[BlueSmurf]

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I am familiar with the concept of not bloating the pot with a good heads-up hand on the early streets when there are multiple villains and you don’t have a chance to get anyone to fold. For example, 5 people call the bring-in and I have a big pair with a live kicker, no point in raising as I am bloating the pot which will encourage people to chase all the way. And nobody is folding to a single bet here.

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I once made a post here about it but concerning Razz, and the good folks here actually made me understand it (don't 3-bet a 7 re-raising your 6), but I'm not sure it applies to the scenario you're describing. When the low limit stud players turn over the inevitable Q72r time after time, I feel you can't go all wrong playing your big pairs fast right out of the gates. You've sort of explained it for me, because the thing is low limit stud plays rather passive and so you can't count on there being a bet on 4th to raise and shut out the field just as you can't count on anybody raising you if you choose to bet yourself. The result is bizarre. You'll end up playing mini pots with your premium pairs and handing out charity free cards like there's no tomorrow.

When you play fast and make paint up and nobody hits their weird draws, you get to drag in big pots only having contributed 25% yourself.

I don't see the alternative.

Cheers,

Smurf