It’s Razztastic!
It took me a while to master pot limit razz, but I’m glad I took the time. My only regrets are that I didn’t play this from the word go, like from when I started playing poker for real at the age of 19, and that there appears to be only one site on the web you can play it: Ladbrokes.
The screengrabs here are all from razz tournaments, the vast majority from Ladbrokes at pot limit; the remainder from PokerStars at the usual fixed limit.
My biggest success has come in the 21.40 which runs every night; it has a €5.00 + €.50 buy-in, one rebuy and an add-on (top up) allowed.
It has a small field, ideally 17 runners when it pays four places, but usually fewer than that. I try not to play if there are less than 8 of us – which pays 3 places – but I can’t always resist that temptation!
July 10, 2011: 11.15: €1.00 + €.10 Pot Limit Razz Rebuy, €75.00 Guaranteed. (In later months the guaranteed prize pool would be reduced to €50.00). 30 runners and only 3 places paid. Normally I don’t go in for these sort of odds; I prefer at the very least 5 places paid. But! €102.00 prize pool, 217,00 chips in placy. I was more than 15 minutes later but still finished runner up. I wrote at the time that either I’m getting better or luckier!
July 11, 2011: Runner up in the €75.00 Guaranteed. This rebuy tournament had a €2.00 + €.20 buy-in, 18 runners, 3 places paid, and an €86.00 prize pool. I was massive chip leader with 11 left, and cashed without a rebuy or top up.
July 24, 2011: Runner up again in the €75.00 Guaranteed. I had no rebuys but did have a top up for 3,000 chips. The tournament started at 14.15 London time, had 20 runners, and paid 3 places. There was a €122.00 prize pool.
August 5, 2011: The 11.15 €1.00 + €.10 Pot Limit Razz Rebuy, €50.00 Guaranteed. 23 runners, 3 places paid. There was an €82.00 prize pool. The tournament cost me €1.10! I was chip leader several times and unlucky not to win it.
August 16, 2011: Runner up in the 14.15 €2.00 + €.20, €75.00 Guaranteed. 19 runners 3 places paid.
August 21, 2011: 11 runners, 3 places paid, winning it with no extras as usual.
August 28, 2011: Winning the big one. Nice first prize tonight too. There were 16 runners and 3 places paid. Earlier the same day I was 3rd in the 11.15, €1.00 rebuy. I had 2 rebuys and a top up in that, the latter for 3,000 chip. Very uncharacteristic of me, but I picked up €16.60.
September 10, 2011: €5.00 + €.50 Pot Limit Razz, 2nd Chance, 17 runners, 4 places paid. €130.00 total prize pool; I’m not sure what that was in rebuys and top ups. I was big chip leader of 13, made the final table still chip leader, though by no means big. I was the underdog heads up, but got lucky.
September 22, 2011: First prize in the €1.00 + €.10, €50.00 Guaranteed. There was a prize pool of €61.00. No rebuys or top ups for me.
October 10, 2011: Only runner up tonight. 15 runners, 3 places paid. No extras for me.
November 6, 2011: Runner up in the big one. 13 runners, 3 places paid tonight with a total prize pool of €120.00. I could have won it. Sigh.
November 13, 2011: Runner up in the big one. 20 runners, 4 places paid, €155.00 prize pool. I said I wasn’t going to have a rebuy, but I did, so the tournament cost me €10.50 to enter.
November 14, 2011: 10 runners tonight and 3 places paid. I got lucky early on, tripling up in a three way pot.
November 17, 2011: 16 runners, 3 places paid. I was runner upto the total moron but I have no grounds for complaint because I got lucky at a critical point. I had an add-on at the break. (In the original Digital Journal blog this was miscaptioned as first place for Yours Truly).
November 20, 2011: Winning the afternoon Limit Razz on PokerStars.
November 21, 2011: The 15.50 Limit Tournament on PokerStars. 48 runners, 12 places paid. I was unlucky to finish only third. The previous day there were 69 runners and 12 places paid. I won it – after an amazing comeback and 5 hours – but there is no screengrab.
December 19, 2011: Winning my very favourite tournament yet again!
December 21, 2011: The 13.00 €1.00 + €.10 rebuy had 12 runners and our hero won it without rebuying or topping up.
December 22, 2011: My favourite tournament again; 18 runners, 4 places paid. No rebuys or add-ons for me. I was chip leader of 11, and massive chip leader when we reached the final table. Perhaps I should have done better!
December 23, 2011: Runner up in the 21.40 again.
PokerStars: December 30, 2011: Third in the Limit Razz.
January 10, 2012: Runner up in the big one. 21 runners, 4 places paid, €145.00 prize pool. I was doing reasonably well then goofed. I needed a rebuy and an add-on. I got lucky, and was chip leader with 5 left.
January 14, 2012: Winning my favourite tournament.
January 20, 2012: Runner up in my favourite tournament.
January 21, 2012: Winning my favourite tournament.
January 23, 2012: PokerStars again; 51 runners, 12 places paid. I was chip leader of 13 after a player tilted against me, and made the final table as chip leader, but had to settle for third.
January 23, 2012: Runner up in the big one. 16 runners, 3 places paid, €140.00 prize pool. No rebuys or add-ons for me. Two razz tournaments today, cashing in both. Nice!
January 28, 2012: 20 runners, 4 places paid, €115.00 prize pool. I had a rebuy and an add-on; with 5 left I was gone but somehow I won the hand and the tournament.
February 2, 2012: Runner up in the big one.
February 3, 2012: Runner up.
February 4, 2012: Runner up in the 21.40.
February 7, 2012: 15 runners, 3 places paid, €115.00 prize pool. It cost me a rebuy and an add-on, but I won it.
February 15, 2012: After a poor run on Ladbrokes, Al stops the rot in spectacular fashion; 14 runners, 3 places paid, €140.00 prize pool, and with no rebuy or add-on, Yours Truly picks up a good first prize. Earlier in the evening I won €.26 after coming 112th in the Bronze Freeroll. And I didn’t spend it all at once!
February 17, 2012: Runner up.
February 27, 2012: Winning the 21.40 again.
March 5, 2012: 20 runners, 4 places paid, €145.00 prize pool. I finished runner up with no rebuy or add-on. (In the original blog, this was miscaptioned as a tournament win). I was lucky here; one player lost connection, and couldn’t get back to the table. But they all count!
March 6, 2012: 20 runners and 4 places paid tonight. A nice prize pool too, €160.00. I goofed and needed a rebuy. But I won it!
March 8, 2012: Congratulations, you have won the tournament.
March 10, 2012: Runner up.
March 21, 2012: Runner up in the 21.40.
March 24, 2012: Runner up in the big one.
April 16, 2012: Twenty runners, four places paid. A nice prize pool tonight: €165.00; I had a top up, but won the tournament.
April 20, 2012: 15 runners, 3 places paid, €130.00 prize pool, no extras for me. I was short stacked most of the way, including when we got to the money. I won it for the second time this week.
May 10, 2012: Runner up in the big one.
May 17, 2012: Runner up.
May 22, 2012: You win again!
May 25, 2012: 12 runners, 3 places paid, €100.00 prize pool tonight. I trebled up in the first two hands; one guy thought he was playing stud. Then I goofed big time. I had a rebuy and an add-on. And a lot of luck. But I won it!
June 11, 2012: Congratulations but you didn’t win the tournament; third in the afternoon Limit Razz on PokerStars.
June 26, 2012: First place.
June 29, 2012: This guy was playing stud; unfortunately for him, the rest of us were playing razz!
July 23, 2012: The 16.45 €1.00 + €.10 rebuy. 16 runners, 3 places paid, 34 buy-ins, and no extras for me.
July 28, 2012: Winning the €3.00 + €.30, €120.00 Guaranteed Pot Limit Rebuy.
July 28, 2012: Congratulations, you have won the tournament. Second time today!
August 10, 2012: Third in the €100.00 Guaranteed.
August 19, 2012: Limit razz on PokerStars; with only 7 places paid the prize money for 4th was not great.
September 9, 2012: This guy thought his jacks up were good. He was playing stud while the rest of us were playing razz!
September 15, 2012: The 16.45 €1.00 + €.10 rebuy. 14 runners, 3 places paid, 34 buy-ins, an early rebuy and an add-on for me. I was runner up to the total moron. Originally this was captioned “The less said about this one the better!” If the above screengrab looks identical to the screengrab for July 23, 2012, take a closer look.
September 19, 2012: Winning the 21.40 again, the first time for a while. There were 11 runners and 3 places paid. I had an early rebuy thanks to some muppet but had the run of the cards after that.
September 21, 2012: Winning the big one again.
September 22, 2012: Winning the big one.
September 23, 2012: Eleven runners, three places paid, €95.00 prize pool. I had an add-on, and won the tournament. A hat trick!
October 4, 2012: TheDarkMan wins!
October 7, 2012: Only third this time!
October 9, 2012:
This is the 14.00, €3.00 + €.30 Rebuy, E100.00 Guaranteed. No extras for me. See also below.
October 9, 2012: A nice first prize this afternoon. See also above.
October 9, 2012: And a nice first prize tonight too!
October 19, 2012: You are guaranteed a prize. Always a nice feeling! See next screengrab.
October 19, 2012: 12 runners, 16 buy-ins, 3 places paid. Congratulations, not for the first time you have won the tournament.
October 24, 2012: A tournament I played very rarely, slightly higher stakes (for me) Limit Razz on PokerStars: I won it. It started 21.20 London time.
October 24, 2012: Late night on PokerStars ‐ the final hand in the $10 + $1 Limit Razz. See also the screengrab
immediately above.
November 2, 2012: No extras tonight as usual; I finished runner up. Small but effective.
November 3, 2012: Only 6 runners tonight and 2 places paid. A meagre €55.00 prize pool, and I had a rebuy too. But I won it!
November 6, 2012: The daily €1.00 + €.10 Pot Limit Rebuy; 15 runners, 36 buy-ins, and a nice prize pool.
November 6, 2012: Only seven runners tonight and only two places; I had a rebuy after screwing up, but with a total prize pool of €70.00 – 14 buy-ins – it was a nice tournament to win. See screengrab immediately below.
November 6, 2012: See screengrab immediately above.
December 30, 2012: the 21.40 again; I had an add-on or technically a rebuy at the end of the rebuy period, which means it cost me €10.50. There were 8 runners, 3 places paid, a €55.00 prize pool. I should probably have won this.
[The above was originally published as a blog on October 9, 2012. When I checked Digital Journal on June 17, 2014, only 9 images relating to razz (all uploaded by me) remained, something for which I will never forgive Silverberg. The captions and annotations used here are at times more detailed than the originals; the same can be said for screengrabs in some of the other poker articles/blogs from Digital Journal reprinted herein. I have also added a short essay The Pot Limit Razz Era, purely out of sentiment.]
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