Beginner Stud Question

[Kevin J]

I'm a hold'em player who is somewhat new to stud, so I apologize in advance if this is a dumb question which has been asked many times before on this forum.

I played some stud this weekend and couldn't settle on the best way to look at my cards Vs. keeping track of the other up cards, etc.

The approach I decided on was after the deal, I'd determine where the bring-in was. Then I made a mental note of which up cards were being discarded after the bring-in. When it was my turn to act, I'd glance at the rest of the up cards and make my decision.

It seemed like I was taking too long to act (no one complained, it just felt this way to me). In hold'em, this isn't a problem for me, since I'm proficient at the game and can quickly size up the situation and determine how I want to play my hand. In stud, this isn't the case as it takes me longer to figure out what's been discarded, how live my hand is, what's left to act behind me, what my likely position will be on 4th street, etc. etc. and finaly... What my best play is.

Again, I know this seems like a silly question to an advanced stud player, but does anyone have any advice for me on this? Thanks.