Been playing some 8-game mix lately. I’m pretty sure the games are good but I am not so it all evens out! Here are two of the best hands I played yesterday (sorry for the lack of conversion):
PokerStars Game #66507871933: 8-Game (Hold’em Limit, $10/$20 USD) – 2011/08/24 22:27:27 MT [2011/08/25 0:27:27 ET]
Table ‘Campanula VII’ 6-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: foucault82 ($500 in chips)
Seat 2: loooseslots ($657.90 in chips)
Seat 3: NCSU2012 ($924.45 in chips)
Seat 4: hav0cLOL ($1523 in chips)
Seat 5: boardrat ($501.70 in chips)
Seat 6: xx23xx ($522 in chips)
boardrat: posts small blind $5
xx23xx: posts big blind $10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to foucault82 [Jd Ah]
foucault82: raises $10 to $20
loooseslots: folds
NCSU2012: folds
hav0cLOL: folds
boardrat: folds
xx23xx: calls $10
*** FLOP *** [Tc 2h 7d]
xx23xx: checks
foucault82: bets $10
xx23xx: calls $10
*** TURN *** [Tc 2h 7d] [6d]
xx23xx: checks
foucault82: checks
*** RIVER *** [Tc 2h 7d 6d] [2d]
xx23xx: checks
foucault82: bets $20
xx23xx: calls $20
*** SHOW DOWN ***
foucault82: shows [Jd Ah] (a pair of Deuces)
xx23xx: shows [Ad Qc] (a pair of Deuces – Ace+Queen kicker)
xx23xx collected $102 from pot
I expected AJ to be good on the river because I thought he’d 3-bet AQ/AK pre-flop and check-raise a flopped pair. I was hoping he would call with worse Aces and maybe even KQ/KJ. This is one of those good mistakes I think.
I know it’s a pain to follow but this Razz hand is really interesting. Notice that on 3rd street Villain and I are the only players showing small cards. This is why I’m completing with a Q in the hole, and why I think Villain doesn’t need a particularly good hand to 2-bet me, ie it’s possibly he just has a ragged 8 or even a brick in the hole as well.
I catch barely better than he does on 4th, but I’m trying to represent that I have three babies, and even with like J872 I would value bet here, so I’m betting hoping he’ll either fold immediately (if he’s got a brick in the hole) or fold 5th if he bricks again.
No such luck, but I don’t want to give up 6th street because even though it actually pairs me, to Villain it looks like I caught better than he did. The best hand he can have on 6th is a T8, so I have to keep the pressure on. Even if he’d called I’ve have bluffed 7th because I think with me showing 234 and betting every street he’s not likely to call with a T.
PokerStars Game #66497265871: 8-Game (Razz Limit, $10/$20 USD) – 2011/08/24 16:25:32 MT [2011/08/24 18:25:32 ET]
Table ‘Vinifera VI’ 6-max
Seat 1: foucault82 ($517 in chips)
Seat 2: AmarulaBr ($517 in chips)
Seat 3: titko23 ($613 in chips)
Seat 4: shinbunshi ($295 in chips)
Seat 5: AintNoSun ($106.65 in chips)
Seat 6: moryoca ($253 in chips)
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c]
Dealt to AmarulaBr [Jc]
Dealt to titko23 [9d]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s]
Dealt to AintNoSun [Ts]
Dealt to moryoca [Kd]
moryoca: brings in for $3
foucault82: raises $7 to $10
AmarulaBr: folds
titko23: folds
shinbunshi: raises $10 to $20
AintNoSun: folds
moryoca: folds
foucault82: calls $10
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c] [Jh]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s] [Qh]
AintNoSun is connected
foucault82: bets $10
shinbunshi: raises $10 to $20
foucault82: calls $10
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c Jh] [3h]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s Qh] [Tc]
foucault82: bets $20
shinbunshi: calls $20
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c Jh 3h] [2s]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s Qh Tc] [8h]
foucault82: bets $20
shinbunshi: folds
Uncalled bet ($20) returned to foucault82
foucault82 collected $132 from pot
foucault82: doesn’t show hand
I think that’s the reason I love Razz so much. I feel that it’s a lot easier to bluff at then the other 7 stud game.
Long ago what was weird is that I had a bunch of VIP points on PS. I was just messing around one night and entered a sat to a SCOOP Razz tourney having never played before. Made it to the SCOOP and then final tabled that SCOOP playing my second RAZZ tourney ever.
I still have a fondness for the game even though I’m like 99% sure I’m really terrible at it.
🙂
Razz is a very pure form of poker. It’s the easiest to hand-read, since there’s only one kind of hand to make (no going for low and backing into a flush, no going for a straight and rivering a pair). It ought to be a hard game in which to bluff, since the bets are small and hands are relatively face-up. But I guess it easy to bluff people who don’t understand spots where they are supposed to call down with like a J.