One area of difficulty for many players in Stud 8 or Better is playing flush draws. Not all flush draws are created equal and in Stud 8 very few flush draws are really even worth playing at all. Let’s take a closer look at flush draws in this game.

First, get the idea out of your head about playing flush draws with high cards on a consistent basis. There are times where this may be a good play, but in many cases, this is a one way hand only. A player that gets three suited high cards may think they have a good hand, but in actuality they are looking at a one way hand. In regular stud, there would be added strength due to the high pair possibilities. The high pair possibilities don’t buy you as much due to the low straight and flush chances that can present themselves in this game. As a result, a high flush draw is a marginal at best proposition.

Clearly the best flush draw in Stud 8 would be three straight flush cards. This would be along the lines of 3-4-5 suited or even A-2-3 suited. Of course, the more outs you have for your straight, the stronger the hand. Even a 6-7-8 is playable in this case, but be careful to make sure that you improve to a potentially strong hand. If you are not drawing to a straight or a flush after 4th street, your hand becomes very marginal.

After a three cards straight flush, your best flushes are those that include an ace. The main reason behind this is the fact that you are drawing to an ace high flush if you hit your flush. If you pair your ace, you are also in decent shape to have or draw to the best high hand as well.

After flushes that have an ace, you want a three card seven or a three card six that are suited. With the three card seven, you are drawing to a decent low with your flush. With the three card six, you are drawing to a straight as well as the flush.

Be careful of playing three card suited eight that does not have an ace or that can complete to a flush. If you do not improve to a flush and improve to a low draw, your low draw will likely be 2nd best or worse. With a three card suited eight, in many cases you will dump this hand if you do not improve on 4th.

On final tip would be to abandon your hand on 4th street if you do not improve in some way. The main reason is that when you don’t improve on 4th, you must catch 66.7% of your remaining cards to make your hand. These are long odds and not worth drawing to.

Not all flush draws in Stud 8 are created equal. Knowing which draws to play will help you to increase your profits in cash games and help you pick up chips in tournaments. Good luck to you at the tables.