[BTirish]

I haven't played that much shorthanded, relatively speaking. However, 7csfap takes up this question, and Sklansky et al. say that starting hand requirements don't change that much in shorthanded play since stud is an ante game--fewer players means less money in the pot to start. You don't want to be taking it heads up against a probable bigger pair in shorthanded play anymore than you do in a ring game--in fact, you want to do so even less because there is less in the pot to start.

But, of course, a game's being shorthanded means that the raising upcard is less likely to be the pair represented. From my small pool of experience, shorthanded stud play is very read-dependent. If you can run over your opponents and steal the ante and BI consistently, do so. I think the value of information raises goes up, since people will often raise with overcards or even less.

All that being said, though, early street mistakes in shorthanded play stink just as much as in ring play. I think you have to be aggressive in the early rounds without committing yourself to pots as a significant underdog. If you're playing with a hyper-aggressive player who is not only stealing but taking all kinds of hands to the river, then just play a tight game not that different from ring play and punish his mistakes.