Begining Stud play on line

[Buccaneer]

I am wanting to learn to play Stud. I am not interested in making a living off of it. I have been playing hold'em and while it is a very interesting game the luck factor leaves me wanting sometimes.
I have posted here and gotten advise on a book. Do you think that I should play at play money tables? I think playing free holdem taught me the mechanics of the game and the rules but it is not the same game when money is involved. Even micro amounts. I also think that the free tables taught me to play incorrectly. I think it hurt my game. Should I skip the free stud play or not?
Also would you play tourneys or cash games? Having never played stud I entered 4 free tourneys and won two. That is one reason I am questioning the use of free play games.

[BeerMoney]

Poster Roland started at the .04/.08 tables at paradise or pacific poker. (now, he crushes the 10/20 on party.) From what I understand these tables have no rake. At least there is some $$ on the line, but it would be a cheap way to learn if you suck.

I don't have much experience at stud tourneys.

[mscags]

Yeah I think play money is worthless, do like some of the other guys and start out playing micros like .4-.8 or .5-10. The play obviously isn't very good but it is a good way to learn the game while risking a pretty small amount. You can put in $25 and have a pretty decent Bank Roll for these games.

[Andy B]

You're not going to learn anything playing for play money, and you're not going to learn much playing micro-limit. I would suggest you try playing maybe one notch below whatever limit you've been playing hold'em at, and no lower than $.50/1.00. If you've been playing no-limit, maybe play stud at a level where buying in for 25 big bets will be one-half of the maximum buy-in for the NLHE game. You really should play at a level where the money will be at least somewhat meaningful to you.

There's a pretty big luck factor in stud, too. It's what keeps 'em coming back.

[Buccaneer]

It may be hard to go down any more. I am at .02/.04 in holdem. lol
I think that you are correct that the money has to have meaning. I play better when it does and others seem to be more beatable when they do. With that in mind, can I find tables at .5/1.0 that are not to wild? What sites would you recomend? I never learned anything playing all in all the time poker till I found tables that didn't play like that. I learn faster playing with better players.

[mscags]

The competition is going to be horrid at those levels, but if that is what you want to start at there's nothing wrong with it. Pacific has .05-.1 tables if you want to play there. I also think paradise and UB has limits that are similar to that as well.