Hello,
I will begin with the usual prefix that I am not a Sit and Go (SNG) expert but when it comes to Razz, I think I have an edge in any tournament in which I play. If I don't cash in multi-table Razz tournaments I usually go deep. I have several wins in Razz MTTs and even more final tables and cashes. Additionally, Razz is my favorite game to play and more than likely my best game. That said, I have played in enough Razz SNGs with enough cashes and wins to be somewhat of an authority in this rarely played game and about which there is little written.
I thought of writing a general Razz strategy article but I figured it would lend some context to various situations that arise during Razz play (OK, I don't really address specific situations in this article but the thought was nice). I also have the hope that more people will play in the Razz SNGs offered at so many online poker sites (as I write this article I have been registered in a Razz tourney for the past hour and so far, only one other person has registered). One of the reasons for you to consider learning this form of poker is that most others are not very good at it. What I mean is that since so many online players are playing No Limit Hold 'Em, if you were to master Razz you would have an edge over most players at a Razz table. At the lower limits there are many players who do not even understand the basics of Razz but play anyway. It's a great way to build your Hold 'Em bankroll.
The first thing to understand is that Razz, like all Stud games, is played eight-handed. This is because if, theoretically, every player at the table were to see all seven cards there would not be a sufficient number of cards in the deck to deal every player their full hand (8 players times 7 cards equal 56). In that extremely rare case (I have see it once at the micro-limits when the hand was checked around) the seventh card is dealt as a community card. To limit the possibility of this occurring the game is played eight-handed. So when you enter a Razz SNG you have a one in eight chance (37.5%) of cashing, which is slightly better than your odds at a Hold 'Em or Omaha table.
If there was only one piece of advice that I could give in Razz, whether it is for a cash game, MTT or SNG, it would be patience. More than any other game, I believe that this is the one skill that needs to be perfected. Don't make excuses to play hands. I have looked at my statistics from SNGs, MTTs and cash games in which I did well and I have played about 20% of my hands. If I am being aggressive or happen to catch a run of cards then that number could climb as high as 25% (wow!). Patience will win you money in this game.
So why is patience so important (there are a plethora of other important points but this is number one in my book)? Consider how Razz is played. Each player is dealt seven cards in total. The first three are dealt two down and one up (3rd street). There is a betting round. Then three more cards are dealt face up to each player one at a time with a betting round after each card is dealt (4th, 5th and 6th streets respectively). Then a seventh and final card is dealt face down with a final betting round (7th street). Third street and 4th street are played at the lower betting round and 5th-7th are played at the higher betting round. Unlike in Stud, a double bet is not allowed on 4th street if there is a pair showing. So in a $5-$10 game the first two rounds are $5 each which gets capped at four bets (actually one bet and three raises) and the last three rounds are played at the $10 level. Razz is usually played at as a Limit game although me and my insanely aggressive friends have been known to play Stud style games as Pot Limit (you won't find that online).
OK. Now that I got that out of the way, why is patience so important? Let me continue. The way to win at Razz is to hold the five lowest cards (pairs are bad) with ace playing as low. So 5-4-3-2-A is the best hand with 6-4-3-2-A being second best and so on. Paint cards are bad as are pairs. K-5-3-2-A loses to Q-J-T-9-8, for example (the former being a king-low and the latter being a queen low). The reason patience is so important in this game is that good low hands are not made that often. Chasing only gets you in trouble and costs you precious bets. So before I play a hand I need to start off pretty well on 3rd street. For this reason I often don't play that many hands since my starting requirements are very strict. I won't chase a hand no matter what. Again, each bet, particularly in a tournament structure where escalating blinds eat up your stack, is a precious commodity.
When I do have a hand I play it aggressively on 3rd street and if I brick 4th Street (catch a paint card or an open pair) I will usually slow down. Part of being patient means giving up losing hands as well as not chasing. Depending upon what my opponent(s) have hit on 4th street, I will proceed accordingly. If I begin with (3-5)-A and hit a J on 4th Street and my opponent hit a K on 4th Street, I will lead out if he is showing something like (x-x)-7-K. I am ahead with a better draw so I don't want to miss any bets here. But if I hit paint in 4th street and he hits a low card I might slow down (if he hits an ace and I am familiar with his play I might continue thinking he paired his ace, but that is more advanced Razz).
The idea is to get into the money (ITM) in these Razz SNGs. Once that happens you are assured a shot at the top prize no matter your stack size. The reason is, as many Razz players are aware, that the Limit tournament structure us horrible online. By the time you reach the money, even the chip leader is one hand from being gone or the severe short-stack. So now it is largely a matter of catching the right cards at the right time. By being patient you will have given yourself this chance. Additionally, you will notice that by being patient you will often have a decent chip stack. It doesn't take too many hands to build a stack. One or two hands at the middle limits and you will have a nice stack. You should only play monsters early on since winning pots at this stage will not matter much. I like to win a few small pots early on to stay afloat, win a couple of medium to large pots in the middle rounds and then take it down at the higher level.
I cannot stress how important patience is in Razz SNGs and Razz in general. It is not a game of aggression in the same sense that No Limit Hold 'Em is (although there are times when you must be aggressive in Razz but I will save that for a future article). So remember, play patiently, don't find excuses to play hands (such as, I am the bring-in anyway with a jack up and a 7-3 in the hole at it's only 2/3 of a bet to me), be aggressive when you do pick up a big hand on 3rd street, continue if you hit big on 4th Street and for heaven's sake, don't chase hands. When you do make a hand on 5th street, bet it, raise, re-raise it if it is a monster. Get your money in while ahead. If you have a big hand make sure you don't leave money on the table. Every bet counts.
Be on the lookout for Razz strategy articles. I hope to write some that will be chock full of tips and strategy to help you take your Razz game to the next level or at least above the level of everyone else at your table. This article is far from a complete strategy for Razz SNGs and Razz in general. I wanted to introduce the subject so that future Razz articles will make more sense. So, use this as your starting guide and lookout for further articles on the subject.
See you on the felt,
The Monster Stack
I will begin with the usual prefix that I am not a Sit and Go (SNG) expert but when it comes to Razz, I think I have an edge in any tournament in which I play. If I don't cash in multi-table Razz tournaments I usually go deep. I have several wins in Razz MTTs and even more final tables and cashes. Additionally, Razz is my favorite game to play and more than likely my best game. That said, I have played in enough Razz SNGs with enough cashes and wins to be somewhat of an authority in this rarely played game and about which there is little written.
I thought of writing a general Razz strategy article but I figured it would lend some context to various situations that arise during Razz play (OK, I don't really address specific situations in this article but the thought was nice). I also have the hope that more people will play in the Razz SNGs offered at so many online poker sites (as I write this article I have been registered in a Razz tourney for the past hour and so far, only one other person has registered). One of the reasons for you to consider learning this form of poker is that most others are not very good at it. What I mean is that since so many online players are playing No Limit Hold 'Em, if you were to master Razz you would have an edge over most players at a Razz table. At the lower limits there are many players who do not even understand the basics of Razz but play anyway. It's a great way to build your Hold 'Em bankroll.
The first thing to understand is that Razz, like all Stud games, is played eight-handed. This is because if, theoretically, every player at the table were to see all seven cards there would not be a sufficient number of cards in the deck to deal every player their full hand (8 players times 7 cards equal 56). In that extremely rare case (I have see it once at the micro-limits when the hand was checked around) the seventh card is dealt as a community card. To limit the possibility of this occurring the game is played eight-handed. So when you enter a Razz SNG you have a one in eight chance (37.5%) of cashing, which is slightly better than your odds at a Hold 'Em or Omaha table.
If there was only one piece of advice that I could give in Razz, whether it is for a cash game, MTT or SNG, it would be patience. More than any other game, I believe that this is the one skill that needs to be perfected. Don't make excuses to play hands. I have looked at my statistics from SNGs, MTTs and cash games in which I did well and I have played about 20% of my hands. If I am being aggressive or happen to catch a run of cards then that number could climb as high as 25% (wow!). Patience will win you money in this game.
So why is patience so important (there are a plethora of other important points but this is number one in my book)? Consider how Razz is played. Each player is dealt seven cards in total. The first three are dealt two down and one up (3rd street). There is a betting round. Then three more cards are dealt face up to each player one at a time with a betting round after each card is dealt (4th, 5th and 6th streets respectively). Then a seventh and final card is dealt face down with a final betting round (7th street). Third street and 4th street are played at the lower betting round and 5th-7th are played at the higher betting round. Unlike in Stud, a double bet is not allowed on 4th street if there is a pair showing. So in a $5-$10 game the first two rounds are $5 each which gets capped at four bets (actually one bet and three raises) and the last three rounds are played at the $10 level. Razz is usually played at as a Limit game although me and my insanely aggressive friends have been known to play Stud style games as Pot Limit (you won't find that online).
OK. Now that I got that out of the way, why is patience so important? Let me continue. The way to win at Razz is to hold the five lowest cards (pairs are bad) with ace playing as low. So 5-4-3-2-A is the best hand with 6-4-3-2-A being second best and so on. Paint cards are bad as are pairs. K-5-3-2-A loses to Q-J-T-9-8, for example (the former being a king-low and the latter being a queen low). The reason patience is so important in this game is that good low hands are not made that often. Chasing only gets you in trouble and costs you precious bets. So before I play a hand I need to start off pretty well on 3rd street. For this reason I often don't play that many hands since my starting requirements are very strict. I won't chase a hand no matter what. Again, each bet, particularly in a tournament structure where escalating blinds eat up your stack, is a precious commodity.
When I do have a hand I play it aggressively on 3rd street and if I brick 4th Street (catch a paint card or an open pair) I will usually slow down. Part of being patient means giving up losing hands as well as not chasing. Depending upon what my opponent(s) have hit on 4th street, I will proceed accordingly. If I begin with (3-5)-A and hit a J on 4th Street and my opponent hit a K on 4th Street, I will lead out if he is showing something like (x-x)-7-K. I am ahead with a better draw so I don't want to miss any bets here. But if I hit paint in 4th street and he hits a low card I might slow down (if he hits an ace and I am familiar with his play I might continue thinking he paired his ace, but that is more advanced Razz).
The idea is to get into the money (ITM) in these Razz SNGs. Once that happens you are assured a shot at the top prize no matter your stack size. The reason is, as many Razz players are aware, that the Limit tournament structure us horrible online. By the time you reach the money, even the chip leader is one hand from being gone or the severe short-stack. So now it is largely a matter of catching the right cards at the right time. By being patient you will have given yourself this chance. Additionally, you will notice that by being patient you will often have a decent chip stack. It doesn't take too many hands to build a stack. One or two hands at the middle limits and you will have a nice stack. You should only play monsters early on since winning pots at this stage will not matter much. I like to win a few small pots early on to stay afloat, win a couple of medium to large pots in the middle rounds and then take it down at the higher level.
I cannot stress how important patience is in Razz SNGs and Razz in general. It is not a game of aggression in the same sense that No Limit Hold 'Em is (although there are times when you must be aggressive in Razz but I will save that for a future article). So remember, play patiently, don't find excuses to play hands (such as, I am the bring-in anyway with a jack up and a 7-3 in the hole at it's only 2/3 of a bet to me), be aggressive when you do pick up a big hand on 3rd street, continue if you hit big on 4th Street and for heaven's sake, don't chase hands. When you do make a hand on 5th street, bet it, raise, re-raise it if it is a monster. Get your money in while ahead. If you have a big hand make sure you don't leave money on the table. Every bet counts.
Be on the lookout for Razz strategy articles. I hope to write some that will be chock full of tips and strategy to help you take your Razz game to the next level or at least above the level of everyone else at your table. This article is far from a complete strategy for Razz SNGs and Razz in general. I wanted to introduce the subject so that future Razz articles will make more sense. So, use this as your starting guide and lookout for further articles on the subject.
See you on the felt,
The Monster Stack
2 comments:
Excellent comments on Razz. Too many players try to play it like NLHE.
Thank you for the comment. Please check out my new blog at http://www.themonsterstack.com/
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