Playing 5th Street

January 14, 2008

5th Street Razz Strategy

Most of the time in any stud-type game, the second most important decision of the hand is made on 5th street. If you’re going to play on 5th street, in the vast majority of situations, you’re committing to seeing things through to 7th street and that means putting in two more big bets at least. (Of course everyone knows that the most important decision in any poker hand of any type is whether or not to enter the pot in the first place.) After this any slightly respectable draw is likely going to have the odds to call on 6th street in order to see 7th, so you should make sure you are in good shape now before you start calling your chips off on the double bet rounds.

One of the most important Razz facts, perhaps the most important thing to remember is this: On 5th street a draw to a wheel or a 6-low is a favorite over a made rough 9-low, and approximately even with a made rough 8-low. If the cards come:

You [A3]46Q
Villain [XX]729

You are ahead. And what do you do when you are ahead? You bet and raise at every opportunity. This is a key spot where a good player makes money against a weak player. If the Villain looks at your board says to himself “I’m ahead, so I bet” – you raise. Then he says “What a fish this guy is, he’s got a Q out and he’s raising my made 97-low. I’m going to reraise him to punish his low draw!” – Good, then you raise again. Think it through – a 2, 5, 7, 8, or even a 9 puts you in the lead. That’s 17 outs at this point, although you can surmise that there is a good chance that he may have one of the remaining 5s, but even so, 16 outs with two cards to come means you’ll make your draw more often than it misses. Notice that you would be in the same situation if 5th street paired one of your cards.

If you came into 5th with a weak hand and completely missed, now is the time to fold. The bets double on 5th street and this is no time to chase a weak hand. Obviously then, if you have made a hand it’s now time to start betting it and charging your opponent(s) to chase their draws. Pay attention to the cards that are out. If you opponent can only be ahead of you if he has a 3 in the hole, and you’ve seen two 3s go elsewhere, you can push a little harder than you might otherwise.

And don’t forget, if you have the rough 8 or 9-low and your opponent looks to have a draw to a 6-low or better, he’s the favorite. Don’t raise him. You can call down because of the money already in the pot, but don’t put in any more than necessary unless you improve dramatically on later streets.

Keep your head up and watch the other cards that are out. Good luck!

Frez

More Razz Poker Strategy

How to Play Razz

Starting Hands in Razz

Playing 3rd Street

Playing 4th Street

Playing 5th Street

End game - 6th and 7th street

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