The Secret to Split-Games

I have written all my posts under the assumption that the form of poker under discussion is No Limit Hold 'Em. This form of poker has gotten so popular that when you say poker most people assume you mean NLHE. But there are many other variants and some of the other games, such as Omaha or Seven Card Stud can also be played as "high-low" or "split", which means half of every pot goes to the player with the best hand (the "high") and half goes to the player with the worst hand, usually with the qualification that this "low" hand can not be better than 8-high - hence games such as "Seven Card Stud High-Low Spilt 8 or Better".

In split games, it is not uncommon for their to be no qualifying low hand, and so the high hand frequently wins the whole pot. However a "low" hand can also be a "high" hand (this sounds confusing, but stick with me!) and thus "scoop" the whole pot as well. This can happen when you have something like a Ah 2h 4h 5h 7h - you could win the "low" with your 7-high and also win the "high" with your ace-high flush.

The key to winning split games is to focus on winning the "low" part and then "freeroll" for the "scoop." If you lock up the low part you are guaranteed to get at least half the pot back, and you still have a shot at the high with things like flushes and straights.

This is considered basic knowledge, yet a surprising number of brilliant poker minds fall victim to being "scooped". During the Seven Card Stud High-Low Split 8 or Better at this years WSOP of poker, just such an amateurish mistake was made by none other than Phil Hellmuth. After sixth street Phil was holding a set of sevens, with no hope of hitting the low, he figured he was ahead on the high side, and there was a chance that seventh street would bring him a full house and a lock on the high. But his opponent in the hand, Adam Freidman, had already made a very good low hand - a fact that must have been known to Phil by the four face-up cards in front of Adam, and Adam also had the chance to hit a straight to make the high as well. Phil checked (as he should have) and Adam raised (as he should have) and then Phil said some thing dumb like "I should check-raise you here" to which Adam truthfully replied something along the lines of "Phil, I pray you are stupid enough to do that." Which caused the poker brat to loose his cool and go on some kind of verbal tirade.

I'm not sure, having not witnessed it, if Phil did re-raise or merely called, but I do know that Adam did indeed hit his straight and scooped the whole pot. Phil Hellmuth would eventually finish in 15th place for $11,637 while Freidman would win the event and take down $269,037.

The point of this post was to show how even a great player can make a donkey play. And Hellmuth is a great player. Yesterday he won his 12th WSOP bracelet - more than anyone else has won.