GUIDELINES AND TACTIC
"One can’t be as flexible in a game of five-card stud poker as in a game of seven card stud. Nevertheless one should exercise caution as the game progresses if one doesn’t have a very good set of cards. The professional poker players would advice a player to get out if he doesn’t have either a high pair, a pair with a high card, a three-card flush or a three-card straight.
Any player should quit if he doesn’t get good cards to compliment a low pair at the start. Although one could be a bit more adaptable, relying on the manner in which the opponents cards. One should quit if one doesn’t have good cards when the first four have been dealt.
The player should remain in the game if he has a three-straight or a three-flush. However if his game isn’t any better when he’s been dealt two more cards then he should quit. But if he has a four-card straight or flush when five cards have been dealt then he should go ahead and take the sixth and seventh cards except if he feels that another player has much better cards or that the cards that the cards he needs aren’t available.
He is very lucky if in the opening round he has been served three cards of one type, which is also called trips. But he should exercise caution when placing a wager. Trips are good enough to win the any poker game even if other good cards don’t come along therefore he shouldn’t scare his opponents so early.
In the first few rounds he should place small wagers. He should only match the wager that other players bet. He shouldn’t increase the amount. When the fifth and sixth and Seventh Street are played and he is confident of a win then he should begin increasing the ante because the other players won’t quit too quickly as they’ve already bet quite a big sum of money.
If one has a big pair in the concealed cards and the game is on a tight table the one must play it cool. Let’s say your exposed card is a four but you have a big pair in the concealed cards and yet you raise the ante then the opponents will get suspicious and know you have good cards.
When one has a big pair and he is playing at a loose table then I’d suggest he bet more aggressively. In seven card stud the players will stick around a bit longer as it takes time for the game to shape up. If some of the opponents do quit the player shouldn’t be concerned as the opponents competing for the kitty are lesser.
The proficient players would suggest that a player should increase the ante early on if you have a high split pair. It goes without saying that the player needs some more good poker hands since although the hand is good it could be defeated. It’s best to do away with some of the opponents while it is still affordable.
(Later on in the game the stakes are bigger so the players that have stuck around this far won’t quit easily.) If a player has high pairs in the opening round he must determine whether any opponent has a bigger door card, if so then the player shouldn’t increase the ante too much because the opponent could have a pair that could defeat the player.
In a game of five-card draw poker a player bears in mind what the other players’ cards are and what cards have been folded, one should do the same here.