Posts Tagged ‘Razz’

Thought I’m not playing the FTOPS events as compulsively as I have in the past, I am playing my favorites. So far, though, it hasn’t been too interesting and I decided to spare you the litany of bad beats. Last night I had my first cash, taking 40th in the $300 Razz. The only potentially interesting hand was the one where I lost my stack:

Tournament – *Razz* (2,500/5,000), Ante 400, Bring-In 800

Rosiepod (Seat 1): 31,063
Foucault (Seat 2): 26,248
bearw8 (Seat 3): 51,310
OnTheRail15 (Seat 4): 40,129
Crisp86 (Seat 5): 31,676
RSonkee (Seat 6): 124,685
Carmen35 (Seat 7): 38,570
DAT MOOSE (Seat 8): 67,590

*3rd Street* – (1.28 SB)

Rosiepod: xx xx 3c___folds
Foucault: 4c 6d 7h___calls
bearw8: xx xx 8d___folds
OnTheRail15: xx xx Th___*brings-in*___folds
Crisp86: xx xx 4d___folds
RSonkee: xx xx Ad___completes
Carmen35: xx xx 9h___folds
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c___calls

*4th Street* – (4.60 SB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h___calls
RSonkee: xx xx Ad Qs___folds
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c___*bets*

*5th Street* – (3.30 BB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h 5d___*bets*___calls
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c 7d___raises

*6th Street* – (7.30 BB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h 5d 6s___*checks*___calls
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c 7d Jd___bets

*River* – (9.30 BB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h 5d 6s Td___*checks*___calls
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c 7d Jd xx___bets  Read the complete post...

I encountered a few straight-up terrible opponents who were doing stuff like limp-calling with a T in the door, but honestly there was less of this than I expected. At least at my table, most people were playing reasonably well. I didn’t make any spectacular bluffs or call downs or anything, so while I could post a few hands, I doubt anyone wants to see my call a raise, brick fourth and fifth, and fold to a bet, or bet bet bet with a 6-5 and lose to a rivered 6-4. It’s freaking Razz, just take my word for it- some annoying stuff happened, then I lost.

It was Razz, so obviously nothing too interesting happened. I felt like I ran terrible, but I think everyone feels that way when they play Razz. I’m not going to bore you with any bad stories. Naturally there were a ton of players calling down to chase ridiculous stuff like rough 9′s.

Sklansky on Poker has not aged well. This isn’t to say that any of its content has been proven wrong, only that more recent publications and the resurgent popularity of big bet games have rendered much of the material irrelevant.

The section “Sklansky on Razz” is certainly the best material on that game in print, but it’s a game that’s rarely spread anymore. As for the other essays, they were even at the time of publication little more than Theory of Poker simplified and explained for beginners. The examples and many of the concepts are specific to fixed limit games, and some even more restricted to obsolete games like jacks-or-better five card draw.

More recent publications, some authored by Sklansky himself, cover this material in greater depth and nuance. Tournament Poker for Advanced Players, for instance, subsumes the tournament essays in this manual. And numerous books targeted to beginners in Hold ‘Em or other games, not to mention Theory of Poker, introduce concepts like pot odds, implied odds, expectation, and semi-bluffing more clearly, in greater detail, and with more relevant examples.

These essays would be of little interest to most serious players anyway. This isn’t to say that even experts always get them right, but they at least understand the concepts in theory, which is all that Sklansky’s very short essays address. Only beginners would find this material new or helpful, and many better books are now available to them.  Read the complete post...

If you haven’t picked up on the pattern yet, last night’s $300 Razz tournament involved me running terribly against a bunch of atrocious calling stations. I’ll try to include some discussion on a few interesting spots so that this isn’t a pure whine. Oh and these aren’t necessary in the order they occurred:

Nice Calls Sir

Hand #5257796611
Tournament – *Razz* (30/60), Ante 5, Bring-In 10

2DogsHumpin (Seat 1): 3,102
urbandb888 (Seat 2): 2,800
RandomGuy19 (Seat 3): 2,529
Lubidani (Seat 4): 2,890
the aviator1 (Seat 5): 3,626
mooseheads (Seat 6): 2,919
rickashay8 (Seat 7): 3,071
YoungSupremacy (Seat 8): 3,063

*3rd Street* – (1.33 SB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx 9d___folds
urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s___calls
RandomGuy19: xx xx Jc___folds
Lubidani: xx xx Kd___*brings-in*___folds
the aviator1: xx xx 3h___completes
mooseheads: xx xx 9s___folds
rickashay8: xx xx 6s___calls
YoungSupremacy: xx xx Jh___folds

*4th Street* – (4.67 SB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h___*bets*
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h___calls
rickashay8: xx xx 6s 9c___folds

*5th Street* – (3.33 BB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h As___*bets*___raises
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h 7s___raises___calls

*6th Street* – (9.33 BB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h As 3c___bets
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h 7s Kh___*checks*___calls

*River* – (11.33 BB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h As 3c 8c___bets
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h 7s Kh xx___*checks*___calls

*Total pot:* (13.33 BB – 800)

Results:  Read the complete post...

The Razz chapter of the Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition is presented in a unique way, with Michael Craig summarizing, narrating, and quoting a conversation between Ted Forrest and Huck Seed. Given my extensive involvement with competitive debate, it’s probably no surprise that I find this a very promising format. I only wish that Craig had played a more active moderating role in order to encourage the two pros to delve deeper into their differences and explore their competing perspectives. What we get instead is a series of hastily explained concepts that are usually thought-provoking, occasionally misleading, and sometimes even both.

One thing upon which both players agree is the importance of the exposed cards in determining how to play on 3rd street. Obviously I knew this was a factor to consider, but their conversation really hammered home what a huge consideration they could be, in extreme cases making a three-card seven either unplayable or a favorite over A-2-3. As Forrest puts it, “When the good players get aggressive, you can put them on duplicated cards in the hole. When a beginning player gets aggressive, it’s more likely he has A-2 in the hole.” Unfortunately, the chapter examines only extreme examples. It would be interesting to know how 4-5-7 rates against A-2-3 when there are two dead 4′s and a dead 7 instead of three 4′s, three 5′s, and three 7′s.  Read the complete post...

Most of the Razz hands I’ve posted here lately have been against this same fish. He’s mostly just way too loose aggressive, hates to let go of a hand even when he’s been caught bluffing. That can make him tough to play against, but it also makes him easy to read once you understand him. To wit:

Razz ($20/$40), Ante $3, Bring-In $6

3rd Street – (0.75 SB)
pokeraholic5: xx xx 9___folds
ifishharderer: xx xx 7___folds
dqdq2000: xx xx A___completes___raises
urbandb888: 2 6 3___raises___calls
iampong: xx xx T___brings-in___folds

4th Street – (7.05 SB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K__calls
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2___bets

5th Street – (4.53 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K Q___checks___calls
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2 2___bets

6th Street – (6.53 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K Q J___checks___calls
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2 2 K___bets

River – (8.53 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K Q J xx___bets___folds
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2 2 K 4___raises

Total pot: (10.53 BB – $421)  Read the complete post...

I’ve been trying to play some higher stakes Razz games recently to feel them out, get some practice, and decide whether it’s worth trying to play the $1500 WSOP Razz event. It hasn’t been going great, but I don’t feel like I’m in over my head. I’ve certainly got some leaks to work out, but in a good game, I don’t think I’m losing much if any equity in the long run.

When I first joined the game, there was just this guy sitting by himself with $400. This was the second hand we played:

Razz ($20/$40), Ante $3
dqdq2000 (Seat 4): $391
urbandb888 (Seat 5): $409

3rd Street – (0.30 SB)
dqdq2000: xx xx T___completes___calls
urbandb888: 9 K 7___raises

4th Street – (4.30 SB)
dqdq2000: xx xx T 5___calls
urbandb888: 9 K 7 6___bets

5th Street – (3.15 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx T 5 2___raises___folds
urbandb888: 9 K 7 6 4___bets___raises

Total pot: (7.15 BB – $286)

Everything I’ve heard or read about Stud games suggests that open completing as the bring-in is never a good idea. You give away information about your hand and put more money than necessary in the pot before you know anything about what your opponent’s are going to do. Anyway, my opponent open completes with a T in the door. Even though my K is almost certainly behind, all he can see is my 7. There’s no way he can know he’s ahead right now, so I go ahead and raise him.  Read the complete post...