being the leader

[Mikey]

I'm a newbie to this game.....

this game is very interesting and it is very different from hold'em as well.....for instance the checkraises don't really work in this game and shouldn't really be attempted unless you are almost for sure you can pull it off.

The way I look at it is this.....and correct me if I'm wrong, in this game you are looking to be the leader. You are looking to be the one who is always ahead and not the chaser. The only time you should chase if obviously you have a numerous amounts of outs and you are favored to catch a bigger hand along with the pot odds warranting it.
Otherwise if you are not the leader and someone else tries to be the leader then you have to ascertain if you are ahead or behind and continue as such.

Am I right?

[Dynasty]

You are looking to be the one who is always ahead and not the chaser.

Of course, it's always best to be ahead. However, you are in much better shape chasing a better hand in stud than you are in hold'em.

Here's a well known example. If you are 100% certain that you are heads up against an opponent with split Kings (K,x)K and you hold (6,A)6, it is usually correct to chase his bigger pair.

[Andy B]

Whether or not check-raises are successful and/or have the desired effect is dependent upon your opponents. Most of the high-only stud games I find myself in are $6/12 and under. The players are usually pretty passive, and they are usually content to see sixth street for free. I can't count on anyone to bet my hand for me. Besides, a lot of septuagenarians get really upset when you check-raise them, and it gets them out of the gambling mood. Getting people out of the gambling mood is a bad thing. In the rare cases where Canterbury Card Club gets a $15/30 game going, the players are generally more aggressive and aren't going to be offended by a check-raise. I still don't do it that much in those games.

It's always good to be ahead, but stud is the one game where chasing is the most correct. In hold'em, when you chase, it is often to only two or three outs. In stud, you can take your pair of Kings against another guy's pair of Aces, and you can easily make two pair while he doesn't. If there is a significant amount of money in the pot it is frequently correct to chase as long as your cards are live and you don't have any reason to believe that you're up against a monster.