Yeah, actually, 7-Stud is more tiring to play because you've got to keep track of all the dead cards because they can drastically effect your drawing odds.

It is also nice to be able to see the last card, which you don't in 7-stud. In some cases (almost always multi-way pots) you can fold for 1 bet on the river when the draw completes where in stud you're going to have to pay off because you don't know if he caught.

The biggest games are played as "mixed" games, so the world-class players need to know all the games. A common variant is HORSE, which stands for Holdem, Omaha/8, Razz, 7-Stud, and 7-Stud Eight or better Hi/Low split. Lately, 2-7 Triple-Draw Lowball is being played instead of razz. Anyhow, these guys play a complete table orbit of one game, then switch to the next in rotation. It's not good enough to be an expert at one game, though most of them are best in one game.

By the way, have you noticed how the TV shows make "reads" out to be some odd psychological nonsense like noticing if a persons eyebrow twitches? Most reads are simply logical deductions of your opponent's holding based on how they play and what the action has been thus far in the hand. There is a great example of "hand reading" on Howard Lederer's web site.

Also, you may want to pick up Roy Cooke's, Real Poker II: The Play of Hands. This is one of my favorite books. The entire book is examples of Roy working through the hand reading logic. Pure gold.

Jim