I love 7 Card Stud High Low Split. So many people THINK they know how to play when they really don’t have a clue. I have to share an experience I had this past summer while I was in Las Vegas. I was playing an event at the Binions Poker Classic at Binions downtown. The event was 7 Card Stud High Low Split. This tournament had a nice turnout. There were almost 200 players for a stud event that wasn’t part of the World Series of Poker. The field was also stacked with great players. Barbara Enright was among the great stud players that were in the field. I knew this was going to be a tough field to overcome, but this is my best game so I was ready to play.

I sit down to my table. Seat 1 was a kid that looked like he could be Chris Moneymakers younger brother. Seat 2 and 3 looked to be either to be locals or maybe tourists holding a low profile. Seat 4 was a woman in her late 50’s, maybe early 60’s. She was a known Stud High player according to what I heard later on. I was in seat 5. Seat 6 was a guy around my age that had the “I’m smarter than you and I know it” look on his face. He was very well mannered and actually a pretty good guy. Seat 7 was a NL Holdem player who was playing this event because his backer made him, or at least that was his claim. Seat 8 was a guy that had Stud High player written all over him. He had the gruff demeanor, the 25 year old suit, glasses, and the large cup of coffee to help keep him awake. He was in his 60’s at least.

For the first 2 rounds I don’t think I a single hand. I split one 3 way hand when my 7 low held up against someone’s 8 low. In the 3^rd round, there was a 4 way hand. I looked down to a 2, 4, and 6 of diamonds. My 2 was up, so I was the bring in. Seat 8 raised, as he tended to do with any big pair or ANY 3 low. Two other players called and I called. Seat 4, the woman who was a Stud High player, was one of the people in the hand. She had a Q up. Fourth Street gave me the Ace of diamonds. I checked my monster draw, hoping to get bets. My wish was granted as it was bet by seat 8 and raised by seat 4. I smooth called. Fifth street gave me an 8 of clubs for an 8 low. Seat 8 had a J and a 10 showing and the woman beside me had a KQ, so I knew I had low virtually sewed up, so I bet. I was then raised and reraised. I looked again at the board quickly before capping the bet. Seat 8 had a J, 10, 3 as his up cards and the woman beside me had Q, 9, K. Neither hand was suited. With this action I figure I’m facing 2 pair and either a straight or an open ended straight draw.

Sixth street gave me a pair of 8’s showing. I have a pair of 8’s with an 8 low. Seat 8 caught a 6, and seat 4 caught a K to pair her board. She bet, I raised, Seat 8 looked at me, and then looked at seat 4, and said that his pair of 10’s were no good he guessed and folded. Seat 4 looks at me, snarls, and then calls. She says “You probably have Aces up.” She really did snarl at me. Seventh street came the three of diamonds. Gin! I now have a flush and a 6 low. Unless she has 2 pair and hits a full house, I am NOT losing. Finally seat 4 decides that she should slow down and check to me. I bet, and she calls. I show my monster hand and she starts grumbling and shows everyone 2 pair, Kings and Queens. She started with Queens.

As the next hand is being dealt, seat 4 looks at me and says, “You have an interesting strategy. You ONLY play good hands.” I do not educate players at the table like some poker players have a tendency to, so I gave the typical “I really haven’t gotten much in the way of cards etc.” The truth is, she was right. I was ONLY playing good hands. Stud High Low Split is a game that is about scooping pots, not finishing with the highest hand only. This lady, as many other players tend to do, was playing Stud High and only paying attention to low when it was convenient. What happens in those situations is that players like myself who play proper strategy will more times than not clean house. It doesn’t always happen because poker does involve luck, but over the long haul, people like that woman will lose money to me. Stud High Low Split rewards proper play more so than most other poker games due to the way the game is setup.

Seat 4 continued to jaw on an off at me about my play. She asked me things like, “Do you actually make any money at this game?” She also liked to point out that she had been playing Stud longer than I have alive. Over the course of the game, it became apparent that only seat 6 and 8 had any clue what to do. Seat 8 played very loose and at times looked like he didn’t know what he was doing, but if he got in trouble or short stacked, all of a sudden he played textbook Stud 8. Seat 6 was a very calculating player but he was relatively inexperienced and it cost him later in the event. Seat 1, Kid Moneymaker, was NOT a Stud 8 player by any stretch of the imagination, but he seemed to be a decent Stud High player. He wound up getting a lot of chips when he was moved to a table with several Stud High players. I played my normal tight aggressive style and got some chips. I was about an average stack when the following hand occurred.

In round 7 I look down to 5, 6, 7 offsuit. Seat 1, Kid Moneymaker, was the bring in. Seat 4 calls and then I call. Immediately she says “Oh hell, you’re in. You must have a hand.” I just did my cockeyed “We will see” nod and moved on. By 5^th street I had a 7 low made with a 7,6,5,4, A. Seat 4 bet on both 4^th and 5^th streets and Kid Moneymaker called. On 6^th street Kid Moneymaker caught an open pair and bet out and seat 4 put her last chips in. The last card came and gave me an 8 for an 8 high straight and a 7 low. Kid Moneymaker checked and I bet. Seat 4 started throwing a fit. Kid Moneymaker actually folded at this point and I showed my straight. Seat 4 started spewing off how that she had Aces up but she KNEW she was screwed because I was in the hand. She gave me another snarl and gave me a sarcastic “Good luck to you” and went on her way.

Only 2 people from that starting table cashed, Kid Moneymaker and myself. Seat 8 got deep but his loose play bit him one too many times. Seat 6 got into a few situations where he made some bad reads and cost himself a pot or 2. Personally, I got moved to a table with about 40 players left with a bunch of good Stud 8 players. I took advantage of a few situations against other tight players late and got some chips and caught a couple of decent hands and then made the money. I finished 19^th in the event. Not a huge payday, but it was a payday, and a ton of fun. Of course, I never saw seat 4 again, so I didn’t get to gloat. In the end, I didn’t care. My “interesting strategy” paid off. That’s what the game is all about.