Third-Street Raising, or Maybe Not Raising, With Small or Medium Pairs

Hi. Come on in. I'm just finishing up preparation of a mess of salami and eggs. Get the bagels out of the toaster.

One of the questions I'm often asked is, "At low- or medium-limit seven-card stud, should I raise on third street with small and medium pairs?" And my answer is always, "I need more information." Almost anytime you ask me a question about poker, expect that to be my first answer, or possibly, "It depends." But today's answer is, "Yes," and "No."

Those players who are superaggressive – they came to gamble – heard "yes" and won't get any further. They'll raise with those starting hands every time. Conservative, low-risk (tight) players heard "no" and will never raise with those hands. You, a solid, selectively aggressive player, will want to be somewhere in the middle. (You are a solid, selectively aggressive player, aren't you? Good.)

I won't be able to go into a lot of detail here, but I can get you running in the right direction. I know players who always raise with a hand such as a pair of fives from early position when there are several big cards yet to act behind them. When they get reraised by a big card, they get angry that they must now either abandon their mediocre hand (and their money) or put in another bet without suitable strength. They've put themselves in the position of the person who just took a mouthful of scalding-hot coffee; whatever they do next is wrong. So, of course, they do, what to them, is the only logical thing: they blame the dealer.

At these low and medium limits, with small and medium pairs, it's usually best not to raise from early position. This is especially true against astute opponents who will get a read on your raising requirements. They'll soon have you muttering to yourself (and blaming the dealer). You just don't have enough information because of your early position. You'll be at their mercy. One time they'll reraise and show you a big pair, the next time they'll show you garbage. They'll force you into making decisions, and making those kinds of decisions can lead you into making mistakes, which is always to the good of your opponent. You want to force him to make those decisions – which is always to your good. Don't set traps for yourself – that's your opponent's job.

But now let us take our small pair into last position. No one has called the forced bring-in bet. Shall we raise? It depends. In a no-ante game, I'd probably toss the hand and get on to the next deal. I probably have a better hand than the forced low, but there isn't anything out there worth fighting for. Give the guy his dollar back. I don't want to gamble $4 or $5 to steal his $1. If you do go for it, the low card will figure you're on a steal and might try to re-steal. Now, you're forced to make a decision: Is he re-stealing or does he have a legitimate hand? More opportunities for mistakes exist. The risk-to-reward ratio is out of balance.

I always stress to my poker students that all of their play should be tempered with information. Information is the stuff of winning poker. You should be constantly gathering information about your opponents. Decisions should be based on the information you get by observing. But if you're guessing, you are purely gambling.

You can see that my thinking here is to be conservative at the start in these low-limit stud games. At the higher limits, you'll often see players ram and jam with small and medium pairs, especially if their kicker is an overcard to the board. At our limits, your primary concern is also heavily on the quality of your kicker – not to decide whether you'll raise, but whether you will play.

We'll talk more about this next time. We sure made short work of a dozen eggs. Now I require repose. Kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Call 1-800-548-6177, Ext. 03.