Re: Shorthanded stud
 

for what it is worth, I loosen up quite a bit. However, you still play solid poker. my loosening up, more precisely, involves targeting weak players based on their shortcomings. If I'm involved with a complete calling station, I'll tend to bet my small perceived edges aggressively and make him pay for being too loose. For ultra aggressive players raising with absolutely anything, I'll stay away from them with horrible hands and isolate them with hands that figure to be the favorite. with tight players, I'll reraise and raise them with my more marginal hands, and semi-bluff more if they are throwing away hands too often. the more short-handed, the more you have to loosen up. I won't loosen up too much 6 handed, but 4 handed I will. and more so 3 handed... and ESPECIALLY heads up. for what it's worth.
however, you still have to play solid poker, you just have to pick your battles with different players and understand their styles more.

-that being said, the underlying dynamics of the game change.
your pot odds are less overall typically, and your implied odds are typically less since there are less players, and the hands against you aren't typically as good, so they won't be able to even call future bets.
since your implied odds are less, it's more difficult to play completely speculative hands (low straights, low flushes)
however, keep in mind that a hand like ak3 suited is a powerhouse because it doesn't necessarily need to flush to win the hand. it could easily hit an ace or a king and be a huge hand... not to mention the times that ak high will be good against the majority of hands you'll be up against short-handed.