The Best Online Tournament Poker Players – Part I - Stud Hi-Lo
Jeff Henry
December 9th, 2005
Recently, I have been at the tables when a discussion has started about one player being better than another, or who the “best” is. I thought about it, and I decided the answer truly depends. Its like when someone asks you what your favorite movie is, don’t you have to break it down into favorite comedy, favorite action movie and favorite drama?
I’m going to try to do this, and offer my opinion about who the best online tournament players are at various types of games, and I expect this might generate quite a bit of comment. Maybe looking at these comments will give us somewhat of a consensus.
I’ll start with a game I feel like I know well, especially compared to the common player who mostly prefers hold 'em – that is Stud Hi-Lo. I have one caveat here, though, which is my opinion is based on the games I play and players I see. In this case that means my opinion is based on higher buy-in multi-table tournaments, and mostly on PokerStars, as many other sites simply don’t offer Stud Hi-Lo multi-table tournaments with buy ins of $100 or higher.
I think I am a very good Stud Hi-Lo player, but I recognize that I am also inconsistent, especially recently, and I haven’t focused on the game enough recently to truly have the patience and discipline needed to have success consistently. Maybe that is because it is hard to be truly great at many different games – kind of the jack of all trades, master of none phenomenon at work. Stud games to me seem to involve quite a bit of luck, especially considering the high level of chasing from weaker players. This, in my opinion, makes the game frustrating, and also makes it hard to consistently make final tables. This phenomenon has been exacerbated recently, as more and more inexperienced Stud players have started playing the game.
Recently, I have noticed scoober1 having some solid finishes, and when I was more focused on Stud, I would have considered my self worth some mention, along with a few others, including *BSC*, FRED FLINT, and Anna508. But the best online Stud Hi-Lo multi-table tournament player is an easy choice. For years now, I’ve watched Shogun43 consistently finish in the money, and his play is stellar. He plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played, with very rare exception. He knows when to stop and let a hand go, he knows when it makes sense to continue on, and he is always mindful of his stack and his position in the tournament, including proximity to the bubble.
If you want to see how the game is supposed to be played, watch Shogun43. And go to our forum and let me know who I left out, or why I’m wrong.
