What prior knowledge of seven card stud (or what books should be read) before buying and fully understanding the concepts in Seven-Card Stud for Advanced Players?

Thanks much

None, really.

You should know how seven stud is played.

For once I agree with fraac

If this is your first exposure to 7 card stud then this book will make your head hurt.

I would suggest that you start with a more introductory text ie. West (see stud forum FAQ for a list of books) then get some low buyin experience. Once you have some experience then the information in Zee's book will be easier to understand and apply.

stud is boring.

So long as you know the rules of the game, you should be fine.

The stud forum FAQ no longer has a books list, and when it did, it wasn't very complimentary of the West book.

I am of the opinion that 7CS4AP is the best book out there for stud, whether you're playing $1-5 with no ante or $300/600 at the Bellagio. There are some so-called beginners books, but they stink. I don't really have anything against Roy West, but a lot of his advice is really weak-tight, and some of it is just plain silly. 7CS4AP isn't that deep; it isn't that advanced. If you have trouble grasping it, I don't like your chances of being able to beat the game in any case. And if you've studied poker some, then there isn't any reason to bother with another book.

I agree with Andy. I asked the same question last year, was told the same thing, then I played enough stud that 7CS4AP makes sense and is better written than I first thought. By the way, questions don't generally lead to answers, in poker as in all things.

Othmer FTW! ... eh Andy ???



Actually I have yet to read an advanced book on poker, Chen and Ankenmann is the only one that is nominated for the title, tho some books are advanced due to bad writing

After reading this book I let a friend who was just getting into stud barrow it. It made his head spin like you said. On that note if you have basic knowledge of stud then this book will introduce many advanced concepts and "maneuvers" you can use at the table. If I remember right its aimed at mid-low stakes stud? I don't have it handy right now (not home)

You need a basic knowledge of poker, not stud .... but if you are totally blank, then I admit, 7CSFAP is a bad fist book.

But then again if you are totally blank, learning hold'em (especially limit) is a better idea due to the large amount of decent material which can't be said of stud

Let me extend and revise my remarks.

If you follow West to the letter then yes you will be very weak tight. But the book is an easy read, explains in simple terms what starting hands you want and will steer a begining player away from those deceptive hands that many noobs think are good but are really traps. The OP was looking for a book for a beginer.

Zee is "the" book for stud however it is written like most 2+2 books (and most poker books in general) with a paragraph saying if A then do B and the next paragraph saying however if A when c and d exist then do F or you can do H if you plan on stealing on a later street. If the reader is a beginer then Zee can quicky lead to FPS and many of the concepts do not apply at the very low levels that most beginers start at. In my original post I suggested that he start with a basic book (West just happens to be the most widely available) then with some experience he can move up to Zee.

i think you should definitely read TOP before you read 7CS4AP and also you may want to read chip reese's stud chapter in SS1 which is pretty good. but then just reread 7CS4AP lots!

I have (and have read) both Roy West's book and Kammen's book, and there's really no reason to own them. I'd played stud for a long time prior to ever reading any books on it, and I don't think either of those books really helped me much at all, and you can get the basics of the game elsewhere or with a little messing around online.

7CSFAP is much more complex a read, but it's not really that bad and the more you play the more it makes sense. I'm kind of in my re-discovering Stud phase and was reading this last night. I play it in a mixed game locally, and just started playing it online.

It's a little dry of so make sure you're not sleepy when you try to read it. I was out in a half hour.

This book takes a lot more effort than the average poker text, but then it's a much more difficult game. I imagine that, with a little effort, the majority of 2+2ers who already play another game can get through it just fine.

read a beginner book first to learn how to play and lose. then read advanced stuff if you want to make money. if you cant digest advanced material you are not likely to be a long term winner at any stake that can feed you.
if you play a decent amount any sane person willing to read and reread what he doesnt get right off, will come out smelling like roses against those that just play by ear.

The last stud book I bought was by Kammen, (How to beat low-limit 7-card stud).

I never did find out what people here thought of that one. I assume there may be some negative bias, due to it being published by Cardoza, which seems to be a mark against it according to 2+2 fans.

7CSFAP helped my overall poker game a ton, not just stud. IMO, one of the most under-rated books out there.

That book is fairly reviled and has a lot of problems with it, but not because of the publisher. The author posted a lot on it and accepts a lot of it's faults.

Archived thread: http://sandbox.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3220876&page=0&a mp;fpart=1&vc=1

In fairness though, a couple things.

First, unlike AndyB I'm not really a legit authority on Stud so just because it didn't help me doesn't really mean that much. Just an opinion.

Second, his stud8 ebook seems to be well received even if I can't speak to it personally.

Im reading 7 Stud for Advanced PLayers at the moment. I have no experience of 7 stud at all before I picked it up, but a decent knowledge of poker. Havent had any problems at all really. If you understand basic poker theory you will be fine

I don't mean to hijack this, but I've read only the original 7csfap not the 21st Century version. Am I missing a lot of material?

"Am I missing a lot of material? "

220 pages vs 326.

You do the math. :-)


Best of Luck

Howard

Thanks Gonso, now I don't feel guilty for reading that book just once.

I'm kind of Hi-jacking the thread but i don't see the point in having another thread for stud:

Is Chip Reese's section in Super System any good?

Its the only thing i've read (on stud) and i seem to do alright at fish-stakes but that could just be down to me not being a ******.

Yes, and it's generally still current unlike some of the other chapters in SS1. Still, it has nowhere near the depth of 7CSFAP. If you want something to get your feet wet quick it will point you in the right direction.