Just A Few Things When Playing Razz
- By Jennifer Harman
Lesson: 3
Just A Few Things When Playing Razz
Jennifer Harman
March 28, 2005
The rules:
For those of you who aren't familiar with Razz, it is a game played like 7-card stud. The twist is that in Razz, the worst hand wins. Straights and flushes don't count for anything, but pairs are bad. Aces are always low cards. A five-high (or wheel -- remember that straights don't count against you) is the worst -- or I should say the best -- possible hand for this game. A-2-3-4-5.
Starting hands:
When playing this game, it's important that you start with 3 little cards. You shouldn't play with any card bigger than an eight in your hand. But there are two exceptions to this rule.
1. You have a nine showing when the hand is dealt, everyone else's up card is bigger than a nine, and you have two low cards in the hole. In this case, you have the best starting hand.
2. You are in steal position with a baby showing, and the remaining player (or even the remaining two players) has a big card showing. You can often raise in this spot to steal the antes regardless of what your hole cards are. If somearticle calls, you hope that their next card (fourth street) is a big card and yours is a baby. If your opponent catches a baby and you catch big, you should let it go. There's no point in continuing with the bluff.
Tracking cards:
Are your cards dead? This is another important thing to know when playing Razz. What do I mean by 'dead card'? A dead card is a card that is no longer in the deck. You know this because you have seen it in someone else's hand. Keeping track of the dead cards allows you to know how many of the remaining cards can hurt you, and how many will improve your hand. For example: your first three cards are 2-5-8. There are seven other players in the game, and their upcards are: 2, 5, 8, 8, 2, 7, J. Remember that pairs are bad in Razz. Fortunately, many of the cards that will pair you are in other players' hands, or 'dead'. Now suppose your opponent is holding 7-3-A. He needs a lot of the cards that are on the board (dead) to make his hand. The cards you need to make your hand are still available. In this situation, you are a little more than a 56% favorite. By tracking cards, you can more accurately make decisions based on your real equity at any given time.
Lesson: 8
Should I Stay Or Should I Go
Jennifer Harman
May 9, 2005
Being a winning player isn't only about playing good cards - it's also about making good decisions. And there is one important decision you face every time you sit down in a cash game: Should I quit, or should I keep playing?
When should you keep playing?
I see so many players playing short hours when they're winning, and long hours when they're losing. It should be the other way around.
When you are winning in the game, at least a few of the other players must be losing. And when your opponents are losing, they often aren't playing their best. But you are.
When you're winning, other players fear you; you have a good table image. And when you have a good table image, you can get away with things that you can't seem to when you're losing. For one thing, you can bluff more. Usually a losing player is scared to get involved with a winning player, so it's easier for you to pick up pots. You can represent more hands than you actually have because your opponents believe you're hitting every flop.
The only time to quit when you're winning is when you are tired, or when you start playing badly.
When should you call it a day?
Many players can't seem to quit when they are losing. You have to remember that there will always be another poker game -- if not tomorrow, then the day after, or the week after. I like to think of poker as one continuous game going on for my whole career. So, if I'm losing more than 30 big bets in the game, I usually quit.
There are a couple of reasons I do this: For one, if I lose a ton of money in one day, I don't feel so hot the next day. That means if I go in to play the next day, I might not be able to play my best game. I might actually have to take a few days off to get my head straight. Another reason is that when I'm losing more than 30 bets, I might not be playing that well. I might think I'm playing my "A" game, but in reality, I'm probably not. You can't be as objective about your play when you're losing. After all, we are not robots; we're just human beings.
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