Some Important Differences Between Stud and Hold'em

The absence of community cards-or, put another way, the fact that each player holds cards that belong to him, and only him-means that it is easier to "catch up" in seven stud. In hold'em, the fourth card dealt belongs to everyone. So if an Ace comes, you and I each get an Ace. But in stud, if you are dealt an Ace, I'm going to be dealt a different card, almost certainly not as good as an Ace.

Of course, just because everyone gets the same card in hold'em doesn't mean that card helps everyone the same way. If my hold'em hand is K-9, and yours is A-10, a Nine hitting the board helps me a LOT more than it helps you; I now have a pair, and you don't. But there are also many hands where the card will be equally helpful or not helpful. For example, if I hold A-K, and you hold A-Q, a Nine hitting the board helps us both equally-that is, not at all. But because I had the lead to start with (A-K being better than A-Q), I still have the lead after the equally useless Nine.

The next big difference is that there are five betting rounds in seven stud, instead of four in hold'em. In stud, usually the first two rounds are at the lower level (€4 in the example we're using), and the last three are at the higher €8 level. This extra round of betting means you can win more on a winning hand, and can lose more on a losing hand. So even though it is easier to catch up in stud, it can be more expensive to try.
It can be even more expensive to try to catch up if someone has a pair showing, because if that happens, the betting can go to the higher level immediately, if the bettor wants. So if someone's first two visible cards are both nines, that person can start the betting by making either a €4 bet or a €8 bet.

Another big difference between hold'em and stud is the moment in time when you get to see a lot of cards for a small price. In hold'em, you get to see two cards before you ever have to make a bet, and then if you stay in, you get to see three cards all at once (the flop). In stud, you get to see three cards immediately, but then you see only one card at a time the rest of the way.