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It is always painful
for a player to drop out of a pot, especially when he has a good
hand. This is particularly true in high-low because it is sometimes
necessary to leave the field of action with a good hand in each
direction.
As the end-game approaches (and the bet is about to be increased),
you must value your hand in relation to the others. What may be
a good hand when viewed alone-even a potential two-way winner in
normal circumstances-may be a clear-cut "man-in-the-middle"
hand.If there is one factor which determines a good high-low player,
it is the discipline to drop out as soon as one of two things happens:
(1) His own hand is suddenly ruined;
(2) His own hand is good, but the other hands have suddenly become
better.
This discipline is hard to come by because a hand may go from best
to worst in a single round! A player who may have had the lead all
the while may be placed in an inferior position after receiving
a particular card even when he has filled his hand! Careful study
of the advanced example on the next two pages will yield big dividends
in your high-low game.
In this example, the game is seven-card high-low stud (pot-limit
table stakes) with simultaneous declarations. (The considerations
in this case would be the same for consecutive declaring.) There
are eight players. A, B and C are conservative; D, E, F and G are
somewhat loose. Your play, round by round:
Third card. You are dealt ? A ? 5 (concealed) and ? 4 (upcard).
Your first impression should be that this is an excellent hand.
You have an ace, a concealed two-flush, and three cards to a perfect
low. F, who has an ace up, bets. G drops, and all others call. This
is an unusually high number of callers on the first round, and you
expect to find several fine hands around the table. Your attention
should immediately be drawn to the fact that player A called with
the ? K for his upcard-an exceptional circumstance, especially as
you know A to be a tight player.
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