Worst Plays Made by Hold’em Players In Stud

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I just read an article by Ashley Adams on another site where he talks about mistakes that NL Hold’em players make when playing Seven Card Stud. Adams is correct in that many Hold’em players make some strange plays in Stud poker.

Today, I will go over some of the worst plays that Hold’em players make in Stud games. These are all plays that I’ve seen players make in Stud and often followed by some explanation of why the move was proper in Hold’em.

Overplaying Aces

How many of you guessed this was on the list. If so, you get a gold star. Most Hold’em players look down to aces in Stud poker and fall in love. It is amazing how many times they will call down multiple bets with naked aces and then complain when they lose to two pair or worse.

The craziest example of this was in a Stud 8 game where aces called down two hands that were clearly going low. He then lost when one player got a low and the other backed into two pair. “Aces are good in Hold’em.” Not always buddy.

Betting Into An Obvious Draw

Any experienced Stud player will tell you that you will slow your roll on Sixth and Seventh streets when your opponent is on an obvious draw. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen Hold’em players throw out a bet on the River thinking that they can force someone out. Other times they are “value betting” their pair or two pair.

If the player has hit their draw, they will raise and get more money out of you. Even if they miss, they are probably going to call you down as long as they have at least a pair. More often than not, Hold’em players are going to lose more money to draws in this spot.

Not Double Betting on Fourth Street

When someone makes an open pair on Fourth Street and doesn’t bet, what has just happened. No, they did not have a brain fart. Chances are that they hit trips and don’t want to scare you out of the pot. There are few times where a player is more telegraphed by Hold’em players than in this spot.

An experienced Stud player is going to bet their open pair in this spot. The only exception is if the other two cards going with their pair are exposed. Otherwise, you’re going to represent your hand here and hope to either take the pot or someone is dumb enough to chase you down with an inferior hand.

Not Paying Attention to Upcards

At some point, all Stud players are going to make the mistake of not paying attention to upcards. However, it seems Hold’em players tend to overlook them more often. For example, a player is sitting with 4-5-7 and there are three sixes showing or have been folded. They catch their eight but you have a six in the whole.

They can’t make their straight. Yet they still try and represent their hand. A noble effort, but you’re going to likely win a nice pot here.

Failing to Slow Play Monster Hands

Hold’em players know that they can’t stack you in a single hand. However, they will try and pump the pot whenever they had a good hand. This works against them when they pick up a monster. They raise too often or come out blasting on every street rather than try and allow you to catch up.

Sure, they may win the hand and a couple of bets but a proper slow play will get them a few more bets in the long-term. They are still in an NL frame of mind rather than playing for pots. This will save you some money while they figure things out.