Yesterday I started off talking about age stereotypes in stud. I started a story about a stud game I played in Tunica when I was first starting to play.

Around the third level of play, the cat was semi let out of the bag regarding my ability to play. Before the start of the third level there were a couple of comments regarding my not being able to find a hand. I picked up a split pair of kings and raised. The older players looked at me as if to say, “Ok, you picked up kings” and they all folded. The two younger players stayed in the hand. This was the best case scenario for me.

I instantly picked up aces up on Fourth Street. I bet out and was called by both players. Fifth Street saw me pair my ace. I now held aces full. I naturally bet out, I received a call and then a raise. The kid that raised was showing three cards that were double gapped for a straight. Either this kid was raising with a straight or a big draw. Of course, I capped the betting. Both opponents called. The older gentlemen at the table were confused.

Sixth Street made a pair of threes for the one player that had called along with all the raising on fifth. I bet out, and now he raised. Now the player that had the two gapped straight showing was now showing a three flush. He three bet. I cap it. Both players call.

I bet out on seventh and this time the two opponents finally slowed down and only called. I looked at the guy at the table that appeared to be the best stud player and said “what do I have?” He said, “Aces full.” I show aces full against a set of threes and a flush.

At this point, I am now the chip lead. Over the course of the round, I eliminate both of the kids at the table. Finally, one of the players asks me, “Where are you from?” When, I tell them I am from Virginia, they instantly change their tune to, “Oh no wonder. You’re from the east coast. You grew up playing stud.” And the cat was out the bag.

I ended up going through and eliminating all but two of the players at the table. I got heads up with a low limit stud poker player from Los Angeles whom I cut a deal with. I had such a massive stack that he accepted my buyout offer of $100. When I am out in the LA area, I still run across him from time to time. He is an interesting gentleman. In his mid 70’s and can outrun most people half of his age.

If you are a younger person playing stud, remember the above story. Players will discount you due to your age. When this happens, just sit back and play your game. Over time, the astute players will figure out you know what you are doing. And for those that don’t, enjoy taking their money.

Seven card stud is one of the oldest forms of poker that is still played in casinos nationwide. While holdem has been around a long time, holdem was not allowed in many casinos for a long time, especially in Los Angeles. Games such as stud, razz, lowball, and draw poker were king for a long time. As holdem became more popular, stud games began to dry up and as a result most stud games that you will find are usually occupied by older players. This is particularly true of lower stakes stud games.

I have been playing stud most of my life and when I started playing live in 2006, the first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of respect for anyone under the age of 50 that sat down in a stud game. Even today, when I sit down in a stud game I get a lot of confused looks by players that haven’t been used to seeing me play. The floor staff even will react with confusion. When I ask what is being spread, they look at me and usually rattle off the holdem options. I get confused looks when I ask to be put on stud lists.

This type of stereotype can be helpful to you at the poker tables when playing stud. I view being a young person in a seven card stud game with older players almost on par as being a woman playing almost any poker game. Men generally look at women with either disdain or with a total lack of respect. That happens a bit with younger players at stud tables.

The second live poker game I ever played in a casino was a 7 card stud satellite at the WSOP Circuit Event in Tunica Mississippi in January 2006. Five players had been sitting around for a while waiting for the satellite to fill up. When I saw the game, I sat in. The five gentlemen were all much older than me, by at least 20 years or more. After about ten or fifteen minutes, two kids that were clearly holdem players sat down. Now, you will probably look at me and say, “Hey, you are talking about stereotypes and you just made a stereotypical statement.”

When you look at a kid that sits down with sunglasses, walkman, and baseball cap, do you think seven card stud? No. The other kid actually spoke up and said that he doesn’t normally play stud, but he thought he would help us get the game going. The older gentlemen did a collective sizing up of the two kids and then all sized me up. It was clear that they thought I was one of them.

Their assumptions were initially proven correct with the play of the two kids at the table. They had no real concept of how to play the game. They chased with bad pairs, chased bad draws, and couldn’t read what their opponents were potentially drawing after.

I will continue the rest of this story in my next entry.