New Game

My usual game at my usual casino has been a little sporadic lately, so I’ve been branching out. There’s another casino that’s a similar distance from me in the other direction. I’ve tended to prefer driving south because there is less traffic and the drive is prettier, but I decided to check out Hawaiian Gardens to the north of me instead. Like a few other Los Angeles-area casinos, it’s gotten an aesthetic overhaul recently and they did a spectacular job. The Gardens, as it’s now called, is beautifully appointed. Instead of the run-down permanent tent it previously occupied, it’s now a modern looking casino with a pretend volcano outside.

Having the benefit of being in Los Angeles County instead of San Diego County is a big help as well. There are just more people around to play in the games there, so they run a little more consistently and with greater variety. The one I had been looking to check out was their regular $40-$80 mixed game. I usually play smaller than this and I wasn’t 100 percent sure of how good the game would be so I’ve been selling action most times I’ve played.

One of the games in their mix is one that I have very little experience playing, called Archie. The first time I heard about it was maybe a year and a half ago. I think they started playing it in Arizona mixed games but I’m not entirely sure. It’s five-card triple draw hi/lo with an eight-or-better qualifier for low and (at Hawaiian Gardens at least) a pair of sixes or better to qualify to win the high half. If nobody qualifies for either side and there is a showdown, the best non-qualifying high hand wins. For instance, if player A has A-2-3-4-K at showdown and player B has A-2-3-5-K, player B would win the whole pot. If player A, instead had A-2-3-4-4, they would win.

I always enjoy learning new games. First of all, I just like the challenge of figuring out a new game. Second of all, I think I’m good at approximating a winning strategy in a new game when one hasn’t been formalized by experienced players.

My approach to the game in general is to play it like I’m playing stud hi/lo regular, sometimes known as stud q or stud hi/lo no qualifier. In that game, where there is no low qualifier, playing high only hands is a real mess. High hands as strong as A-K-K or A-A-K are not playable because it will be so hard to win the low half of the pot. Inexperienced players get chopped up quickly because they’re playing high hands too often and are in danger of getting scooped regularly.

The main difference between Archie and hi/lo regular is the eight-or-better qualifier. This leads me to standing pat early more often in Archie with mediocre low hands than I do in A-5 triple draw because I can’t back into a win with a nine or ten low. I also tend to stay away from high hands that are speculative like medium pairs or medium straight draws. I’ll play trips or better, though they are somewhat hard to play unimproved by the time you get to the river, especially if there is quite a bit of action. They are hard to fold though because low hands are often battling it out on later streets.

Great hands in Archie are low flushes and low straights obviously, but I had a tough first draw decision the other day and I’m not sure if I played it right. I was dealt A 8 6 2 and some other random card. It was a four-way pot (another delightful thing about Archie is that it really encourages quite a bit of action). I was certain that I wouldn’t be drawing to the eight low, that’s not really a great idea in a multi-way pot in this game as it’s pretty easy to make something better than 8-6 or 8-7 which will get you scooped. I could have drawn to A-6-2 and tried to make a nice low hand that has scooping potential when nobody qualifies for high.

I decided to draw to the eight-high flush draw. As I was the big blind, I only had the benefit of knowing one other player’s draw decision before I acted and he drew two cards so I was at a disadvantage in that case. I figured that I had a roughly 43 percent chance to pick up a one card flush draw if I drew two cards 10/47 + 10/46 and half of the time I get one heart, it’s also a low card. I also have a 4 percent chance that I make the flush right now 10/47 × 9/46 25 percent of the time I make a flush right now it’s also an eight low.

If I don’t pick up a flush draw on this street, I can still draw one or two good cards to my low and change tack to going just for the low. True, it’s harder to scoop with an eight low than it is to scoop with an eight low and a flush or just a flush, but it’s a good backup plan. These numbers don’t take into account future draws or anything, but the ability to improve to a one card flush draw over 40 percent of the time and half of that time to have a low draw to go with it is pretty powerful. A-6-2 has almost no potential to win the high half of the hand, and when it does, it’s likely that someone else has won the low.

Playing in new games is imperfect and very much done by feel. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to find some sort of research/ simulator for this game. I’m nowhere near talented enough to come up with a way to simulate it myself but I’m looking forward to the chance to hone my strategy in the future in the game at Hawaiian Gardens. ♠

Gavin Griffin was the first poker player to capture a World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour title and has amassed nearly $5 million in lifetime tournament winnings. Griffin is sponsored by HeroPoker.com. You can follow him on Twitter @NHGG