7-Card Stud: 42 Lessons How to Win at Medium & Lower Limits [Paperback]

Roy West (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2004

This book is a common sense, step-by-step guide for low to medium limit players to win consistently at both casino and home games. Players learn the latest strategies for winning at $1-$4 spread-limit up to $10-$20 fixed-limit games. Covers starting hands, 3rd-7th street strategy for playing most hands, overcards, selective aggressiveness, reading hands, secrets of the pros, psychology, and more. The 42 lesson informal format is both easy-to-read and powerful. Includes bonus chapter on 7-stud tournament strategy by World Champion Tom McEvoy who calls West's advice, "down home and clear¿ and right on the money."

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Cardoza; 1st Cardoza Ed edition (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580421377
• ISBN-13: 978-1580421379
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid book for beginners, especially loose players, May 31, 2005

By 

King Yao - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 7-Card Stud: 42 Lessons How to Win at Medium & Lower Limits (Paperback)

7 Card Stud by Roy West is a solid book for beginning players. Not complete beginners, but beginners nonetheless. The first 26 lessons are on 7 Card Stud in medium and lower limits, the next 12 are on general poker issues, and the last 4 are written by Tom McEvoy on Stud tournaments. I found the book to be good for players that need to be told how to play, although not necessary why to play in a certain way. West advice is to play tight and aggressive when you have the best of it. But sometimes, his advice seems too much on the tight and conservative side. Maybe this is good for the beginning player (to play too conservatively), since most players in the medium and lower limits have the exact opposite problem (they play too loose). For most beginners who are too loose, they are going to benefit from this book. If they follow the West's advice to be tight, they will likely improve their results.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good & helpful, November 27, 2005

By 

William McNeal (Lambertville, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 7-Card Stud: 42 Lessons How to Win at Medium & Lower Limits (Paperback)

No, this is not one of those technically spot-on mathematical works. Instead, Roy West gives you a lot of good, solid, easy-to-remember practical advice on how to play. Both at the table, and on your way to the table.

Maybe you're a holdem player looking to take up stud? This one's a real good start.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not well written but useful for a beginner, July 6, 2006

By 

R. B. Jones (England, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 7-Card Stud : 42 Lessons How to Win at Medium & Lower Limits (Paperback)

This is the first book I've read on 7 card stud, and I found it helpful for giving me the basic concepts. It's easy to read and you can get through it in a few hours. The concepts aren't particularly deep. It's in "42 lessons" although some of the "lessons" are less useful than others: Lesson 1, for instance, is one page that says "It takes the right 'stuff' to win at poker".

Things do get better, but I found the concepts a bit high level and could have done with much more illustration. There is one lesson (17) that has some examples of 3rd street hands but it's not enough.

For a book published in its present form in 2004, I would have expected to see some mention at least of internet play, but it is entirely focused on live play. In fact only on live play in Las Vegas - no information how to adapt to European card rooms for example.

Another ommission (and maybe this is to prevent confusion, as starting hands are quire different), is there is no mention of Hi-lo, which is quite popular these days.

The book encourages you to play in a "straightforward" way at these limits (medium and low)... however this means that it doesn't tell you how really good players play. I found the advice fairly sound in the $1/2 room (the second lowest) on PartyPoker, but anything above that and the players are far more aggressive and you'll probably start losing.

Importantly, there's little mention of how to vary your starting hand requirements depending on the size of the antes. This makes a big difference because for example on PartyPoker the antes are the same size on the $.5/1 tables as for $2/4 and you have to vary your play accordingly.

Editing is sloppy and I found quite a few glaring mistakes. For example in Lesson 8 it talks about an increase in antes from $1 to $3 and calls it a 300% increase (actually a 200% increase). And lesson 42 has 2 whole paragraphs from earlier in the chapter repeated at the end clearly by mistake.

Despite the ommissions and sloppy editing it does contain some good ideas and I'd recommend beginners read it. I haven't read any other books on the subject so I can't say if this is any better or worse. ;)