I know alex plays this game, but I'll lob the question out for the general masses as well. What is the preferred way to play rolled up trips when they are 8 or less?

I'm torn here...if you floor it and raise from the outset to avoid anyone chasing/catching their low you risk winning next to nothing -- not good value for a trip hand. On the other hand, if you play it slow and represent a low hand you can pump more money into the pot with raises on the more expensive streets, but you also run the risk of getting just half of that pot.

I usually employ the latter tactic simply because at lower dollar values you can't chase anyone off a high hand anyhow and if low cards come on 4th and 5th street you have a chance of running off lows with your raises (people give you credit for a low way more often than they believe you have a high hand I've noticed...). Everytime I split a pot though, I keep telling myself I should have just pumped it from the outset.

I can hold my own at 7S8, but I'm no expert.

Small rolled trips, I would play hard the whole way. I mainly play at tables that have lots of low chasers. I might bump the inital raise once, but call another raise. Then I cap if possible on 4th and 5th street as long as there is no obvious made str8 or flush. 6th and 7th streets, I would have to play their hands more than mine, figure out what their drawing to.

The advantge of trips below 8 is that you have a very good chance to take the top half. You may also back into a low, possibly scooping. The cahcnes of a low even hitting are reduced since you now have 3 of the 24 cards that play.

As I said, I'm still learning 7s8, but thats what I'd do.

Originally Posted by NoManner

all i know about 7stud hi/lo is what's written in super system, so this might not mean anything at all. but if ya like doyle, whoever he had write the 7stud hi/lo section says jam it all the way through

What a novel idea...dusting off my copy of Super System and looking at the chapter on hi/lo in it!! Well what do you know, page 274..."Its almost always wrong to slow play."

Guess that's a pretty clear directive. (Sklansky assisted on the hi/lo chapter FYI)

lol...god do I feel foolish now. Gotta remind myself that not EVERY book I own has to do with NLHE theory.

Thanks NoManner (and Marm)

The section in SS isnt on 7S8 so be careful ^^

Even thought that type of advice is aimed at hi only, you need to adapt here.

As I said, I'm no expert, but would assume you would win the hi about 75%+ of the time. You're goign to get chasers for a few streets, so try to getthem to commit the most amounbt of money possible before they fold out.

Play this hard to build your half of the pot.

It depends on the table and how many people are in the pot as it is. You're looking to protect your hand, so if the person one or two to your left is bringing it in, you need to answer this question first:

1.) Can I protect my hand?

If people are already invested in the pot, you have to call and see where your position is on fourth along with the other hands. If a lot of people are already in the pot but someone on your right has raised, you make it 3 bets.

With 666 and lower, I'm always raising to give myself a good shot to scoop on 5th or 6th representing a strong lo hand.

But the fact of the matter is that in Stud HL as any HL game, you're gonna have to showdown a hand at many times. Rolled up trips is a lot stronger in HI than HL as low suited connectors are stronger in HL than in HI.

This main reason( rolled up trips) is why I like to play declare once in a while

Cards speak is the only game that I'll play.