Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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. ;)

Author Roy West's down-to-earth style makes for entertaining and informative lessons. If your goal is to learn 7-Card Stud, there is no better place to start. Whether you are brand new to poker or just seeking growth beyond your Hold'em / Omaha experience, this book will get you on the fast track to low-limit winning. By the time the reader has completed this book, he will have gained a superior understanding of the value and strength of the hand he his holding. For example, would you rather start T-J-Q off-suit or with a pair of 5's and an Ace kicker? Naturally, it depends greatly on the players at the table and the LIVE cards you are holding. West helps put all of these factors into perspective to help the beginner form reasonable conclusions as to where he stands.

There is a great section on 3rd-street decisions that help the beginner avoid making the most costly mistake of all - playing through 3rd-street and beyond when they never should have been in the hand in the first place. Armed with the knowledge from this book, I won about $100 per session in the first five $3-$6 stud sessions I ever played in a casino. This book is a perfect primer and prelude to David Sklansky's Seven-Card Stud for Advanced Players. Please note that West's book is specifically designed for lower limits, while Sklansky's is geared towards $30-$60 games (and up).

The information contained in this book is, quite literally, worth more than its weight in gold. It's been several years since I initially read it, but I do use it as a reference from time to time. I normally play $6-$12 and sometimes $15-30 these days. If I start running a bad streak it is to this book I return to help get me grounded again in the solid fundamentals. These days Roy West is a regular contributor to CardPlayer Magazine in column called "This and That About Poker." You can read his latest articles for free at CardPlayer's website, or pick up a free issue at your local card room. If you'd like to start playing winning low-limit 7-Card Stud, this book is a must.

This is the must read book for novices on 7 card stud. Other poker authors have said this is the best poker book they have ever read. Roy West writes in an easy style and, most importantly, presents his material in a way that sticks. This is in sharp contrast to the Sklansky books that are so difficult to wade through. What a shame Roy West didn't write Sklansky's material for him! This book makes it fun to study 7 card stud. It's a no-brainer that it rates 5 stars.

I found this a great book to build a solid foundation for people getting into seven card stud. Written in a way that's easy to grasp, but contains a lot of important information for the up and coming player.

While I don't agree with every single thing in this book, I like most of it. I am a dedicated HORSE player and 8 game player so I play stud every day. This book will help beginners on the path to winning poker. I especially like the authors honesty about poker life. It's not all glitz and glamor. This book is a must have for all poker libraries.

This is my first book at 7 card stud.
The book had 42 lessons and it will improve your game at the low and medium level.

The language is very simple.
It will give you good understanding of the game.

Good buy.

This book is totally worthless!!!
Does NOTHING more than tell you to fold if you're dealt 2-5-7 off-suit and to stay and play if you're dealt 3 Aces.