer because everyone plays differently. For me, early on the variance was wild; although I've never had a what I'd call a bad loosing streak (in stud anyway), there were times early on when one night I'd win 30 or 40 BB's in an hour or 2 and that would be followed the next time with a 25 to 30BB loss. Looking back, I consider the bulk of it to be the looseness of the low limit tables. On lower limit tables, it can be quite difficult to get a premium pair heads-up, as pairs require. I'd often raise and re-raise with premium pairs and still get 4 or 5 callers with regularity. Sometimes, you can't make those guys fold to a better starting hand and with 4 or 5 callers; someone's going to out-draw your pair starting hand.
As I have moved up in limits (I'm still playing lower limits, but now moving into the $2-$4, $3-$6 games as the bankroll dictates), the bulk of the players at these levels fold to a completed bet or raise with something like a K in the door, making a play with pairs and 1 or 2 callers profitable (and less fluctuations in the bankroll).

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Hourly rate:

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I'm horrible at keeping records, but the site I'm playing now is really high compared to playing at Stars. Over the past 5 weeks, I'm up over 160BB's, but I couldn't tell you how many hours were involved (I need that tracking software in a bad way). I hate the software of the site I'm playing now, but I have to stay because of the softness of the tables.

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Is stud worth learning?

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For me, it was only because I enjoy the game more than Hold'em or Omaha. I believe that there is more money to be made at the Hold'em tables, but I play Stud because I want to. If a new player signs up with an on-line site, he's going to the hold'em tables, not to the stud tables. We typically get the regulars and players like yourself that are considered "Hold'em players" that have a lot of general poker knowledge and want to diversify.

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Thanks for the 411. I plan on playing at the lowest level I can find. Which at Pokerroom is 1/2. I wish there were lower limits but I've watched a few of the games and they look farely soft, if I even know how to spy one. Good thing is I have the BR because I've been playing 1/2 HE and 1/2 omaha.

Another reason I want to learn is because there is a regular game of stud played by some business men that I'm told is very easy to beat. Apparently, everyone calling to the river, etc. No matter how soft the game is though, I'd like to play a few thousand hands online to get comfotable with the feel of it.

[kyleb]

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1) Variance: what is the standard variance for stud in comparison with other forms of poker such as HE & O8, at the same limit?

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For stud 8/b the variance is lower than Hold 'em but slightly higher than Omaha 8/b, or so all the evidence I have collected shows.

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2) Hourly rate: For an experienced/winning player what is the normal expected rate of earned BBs per hour?

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It depends on how aggressive and good you are at the tables, of course. I would say that making 2 BB/hr playing Stud 8/b at 10/20 is good, and that my average rate at 5/10 is around 2.5bb/hr.

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3) Is stud worth learning? I'm sure that since I'm asking this on the stud forum I'll get many affirmatives, but what are the positive/negative aspects of the game as opposed to other limit games?

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A lot of people think Stud is dead, but it's really all about game selection. Sure, there are plenty of regulars at the Stud 8/b tables on Party, most of whom are relatively competant, but you'll find that they are mainly weak-tight and pretty poor players themselves who happen to survive on beating the total fish who also meander in on a consistant basis.

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As always, I'm excited and terribly interested in learning new forms of poker. I just wanted to know what to expect to ease the leap into a new thing.

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I think it's great you want to learn a new form of poker. I am all for diversifying my poker game, and learning new games can only strengthen my play in the other ones as I pick up on general poker theories throughout the way.

[SlowStroke]

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I really think a lot of the players on this forum right now are struggling at the 5/10 now because the games are drying up a little. Of course, I could be way off, but this is the feeling I'm getting.

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Almost every day I can find 5/10 players who play over 75% of their hands. You have to keep moving from table to table to find them. Buddy lists don't work because these players don't tend to last very long. After a day or two they are gone. But new ones seems to show up almost every day.