Beginners stud question

[Henke]

Everyone knows that stud requires good card memory, but for those of us who aren't born with that gift, what "tricks" do you use? I found this old post that seems very good, but it only seems to emphasize on rank of the cards. I've tried the "repetition-method" with some success, but when I try to remember the suits, I fail miserably [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

And a related question, do you try to estimate quite exact probabilities for making a specific hand (or an opponent having/not having a specific hand), or is it enough to know that you hand (or your opponents) is either live or dead?

[MRBAA]

If you haven't read Roy West's book, do so. He has an excellent section on remembering cards. He points out that there's really not a lot you need to remember, the key is organizing it. So you don't need to rote memorize all the suits, just those that seem relevant. I always remember the cards that fold by simply putting them in order, low to high. Then I'll add anyt info that's relevant to may hand -- if I have a three flush, I'll obviously count any of my suit. I'll also note if three or more of any suit are there, as that makes a flush draw in that suit less likely for my opponents. So going to fourth street, if four players see the bring in and four fold, I might be thinking something like: (3, 7, J, Q gone/3 diamonds), As the hand goes on, you should then be more concerned with reading your opponents holdings, and consider additional folded cards in that light (and their effect on your hand, of course).

[crockpot]

if you play online, you can try playing on UB, where you can use the hand history for the current hand to remember the dead cards.

the key is to memorize important percentages (like those in the back of 7CSFAP) ahead of time, so you know right away that your hand is playable if one of your opponent's cards is dead, but not if one of yours is dead, etc.