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Straight Draws Let’s look at straight draws from start to finish. Third Street. In regular 7-card stud, it’s preferable that your three cards are high. If they are all suited, that's a dynamite hand, but they rarely are suited. If your hand is 8-9-T or lower, no more than two of the cards that would make your hand an open-ended straight draw should be gone. If you hold 9-T-J or T-J-Q, up to three cards that would give you a four-straight could be gone(and your hand is still pretty good), because you have the chance at making a good pair. You also cannot be oblivious to the betting action. That means you want a large field and want to limp with a straight draw. If the betting has been completed, certainly call if you are already involved in the hand, but if you are facing a completed small bet, stay only with the larger straight draws, 8-9-T or better, or with straight draws that have two suited cards with them and no more than two dead cards to make your straight draw an open-ended four-straight draw. Fourth Street. When you are fortunate to get a card that makes your three-straight a four-straight, you will typically see the hand to the River unless you think you are drawing to the second-best hand. However, don’t think you are a shoo-in to hit your straight. Even if all eight of the cards that would complete your hand were still in the deck, you would still just be slightly better than 50% to hit the straight by the River. Therefore, be aware of how many cards you need to hit your straight are gone. If it is four or more, don’t bother chasing unless you have three or four to the flush. If you do not hit your four-straight, the odds of you hitting the straight by the river drop to about 15%; that number will change based on how many players are involved and how many outs you still have, but it is a good general number to keep in mind. With an outlook that bleak, you must have other outs or have a very large pot. This is why starting with big cards is preferable, because you can hit a big pair. If you do hit a pair, consider a full bet or raise to a full bet if the pair is on the board as this will represent trips and might win you the pot right there, or may buy you a free card on Fifth Street. Call if you catch a card giving you a three-flush as well, or if you improve to a medium pair that is not exposed. Fifth Street. Three-straights on Fifth Street become unplayable unless you have a three- or four-flush to go with them, or a big pair. As on Fourth Street, if your big pair is exposed, bet or raise if you think you will win the pot right there. If you have a three-flush, call for one bet but never two; there is no need to chase a flush or straight when you have to catch two running cards and are likely up against a big two pair or better. If you hold four to the straight, you will again be calling one bet most of the time, but have to consider folding if a player has an open big pair -- and especially if he raised on Fourth Street when he paired the door card. Use the information you get to your advantage: Watch how your opponents act as the cards fall. If they reach for their chips as soon as they make an open pair or three suited cards, this is an indicator they may have hit their hand. You have nothing yet, so don’t chase after the second-best hand. An open pair -- especially a paired door card -- is an indicator of trips or better; three to the flush can be an indicator of a flush or flush draw. Why chase for a straight against a player who may already have a flush or trips? The only time to call with a four-straight into a player who bets with a three-flush is when you hold a big pair with your four-straight. You can call against an open pair, but again not for two bets, because the betting limits have gone up and calling two big bets is a losing play unless you have a four-flush to go with your four-straight. If you make the straight, you must play it hard. You will often have three cards in sequence showing, so it will be obvious what you hold to other players. Therefore, raising has the desired effect of 1) Making drawing hands pay to proceed and 2) Getting you information. If a player with three suited cards comes out and bets, you raise, and when the action gets back to him he re-raises, odds are he has a flush (unless you know him to be very aggressive, one who will try to semi-bluff), so you can get away from the hand without having to call on Sixth Street and the River. If you just call, you do not protect your hand and do not get information you need from other players. Sixth Street. With one card to come, you have about a 20% to 25% chance of making your hand if the draw is open-ended. By this point, most of the time you will be getting the right pot odds to call to see the River, and because you have invested in the hand to this point it is usually the right move to call for one more bet. Again, though, when action gets heavy, you need to consider getting out of the way if you are on a draw and even when you hit your hand. I would fold if a player holds open trips or four suited cards, unless I had a shot at the flush, or even a straight-flush draw. Admittedly, this is very tough to do, but odds are you are beat here, and you will be calling on the River again. Here, if you are up against a four-flush, either fold or raise; if he re-raises you will know he has the flush and can dump the hand. Seventh Street. If you hit a straight on the River, play it hard unless you have a feeling you are beat. If you think you are beat, always call for one bet, and only make a lay-down if it is: 1) More than one bet and 2) You are very sure you are beat. The larger the pot, the more clear-cut your decision to call should be, because losing a large pot by misreading someone for a boat when he just has two pair is a disaster that will not only cost you the pot but very well may put you on tilt. Again, obvious signs are open trips and four suited cards showing; but other than that it is usually worth calling two bets with a straight. If it is more than two bets, there is a very good chance you are beat. As for when to raise, you have to go with your instinct. Most will bet on the River if they think their hand is good. It's common to see a player with two pair bet, and a player holding trips will almost always bet. This is why you have to watch players over the course of the hand, and see how they acted on previous betting rounds and how they reacted when they looked at their River card. A player pausing a long time and then betting is usually not as strong as a player who bets quickly; I know when I hit a monster I have a tendency to want to bet right away. Many players can’t contain their excitement. A long pause means a player is trying to decide: “Is my hand worth a bet?” Be more cautious raising someone who paired their door card or who has three suited cards showing, especially if they bet quickly. Final pointers. Finally, another thing to consider is how big is the ante structure? At Canterbury Park where I play, the antes are high -- $.50 in a $2/$4 game. That means you should limp to see Fourth Street more often, because not doing so will erode your stack if you are ultra-tight. Also, this article focuses on three cards in succession. That means you do not want to limp with one-gap hands unless they are: 9-T-Q, T-J-K or J-Q-A. (8-9-J with two suited cards is playable to Fourth Street in a high-ante structure game, however.) Always remember that stud is a game of live cards, and a game of people, meaning you have to watch your opponents and what they hold. Stud is not the game to play more than one table online, or the kind of game where you can be reading a book and watching a race while playing. It requires concentration. Which cards are dead can drastically affect whether you should call or fold. Stud poker also requires discipline, because very often straight draws do not improve on Fourth Street. Knowing that you usually need to dump these hands that do not improve is the difference between beating stud and being the table chump. Finally, err on the side of caution with
straight draws. Many players are hesitant to play any straight draws
that are not T-J-Q or J-Q-K. There is nothing wrong with that
cautiousness, because straight draws can get many players into trouble.
Play them selectively and carefully, always remembering: 1) The dead
cards, 2) What your opponents hold and 3) The odds the pot is giving
you.~~ |
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