One of the most important considerations in 7 Card Stud High/Low is how to properly play your low hands. If you haven’t already done so, make sure to read to 7 Card Stud High/Low beginner’s strategy article on this site before moving on to this one. As you progress in playing this game, you need to put variety into your game, to avoid becoming too predictable in your betting patterns.
Otherwise, your opponents will always know, for example, that if you raise with an ace in the door, it means you have a split pair, because you call when you have three low cards, or vice versa.
There are two ways you can handle this: First, you can choose to always raise when you have one of the playable three-card hands described in the beginner’s strategy article, or second, you can randomize your calls and raises, using something like Dan Harrington’s suggestion of making your choice based on the second hand of your watch. In this technique, you would decide on a percentage of the time you would make each bet (say 80%), and if the second hand is within the first 48 seconds of the minute (80%) you raise, otherwise you call. This will allow you to keep your opponents somewhat off-balance as the hand progresses, as they will never quite know what your betting means. Just like when playing judi online, you really need to be strategic so you can be successful.
One of the most important considerations in 7 Card Stud High/Low is how to properly play your low hands. If you look back at the starting hand requirements, you will notice that the vast majority involve hands that have the potential to make a low, and so you need to become an expert at playing them properly. For example, while a hand such as A-3-6 or 3-4-5 is a great starting hand, most of the time the card on fourth street is going to cause you to fold, so it is imperative that you don’t go overboard with your raising right away. When you do catch bad on fourth street (for example, 3-4-5-J), you should only stay in the hand if it doesn’t cost you more than one bet. If it is likely that two other players will be squeezing you by firing raises back and forth, just fold your hand. However, if you have what is clearly the best low hand late in the hand, put in as many raises as you possibly can, and make everyone else pay you off.
As a follow-up to this, if you have a hand that, after four cards, is the best low, but hasn’t made a good high hand yet (straight draw with all low cards, for example), you want to keep as many players in the hand as possible, so you can get paid off if you hit your straight. While you want to bet this hand if no one else starts the action, you want to just call any other bet that is made in front of you. Otherwise, one of two things will likely happen. Either you will only make a low, and split the pot with only one other person, making little or no profit, or you won’t ever complete your low and simply lose the hand. Even if you make your straight, you won’t collect nearly as much as you could have by letting the other high hands stay in early.
As you become more familiar with 7 Card Stud High/Low play, it is important to pay even more attention to your opponents’ cards, particularly when they are trying to make the type of hand you are. For example, you need to try and figure out whether a player with a bunch of low cards showing has actually made his low, or whether he has paired one or two of his hole cards. This can be at least partially determined by the other cards showing on the table (so if three sixes are showing in other hands and your opponent pulls the final six, you know he hasn’t paired a hidden card), and partially by his betting pattern (if he has the only possibility for a made low showing, but doesn’t bet or raise the street, you can be fairly certain he hasn’t yet completed his low, although a truly advanced play is checking with a made low straight in five cards, hoping to fool other players into staying in the hand, and even getting into a raising war, on the last two streets.
One aspect of the game that is especially fruitful at a very tight table is learning when to steal the antes. As in any stud game, this move is best made in a late position, meaning that there are only one or two players left to act after you. The most typical steal can be made if you have the only ace showing in the door, but have very bad hidden cards, like a 10-9. If your remaining opponents have a jack and a queen showing, for example, you will be able to steal successfully a huge percentage of the time, as those two players will almost always fold, and the bring-in will need to have a very good three-card hand in order to continue. Another play that can be made is to represent a split-pair with the highest door card remaining, whether you have it or not. This play should be used sparingly, but if your table image is solid, you will often get away with it. Once again, you can vary this play, by simply calling the bring-in, but firing out a bet on the next card, unless the bring-in’s board becomes very dangerous.
Finally, you need to know when to defend against players who frequently try to steal the antes. If there is a player who is consistently trying this play, and you are the bring-in, re-raise him if you have a solid hand, such as a three-card straight or an ace and two small cards. If he stays with a bad hand, you will be in good position to take down the pot. If he has a legitimate hand, you still may very well outdraw him later on.
