7 Card Stud - First Book to Buy

I am a holdem player and would like a recommendation on the first couple of books I should buy on 7-card stud. Have never played the game at all before except in some home games. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you.

The best book for low limit stud is definitely Roy West's 7 Card Stud: 42 Lessons; How to Win at Medium & Lower Limits


After you've absorbed the information in that book, I suggest you read 2+2's 7CSFAP.

The only stud book I've ever read is Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players by Sklansky, Malmuth, and Zee, and it should be the only one you'll ever need. This probably assumes a certain level of accomplishment as a hold'em player. If you're decent hold'em player and have read Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players and weren't too overwhelmed by it, get 7CS4AP. Make sure it's the 21st century edition which has significant improvements over the previous edition (not that the previous edition wasn't wonderful). If you're a low limit player whose reading is more along the lines of Lee Jones than Sklansky/Malmuth, you might be happier with another book. I've seen people whose opinions I respect endorse Roy West and Konstantin Othmer. I haven't read them, but my understanding is that they're more accessible than 7CS4AP. The stud section of Super/System is good, the one section out of that book which is most relevant to poker as it is played today, but 7CS4AP is better and cheaper.

Read in order:


- Roy West book

- Costantin Othmer book

- Stud section in Super System by D. Brunson

- SCFAP by Mason and David

- All stud posts in this forum

- PLay!


Good luck,

Marco

I think he can start playing after he read's West's book. There's no need to do all that reading before you ever sit at a Stud table.


Actually, I think he should put in a few hours of 1-5 stud before reading his first book.

Just one caution. If he wants to start at $15-$30 or higher I would skip the West book because it is not aimed for those games. If you start at the lower limits however, it is a pretty good introduction.

i agree withthis. if you are experienced at holdem then you probbaly can start off with 7CSFAP. I think the west book is good for rank beginners, but if you know how to play poker already the advice is not strong. It is not wrong necessarily but it is too simplistic. I found the advice in 7CSFAP to be better for low limit games than wests in any event.


Pat

Thank you everybody for responding. I will definitely buy the Malmuth/Sklansky book and Wests book. I have Super System and will continue to read Chip's section on the subject. This forum is awesome. It is like putting a message in a bottle and getting back a quick response without a $5,000 consulting fee to go with it.

The Roy West's book is all one needs for the first few years. One will be playing winning low limit 7 card stud in no time. It contains what ever was written before, e.g. Syper/System's knowledge about 7 Stud was put into 7CSFAP (it's nothing major new/original), and next that and more was put into Roy West's book. There is simply nothing one gets from those older best and complete sources, except the new loose game and short-handed chapters (7CSFAP-21) - a year later one might read that too.