Using Stud Poker Tracking Software

Before the poker boom, the game of choice among recreational players was Seven Card Stud.  The game has fallen by the wayside in the current era of poker, while Texas Hold'em and Omaha dominate the landscape.  However, Stud remains very much alive, especially at online poker rooms.  Currently, there are two programs available that track hand histories, PokerTracker Stud and the Free Poker DB.  Although Stud remains a relatively popular form of poker, there is a dearth of information about how to use software to assist in play and results tracking.

We turned to Sam "c9h13no3" Price, a part-time professional online poker player who specializes in Stud and Mixed Games in cash and tournament formats.  We discussed a range of topics, including using poker tracking software in these games.

PokerSoftware.com: Can you talk about your experience playing Stud? What levels do you play online?

Price: I play all of the Stud games online, but mostly Stud Eight or Better since I believe there's more edge and less variance.  I play levels between $2-$4 and $10-$20 on a regular basis.  Razz has a bit more variance and Stud High is variance city, which is why you don't see too many people grinding that game exclusively.

PokerSoftware.com: What edge would you say a solid Stud player has playing online?

Price: A good win rate is considered to be 0.5 to 1.5 Big Bets/100 hands, but it depends on the rake.  Below $2-$4, the rake really eats into your win rate.

PokerSoftware.com: At what buy-in levels do you start to see tough Stud tables?

Price: This really depends on the site and as you know, there are fish at every level, but I'd say $2-$4 to $3-$6 is where you start recognizing regulars who know what they're doing.

PokerSoftware.com: Do you use Stud Tracker or any sort of tracking and Heads-Up Display (HUD) program?

Price: I use PokerTracker Stud, but mostly to track the win rates of the regulars.  Knowing who the long-term losing regulars are is pretty useful.

PokerSoftware.com: Could you talk about specific stats that a tracking program would report that would be effective for Stud?

Price: I don't really look at a lot of stats since I don't use an HUD.  Even then, Stud is way more situational than Hold'em, so boiling things down to stats isn't nearly as effective.  I'd mostly like to see stats that would take a long time to accumulate on the regulars I play against frequently.  For example, Seventh Street call percentage with one pair less than tens and no low or Fourth Street fold frequency in limped pots.  A Third Street re-raise percentage would also be pretty useful, but these statistics would still vary a lot from situation to situation.

PokerSoftware.com: Describe the play in Stud tournaments online.

Price: It's hard to find straight Stud tournaments.  HORSE tournaments are ludicrously soft at buy-ins below $25.  If you're a micro-grinder and a $25 HORSE tournament would be worth your time, it'd be a great way to supplement cash winnings.  The problem is that once you move up in limits, a small buy-in HORSE tournament isn't really worth your time since the fields are small.

PokerSoftware.com: Stud is usually seen as a game lost in the past to Hold'em and Omaha.  Do you think people will revisit it?

Price: People will be curious as long as there are games running.  There are plenty of senior citizens playing the game (even online), but there is also a good number of young players who are interested in Mixed games.  The fish go broke slower at these games than at No Limit Omaha Eight or Better or No Limit Hold’em, so I think there's definitely a future for Stud.

PokerSoftware.com: You've played against some notable pros at the $5-$10 and $10-$20 tables online. Do you care to talk about their games?

Price: I've played a lot of pros, but I don't have too many hands with most of them.  They just sit for a few rounds at Full Tilt Poker.  Of the pros I have played a lot with, Annie Duke and Artie Cobb are easily the best two.  Artie is pretty nitty, but I have caught him stealing antes on occasion, so he uses his image to his advantage.  Annie is also a very solid tight aggressive player.  She might over-value high hands a little bit, especially at the low ante games on Ultimate Bet, but she has a pretty good track record when I've played with her.

Some other pros I've played with are long-term losers over more than 10,000 hands.  I won't name names, but I really can't count the number of times I've seen pros make huge mistakes.  I've read most of the major Stud Eight or Better books and it's pretty funny how often big name pros will make plays that those books say are fast ways to lose money.