Mastering Mixed Games: Testing Your Stud Game

Dylan Linde has amassed more than $6 million in online tournament cashes across a variety of poker disciplines, and has another $4 million won in the live arena as well. In December of 2018, Linde added his name to the prestigious World Poker Tour Champions Cup by taking down the Five Diamond World Poker Classic for more than $1.6 million.
The longtime poker coach and Run It Once instructor joined forces with D&B Poker, the world’s leading poker book publisher, to produce Mastering Mixed Games: Winning Strategies For Draw, Stud, And Flop Games. The book, which features a foreword from 15-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, is available now. The following is an excerpt from the book.
Game: Six-handed $30-$60 with a $10 ante
Hand: (7♦ 9♥) 10♦

Action: The 4♦ brings it in for $10. The J♥ folds, the 9♣ folds, the 5♥ folds. You have the (7♦ 9♥) 10♦ with the 6♣ behind you.

Question 1
Do you a) Fold b) Call c) Raise
Answer: Raise
You are betting $30 to win $70 directly, thus your steal only needs to work 30 percent of the time to show a profit. Furthermore, your hand rates to be ahead of both the bringin’s average hand and the 6♣’s average hands. Your outs are slightly blocked (9♣, J♥ and 6♣ are all slightly relevant) but not in a way that should dissuade you from stealing here in late position.

Action: You complete to $30. The 6♣ folds and the 4♦ calls $30. You catch the 5♦, leaving you with (7♦ 9♥) 10♦ 5♦, and the 4♦ catches the K♥. The (xx) 4♦ K♥ checks.

Question 2
Do you a) Bet b) Check
Answer: Bet
The K♥ rates to be a brick for your opponent fairly often. Not only that but the 5♦ does improve your hand by giving you a threeflush.

Action: You bet $30 and the (xx) 4♦ K♥ raises to $60.

Question 3
Do you a) Fold b) Call c) Raise
Answer: Call
You have to call $30 to win $210 and should have well over the 12.5 percent equity needed to proceed at this stage. The (xx) 4♦ K♥ will not only have hit the king to make a pair of kings but could also be raising with a wide variety of pairs that they chose to slow play till third street. This 5♦ is mostly a brick for your holdings with the exception of flush draws.

Action: You call $30. You catch the J♦, leaving you with (7♦ 9♥) 10♦ 5♦ J♦, and the 4♦ K♥ catches the 7♥. The (xx) 4♦ K♥ 7♥ checks.

Question 4
Do you a) Bet b) Check
Answer: Bet
You now have a strong combo draw and your opponent is likely to not have a hand better than one pair. Another factor to consider is that you will also likely be behind on the board again next street, meaning your opponent will need to act first and will likely check to you unless they catch a four or a king. This is important because it means you will then have the option to choose whether or not you want to take a free card on sixth street or to bet.

Action: You bet $60 and the (xx) 4♦ K♥ 7♥ calls. You catch the 9♠, leaving you with (7♦ 9♥) 10♦ 5♦ J♦ 9♠, and your opponent catches the 8♠. The (xx) 4♦ K♥ 7♥ 8♠ checks.

Question 5
Do you a) Bet b) Check
Answer: Bet
Your hand has improved to a pair of nines, giving you some showdown value. You are also now ahead of many of the one pair hands that could have check-raised fourth street and you will be in position on seventh street. There is some value to be had directly from the pair of nines, plus the equity of the straight and flush draws.

Action: You bet $60 and the (xx) 4♦ K♥ 7♥ 8♠ calls. You catch the 3♦, leaving you with (7♦ 9♥) 10♦ 5♦ J♦ 9♠ (3♦). The (xx) 4♦ K♥ 7♥ 8♠(x) checks.

Question 6
Do you a) Bet b) Check
Answer: Bet
This is an easy bet here with the made flush.

Action: You bet $60 and the (xx) 4♦ K♥ 7♥ 8♠ (x) raises to $120.

Question 7
Do you a) Fold b) Call c) Raise
Answer: Call
Your hand is too strong to consider folding, given that you are calling $60 to win $660 on seventh street. Raising is a bit too ambitious at this point since the most likely hands to put in a raise are trips, a full house, a flush and a straight. Trips and straights will sometimes just call, whereas the two hands that beat you (the opponent can only makes heart flushes at this point, meaning theirs will be king high and beat you) always raise on seventh; thus, you do not want to reraise at this point because you will occasionally make an extra bet from trips or straights but will lose one or two additional bets to flushes and full houses.

Action: You call $60 and lose to (4♥ 6♥) 4♦ K♥ 7♥ 8♠ (J♥).

Mastering Mixed Games, from D&B Poker, is available now and features advanced concepts and strategy for games including limit hold’em, stud, stud eight-or-better, razz, Omaha eight-or-better, triple draw, 2-7 single draw lowball, badugi, badeucey, and badacey.