Razz Hand

Just for a change of pace, I thought I'd post an interesting Razz hand that came up recently in a home game. For those of you who don't play Razz, it is A-to-5 lowball seven-card stud, no qualifier. The stakes are 3/6 with a .50 ante and a $1 bring-in. There are 6 players, only two of whom (myself and "GP" - Good PLayer) have some idea how to play the game.


P1: K

P2: Q

P3: 8

P4: 3

GP: 5

Me: [AA]3


P1 brings it in for $1 (high card brings it in), P2 folds, P3 calls, P4 completes to $3, GP raises to $6, I make it $9, P3 and P4 fold, GP ponders and calls.


4th street:


GP: 5J

ME: [AA]3A


I bet $3. GP calls. (low hand goes first in Razz)


5th street:


GP: 5J8

ME: [AA]3A9


I'm still low. I bet $6, GP calls.


6th street:


GP: 5J88

ME: [AA]3A9T


I bet, GP folds.


TRLS

why u make it 9 on 3rd? should have mucked the pair.

i dont understand the hand at all. you say you and GP are the only people that understand the game. yet you make it three bets with a pair. and he had called a raise with an eight in the hole(must of had since he folded on sixth street).

I didn't say we were experts, just that we had some clue how to play.


I reraised on third because (1) all the 2s, 4s, and 6s were live, and I figured if I caught and he bricked, I'd be ahead with position; (2) if I'm going to screw around with a hand like this, I'd rather be heads-up against a player who counts cards and pays attention than against the plodders who will just try to make any old low no matter what you have or how you play; (3) there's no law against bluffing, and if I don't do something like this once in a while, people think I'm a rock (for good reason).


I'm not saying this was great play, but that was my reasoning at the time.


I wondered about the 6th-street fold, too. If he's got something like J8542 he's certainly got pot-odds to call vs a 9-high, and the way I re-raised on 3rd he has to figure there's a good chance I paired up with the ace. He wouldn't tell me what he had, but I figured he had to have an 8 in the hole. He might have been re-raising on 3rd with a good 8, maybe 842 to try to get me out and get isolated with the duffers. I'm not sure it's a good play, but I can understand why a player who figures he can outplay the worst players might do it.


TRLS

its just that your play on third street is never a good one as too often you are going to get played with by two or more players and even against one you have to catch too good and him bad twice in a row for you to survive.