More Basic than Pot Odds..

[JaysonWeberFCP]

Allright I'm looking to delve into the world of stud, I decided 2 years ago Stud would be the last game I would begin to "master" for a lack of better words.

Now I've read the Sections in SS1 and SS2 about Stud, I've also scrounged up information, articles etc online.

First Question - What other books should I be picking up? Without being biased to 2+2 Publishing ofcourse.

Second Question - Am I right in the thoughts and understanding that Stud has less of a Variance significantly less than Hold'Em? Also, It seem's you have to a BETTER at Stud than Hold'em to show a profit. By that I mean knowing the odds, percentages and calculating everything.

Third Question - Is my math right in assuming that theoretically with 8 players seeing the last card You could succesfully elimate 34/52 cards in the Deck from the 4 on the board for each player and your undercards?

Thank you all as I gear up for headaches and heartache in my babysteps of Stud

[Andy B]

Hopefully, you picked up that the sections in S/S and SS2 are on different games. For stud, 7CS4AP is the only book I recommend. Some will recommend this or that beginner's book, but it sounds like you've studied poker some, and those books tend to suck anyway. For stud/8, HLSP4AP by Ray Zee is the only book you'll ever need. I presume that you've read TOP. If I appear biased towards 2+2 books, it is only because all of the best how-to books are published by 2+2.

Stud has less variance than limit hold'em as the games are played today.

I'm generally considered one of the better posters in this forum, and I really don't know very many odds at all. It is usually correct to draw to flushes. It is frequently correct to draw to straights. Pairs are hard to hit. Rolled-up trips will more often than not remain trips.

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Third Question - Is my math right in assuming that theoretically with 8 players seeing the last card You could succesfully elimate 34/52 cards in the Deck from the 4 on the board for each player and your undercards?

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I haven't a clue what you're talking about here. On the off chance that this answers your question, generally you treat unseen cards, whether they be your opponents' hole cards, the burn cards, or cards still in the stub, as unknown cards. Occasionally, you can estimate the likelihood that someone has this or that card in the hole. For example, if you're sitting on JT9 and someone with a Queen in the door raises, you might deduce that his most likely hand is a pair of Queens, and this might cause you to lean towards folding.

[JaysonWeberFCP]

Thank you very much Andy B, And now that I see your picture I'll know to sit up from my Table in Canterburry if I so happen to see you eyeing up my table.

I'll get that Ray Zee book and... yes.. I did notice they were different games, all good information to have though IMHO.

[beta1607]

Andy did a great job answering your questions but I want to address this quote:
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Also, It seem's you have to a BETTER at Stud than Hold'em to show a profit.

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I believe that this is very true, especially since there is no poker tracker/player view for stud. It is very worth learning stud though for a couple of reasons:

1. Better players have a greater edge over mediocre player for a couple of reasons. There is more information for an observant player to take into account and there are more streets to for bad players to make compounding mistakes on. I find 2 tables of 5/10 stud to be more profitable then 2 tables 5/10 6 max holdem or 4 tables of 3/6 hold em if that makes sense.

2. I can get burnt out on hold em pretty quick since it is so easy to play on pure auto pilot at the 5/10 level and lower, learning stud has improved my hold em game by making me think more analytically about all hands.

3. If you ever play live poker there are often mixed games where you can take a tremendous advantage over the single game specialists.

Read this forum daily, post some hands and answer other peoples post even if you are scared to be wrong it will help your thinking about the game a lot.