How To Play Stud 8/b

Like Omaha 8/b the pot in this game is split between the best high hand and the best low hand. The betting structure is the same as Razz and Stud. Like Stud the low card brings it in. Once again there is a qualifier for the low hand (8 low or better – hence the name) and the best low is a Wheel – A 2 3 4 5. As you know by now from reading earlier articles in this H.O.R.S.E series the Wheel is also a straight which plays for the high half of the pot too. From this you can gather that the sort of hands you are going for in this game are low straights which have scooping potential (i.e. 2 3 4 5 6 which would be a 6 low as well as a 6 high straight) – in other words, always try and aim for the whole pot just as you would if you were playing Omaha 8/b.

Starting Hands

The best starting hands are three low cards which have potential for high such as Ah 2 h 4h, 2c 6s Ac, 4 5 6, 2 3 4 and so on. Aces are the premium pairs as usual and you’re going to play these aggressively. Having a baby with your pair of aces is nice as you could end up with a low and the best pair which has the always-desirable scooping potential. It also may be the one time where you don’t mind if the Ace is one of your up-cards as now your opponents may think you’re just raising with three wheel cards. Rolled up trips is another big hand which you probably want to play straightforwardly and just raise and re-raise. Once again it should go without saying that how live your cards are is very important.

Trouble Hands

Note that while a hand like 2 4 7 is three to a low and playable, it is not that great a starting hand. This is because you are likely to be beaten both ways with it; it’s easy to find yourself up against a better low and a better high when you play what some experts would call a “razz” hand (i.e. any three card 8 or 7 low). The cardinal sin in Stud 8 is to get caught in the middle of a load of ramming and jamming from the best high hand and the best low hand. Do not be the filling in the sandwich. This is especially relevant in a tournament situation (which is basically what this series of articles is referring to) as it is easy to lose as much as 40% of your chip stack in these types of situations. The only 8s and 7s you don’t mind playing with are 5 6 7 or 6 7 8 because of their straight possibilities, but even so you must tread carefully as these sorts of hands can easily end up being second best both ways. Big non-paired straightening and flushing cards are not good starting hands and belong in the muck.

The Ace is Key

Like O8 the Ace is a key card. Here’s a typical situation: your hand is (K J) K and it’s folded around to you and you complete. Only the bring-in, (x x) 3, calls. On fourth street you catch an 8 and he gets an A. Your hand is now worthless. You could still be winning, but you have no idea where you stand. It’s most likely he called your raise on third with three babies - he may now have four to a wheel with a three flush for all you know. If that ace has paired him, which is a distinct possibility, you’re up a certain kind of creek and your paddle is slipping out of your hands. I hope this illustrates how powerful an ace is in Stud 8.

Of course, in this same situation, if he catches bad on fourth you must keep betting. A big mistake many players make is carrying on with the hand when they catch a brick on fourth street. The only time you carry on after getting dealt a brick on fourth is when you have created a big pot on third with a premium starting hand like (As 5s) 4s. With starting hands like these you are looking to raise and re-raise (i.e. cap the betting if you can) so that a pot has been built up that’s worth chasing. With these sorts of suited three-to-a-wheel type holdings you need to justify going to fifth street – remember, if a large pot has been created on third it’s only going to cost you one small bet to see fifth.

Controlling the Pot

There is much talk of controlling pot size in No Limit Holdem games and this skill is equally important in limit games. Being able to manipulate the pot size in a game like Stud 8 is of paramount importance. This is why big pairs can be hard to play in Stud 8 – let’s say the betting limits are 20/40 with an ante of 5 (all Stud 8 games are usually played eight handed by the way so in this example there would be 40 in the pot to start with from the antes). You raise to try and isolate and end up with two callers, the pot is now 100. Your opponents are now getting to 5-1 on fourth street. Imagine if you had re-raised on third and had the same two callers. Now facing a bet of 20 on fourth street your foes would be getting 8-1 (the pot would stand at 160; that’s 40 in antes plus 3 x 40 in bets). You’re not going to find many limit players folding on fourth street here.

Big Pairs

As I’ve mentioned big pairs let’s talk about them some more. When I talk about big pairs I am referring to Tens through Kings. There are some schools of thought that say you shouldn’t play them at all in a Stud 8 game. This might be true of a cash game, but in a tournament you cannot afford to pass up good hands like these, especially as the betting limits go up. Once the levels are high most pots contested will be heads-up thus devaluing those low cards/draws. Don’t forget, those players with three low cards still have to hit two more babies to make their low. As we all know there is quite a difference between tournament and cash play, but in Stud 8 this difference is even more pronounced than usual. Play those big pairs aggressively and charge your opponents to make their lows. 

As usual, you must take into account the size of the ante relative to the betting limits – does the ante warrant stealing more etc? If you have (J 7) J and you’re in late position (that is, several players have folded to you and there’s only one or two hands left between you and the bring-in) go ahead and raise, make those going low pay to make their hands. It should go without saying if you had these Jacks and there’s an ace behind you you’re best off throwing your hand away. If there’s a King or a Queen still left to act it’s up to you whether you want to try and steal. It now comes down to knowing your opponents and playing poker. If they are super granite and they call you know to slow down and basically give up on your steal unless you hit a great card (i.e. another Jack or 7) on fourth.

Slowing Down

There are also other occasions when you will find you have to slow down with your big pair. Let’s say you have been betting all the way with a pair of Queens and now on sixth street your opponent is showing (x x) 3 7 J 4. It might be prudent to simply check and call. It’s possible you’re up against a made low with a draw to a better high than yourself; in other words, your opponent is freerolling against you. It gets even trickier when their board is showing three cards to a Wheel or low straight – essentially you are down to making crying calls as there’s too much in the pot for you to throw your hand away. This is where it helps remembering which cards have gone by and which are still live. If you know three 5s have gone it’s now less likely your opponent has a Wheel thus making your calls on the river a little easier.

If it seems like the majority of this article is focused on starting hands that is because third street in any form of Stud and whether you decide to play is probably the most important aspect of the game. I hope this gives you a rough overview of Stud 8 and that these series of articles inspire you to dip your toes into the odd H.O.R.S.E tournament (or cash game).