Responding to FAQ's

StudStrategy.com is in the process of undergoing a make-over which will make the site easier to navigate and will include several new articles about strategy and upcoming events related to seven card stud.

During this time, I have fallen behind on answering a few inquiries related to the game by players wanting advice on how their hands were played and what could have been done differently.

The question that I am asked the most when reviewing hand histories is whether or not one should have been in the hand in the first place.

What I see most often when reviewing the hand histories of the players I am helping is that position is often discounted or not taken seriously enough.

While there is currently an article on the site in regards to playing position, the complicated nature of the game requires me to write another article elaborating more details about position.

In a nutshell, position is a strong factor in this game, because it is highly likely that your position to act will change for each round of play. This is directly related to whether or not you would continue in a particular hand, and what action would be most appropriate for each round.

The following example comes from a stud hi-low hand history I was asked to review recently and is one example of how to factor position into determining what to do with your cards on the next street:

Player opens with: A 5 3

the next card dealt to the player is J. Player folds, and after rabbit hunting to see what his next card would have been on fifth street, sees that the card would have been a 2.

The player asked me if he was right to fold. Here is where position is important to consider and why.

In early position to act, yes fold. Otherwise catching a card that is needed becomes a chase.

In late position, with A53J, consider the following:

The number of players in front of you and what their cards are. If 4 players in front of you were dealt any of your outs (A,J,2,4) you should be inclined to fold.

Quite possibly, if you see that the four cards dealt in front of you were all cards of 9 and above, the odds for the low numbered cards left in the deck to fall into your hand increases. As long as your cards are still live or you have odds to hit and you are last to act, then we move on to the next consideration:

How many people are still in the hand? If you are in late position with live outs to a low and a straight and 4 people in front of you have called, would it be worth it for you to pay on a 'cheap street' to see one more card?

In late position you have the advantage of counting the cards in front of you to determine whether or not to stay in to see one more card.

The case at hand here is that A53 with live outs to scoop the entire pot whether or not the fourth street card was a brick makes the hand playable if your outs are live and there are enough people calling in front of you to justify it. If the pot is being built up by the several people in front of you when you have a high possibility of scooping, it is worth one more call.

"Position" isn't simply where you sit at a table, nor is it for knowing when it is your turn to act. Use your position at the table to read the cards around you and determine what odds you have to hit the hand you were looking to complete when you decided to play it. If you are contemplating whether or not to fold your hand, your position and ability to be able to read the cards that came in front of you can be used as a factor for determining whether or not to do so.