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Originally Posted by samsmoot
Hey, Pennywizwe,
Would you recommend that I lay off the aggression a bit if I took $10 to to the FT cash tables? $10 is a lot for me to put up at the moment at FT, but can just about manage it, and would like to play at higher limits.
If I am in a pot I will usually be betting around 75% of the time, and will be betting on 7th street even when missing all my draws, unless I bump into a player who will call me down every time, in which case I will check on 6th and only bet on 7th if I make my hand. For tourneys this style of play has worked well for me, but would you, Pennywize, advocate a more conservative style of play for the game you recommend?
Hey, welcome samsmoot, glad my post sucked you in to FTR (you won't be able to leave I'm afraid...)
For starters, I should point out that TLR is probably our site's best Stud 8 player, and you should read his treatise on the subject (it is stickied in this forum) before going any further. I'd also suggest you read Todd Brunson's section on Stud 8 in the new Super System book. I learned quite a bit from these two and I originally thought myself as somewhat of a veteran, having played Stud 8 on and off (well. mostly off for about 6 years.
As for your questions. Betting 75% of the time across the board seems pretty spewy. Generally speaking, you want to bet when you have a made hand and while others are still drawing; while your low draw is significantly better than any one else's, and there are no visible high hands in the pot with you; and bluff only if your board would lead others to believe you have a monster/made hand when you in fact have nothing. Obviously I am simplifying things quite a bit, but it should be fairly clear that those situations don't constitute 75% of all hands and betting rounds.
Also, don't bet on 7 street with no hand, as a rational opponent will realize that they still have the incentive to call with even marginal holdings. This changes however if your opponent is weak/stupid/playing badly, or if they missed their draw, in which case you should be winning anyway.
Oh, and as for tournament play - in the mid/late stages of these tourneys, your board is of utmost importance and should dictate your betting strategy a good portion of the time. Your perceived hand, if greater than your opponent's holdings, will get them to fold more often than not. When the bring-ins and antes are high, it's crucial to pick up these pots on a fairly regular basis.
At any rate - do read those two sources I mentioned (I'll edit this post with links to both - though I may have trouble finding the online version of Todd Bruson's piece) as I think they will prove very beneficial.
Good luck on your challenge. I would suggest starting out at the 0.05/0.10 or 0.10/0.20 to get your feet wet and only move up if you feel comfortable (contrary to what has been suggested above...)
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