Hi/Lo split - suited babies

Poker Variants / Marcus Bateman / 17 August 2010 / Leave a Comment

One of the fundamental golden rules of all Hi/Lo split games is to basically never be in a spot where you have the second best high hand.

Some of the very best starting hands in Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo are referred to as 'suited babies'. These are hands with three low (by low we mean any cards between an ace and an eight), suited cards, and recognising their strength and how to play them is crucial to Hi/Lo success.

These hands, along with their high counterpart hand of rolled up trips, are strong enough hands that you rarely want to be re-raising other players on early streets. These hands power is such that the more players involved in the pot the better - you are nearly always looking to try and encourage action as much as possible.

Unlike rolled up trips, where you will basically always be getting to seventh street, three suited babies is a hand that can deteriorate pretty quickly - particularly if you pair one of the cards and draw a non suited high card or the such like. One of the fundamental golden rules of all Hi/Lo split games is to basically never be in a spot where you have the second best high hand, and low pairs/two pairs are classic hands that will frequently leave you watching the pot get divided by everybody but you.

This is another reason that slowing down the action in early streets can be a useful benefit with these hands - if your hand collapses quickly you can get away cheaply, while if you improve you are in a very good spot to start piling in the raises on the streets where the bet size doubles and the pot odds on offer start to look very juicy to anyone left with even quite marginal hands.

The true power of three suited babies comes from the fact that they are the ultimate scooping hands in Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo. They are extremely flexible hands, able to develop into both straights and flushes, as well as low hands, putting them in prime territory to win you the whole pot - something which makes the true difference to any Hi/Lo session. It is key when you look down at these hands to understand both their power and their limitations if they do not improve, and they should provide some of your biggest earners when played well.

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