150/300 Stud Hi river

[HOWMANY]

25 ante/50 BI. Villain here seems pretty loose and not so great.

2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] BI, A bunch of middle cards fold to me and I complete K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img](A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img])

I complete, he makes it 2 bets. I should call or 3bet?

4th: I catch offsuit Ace, he catches offsuit 7
I bet, he calls

5th: I catch 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], he catches a brick that is suited with his doorcard
I bet, he calls

6th: I catch J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], he pairs the 7 so the boards look like:

(A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img])K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
(XX)2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

He bets. I am not sure if he would value bet 2 pair on the river or not if I just called here so I do not think folding to him if I call and miss would be smart. So taking all this into consideration I think a free showdown raise may be okay here?

Even though I'm bad at this game I'm sure that 4-6 are standard. 3rd is too I'd assume.

[Rush17]

One of the big differences in high limit stud is the play of pairs (of ALL ranks) due to the high ante/bring-in structure. And that also creates a lot more steal attempts AND resteal attempts(as in your hand example above).

That said, you MUST reraise 3rd street. It's too likely that he's raising thinking that you were trying to steal the antes. You are trying to win the pot NOW. If he reraised with air, he will fold now, or, he will fold sooner as it deprives him of taking control. And because you don't have a pair, you shouldn't want to give him control because then you are the one that must catch something opposed to putting the ball in his court. (what do you do if you don't catch that Ace? Thing is, you'd probably check and fold and allow him to win with what could VERY well be the worst hand).

Given the your hand vs. both boards, the play on 4th-5th can be approached a few ways, none in which are that much better than the other.

I pay off the river unimproved, too, mostly because of what I think he was capable of on 3rd street. And I'd value raise with 2 pair if he bets it again because if he does have a hand, it's going to consist of pair/pairs more than it will be a flush or something stronger.

[Andy B]

Three-bet on third only if you really believe in your heart of hearts that you are going to be able to con this guy into folding by fifth street. In other words, call.

I would raise sixth because you have so many outs that you're probably the favorite. Do take the free showdown if you miss, but you should lose about every time in that case.

[Rush17]

The reason we three-bet 3rd is because he's too likely to be fighting back with no hand, thus, the 3 bet will often win us the pot without even seeing 4th street. It's a power play that so many high limit stud players use, and it's looks like you're really loaded because afterall, for the bring-in to reraise a king, he must have a big hand, right? Wrong!

[Andy B]

I have a very difficult time believing that the other guy will ever fold to a three-bet on third.

[ChipsAhoya]

[ QUOTE ]
Three-bet on third only if you really believe in your heart of hearts that you are going to be able to con this guy into folding by fifth street. In other words, call.

I would raise sixth because you have so many outs that you're probably the favorite. Do take the free showdown if you miss, but you should lose about every time in that case.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, good call; hero has 26 outs here against anything less than AA up. Damn...

-ChipsAhoya

[blumpkin]

jeez, i gotta get to AC sounds like a spewfest

[LearnedfromTV]

sixth is a value raise. The only hands you're crushed by are 777 and rolled dueces, aces up is 47/53, even KK you're a solid favorite. Plus there's one way he can have AA, not very many ways he can have a 3rd 7 (7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] x [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] is really the only non-resteal that makes sense other than quads, maybe (72)2. And anything that would have been strong on fifth (like 222) has to be discounted. I assume you'd have mentioned if a 7 was folded). And tons of ways he can have other two pair or 77 w/ a club draw.

There's actually not much difference between aces up and any other two pair; if you make two pair you win either way unless you make AA66 vs AA77 (unless he catches exactly a 7). And with aces up there are fewer ways for him to fill while you make two pair (although also fewer ways for you to make trip aces). Obviously you'd rather he have 99 or worse b/c TT-KK takes away outs.

[cgrohman]

I would have 3-bet 3rd street after opening. Then, I would have made a straight or a flush because that's how I run, I run smart. Barring that, I play it the same as you until 6th. On 6th, if you don't intend to fold to a river bet unimproved, I think a free showndown raise is a must.

[cgrohman]

Not fold to a 3 bet, but at least begin to believe waht OP is selling. If you raise a high card and then just call a raise from a deueve, it looks like you just raised high cards and he will keep firing/never fold. I think a 3-bet is a superior play.