Brian Cloughley's Poker Journal

Many online poker tournament 7 card stud players will already know that there are different hands in this variety of poker that warrant different situations. For instance, some hands are favoured more in heads up situations, whereas others are favored in multi-way pots. The raw facts about getting into multi-way pots that although a 7-card stud player can get more into the pot with a good hand, he is also more likely to get outdrawn the more opponents there are in a pot with him. Realising when it is best to isolate a raiser or it is best to try to keep other stud opponents in the pot is a very important aspect of playing 7 card stud successfully.

As a 7 card stud player might expect, drawing hands are favoured in multi-way pots because with more opponents in the pot, their drawing odds rise. The more players in the pot when a 7 card stud player is drawing to a big hand, the more likely he is to hit it big and take down a huge pot. It also means that when the draw hits they are likely to take down a large pot if many opponents have put bets into it. Hands such as pairs however are more favoured heads up because that’s where they keep their value. This is because it is likely that in a multi-way pot one of a 7 card stud player’s opponents will get a hand that is better than a pair. Therefore, a stud player is more likely to get value out of his paired hands heads up – where it is much more unlikely he will be drawn out on.

Starting hand pairs such as 10s8d10c should be cast away in a loose aggressive game. Loose games mean that a poker player will enter pots with quite a few other players electing to call. Loose games are definitely favourable games to be in however 7 card stud players will not win many pots playing this hand multi-way, as most of its value comes when a player can isolate another one. Big pairs are definitely another hand that fair well heads up but not so well in a multi-way pot.

The problem a 7 card stud player has when playing a big pair is playing when there is a raise and multiple calls. There is no real point re-raising, because all players who have already called will have the odds to call the re-raise. Additionally, a big pair is likely to be drawn out on with many opponents in the pot, so to build the pot doesn’t make sense. This means that even though a big pair fairs better in a Full Tilt Poker heads up situation, the player cannot isolate with a raise. The best solution is to simply call the hand and see what materialises from there. Though this may seem like giving up the pot with all the options given to the player, this is the most profitable one to do at the time. Folding is simply too weak and will lose value from the hand in the long run.