Cash Game Razz - who acts first here? (1 Viewer)

[200 Motels]

Heads up Razz hand 4/8 limit.

Player 1 has xxAAT6
Player 2 has xx545K

Who acts first? I believe it's AA because ace is low in Razz. Simple. Others at our game contested that AA is high in this scenario therefore 55 goes first.

Spoiler: Result

action went check, check[/SPOILER]

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Lowest hand showing: 55 is lower than the AA.

This is wrong, leaving it up for shame. Aces are low so pair of Aces is lower.

 

[NotDunric]

Lowest hand showing: 55 is lower than the AA.

I think the OP is right, that since aces play strictly as low in Razz, AA is a lower hand than 55 and should act first.

WSOP rules call out that Aces are low specifically, vs a game where aces play high AND low (like O8 or similar).

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I think the OP is right, that since aces play strictly as low in Razz, AA is a lower hand than 55 and should act first.

WSOP rules call out that Aces are low specifically, vs a game where aces play high AND low (like O8 or similar).
View attachment 1061326

Ohhh so pair of Aces is lower! I never connected that in my head, I think you're completely right. For some reason pair of Aces was still high hand in my head.

Thanks for connecting some wires for me.

 

[BEANO52]

100% Aces are low.

 

[dmoney]

I'm not an expert, and there's a good chance I'm wrong.

Aren't Razz hands "top down"? A2367 is a "76 low" vs A2358 is an "85 low" and the second best hand.

Since neither hand actually has a low at this point, would the hands be ranked top down? ie K554 vs T6AA, with T6AA being the lower of the two and acting first?

 

[NotDunric]

I'm not an expert, and there's a good chance I'm wrong.

Aren't Razz hands "top down"? A2367 is a "76 low" vs A2358 is an "85 low" and the second best hand.

Since neither hand actually has a low at this point, would the hands be ranked top down? ie K554 vs T6AA, with T6AA being the lower of the two and acting first?

There's no qualifier in Razz, so every hand "has a low" at all times. Therefore you check what each hand is, in this case 55K4 (pair of 5s) vs AAT6 (pair of As) and the lower pair is the 'winner' of who acts first.

e: But if there were no pairs in either hand, then yes, counting down from the top is how you'd determine low hand. For example, if one of the 5s was say, a 3, and one of the As was say, a 9, it'd be K543 (K high) vs T96A (T high), and the T high would be the lower hand, and act first.

 

[BGinGA]

Heads up Razz hand 4/8 limit.

Player 1 has xxAAT6
Player 2 has xx545KView attachment 1061324

Who acts first? I believe it's AA because ace is low in Razz. Simple. Others at our game contested that AA is high in this scenario therefore 55 goes first.

Spoiler: Result

action went check, check[/SPOILER]

55K4 is the worst (high) hand, and thus action is on AAT6.

 

[TheOffalo]

If there's confusion in Razz, what I usually do is figure out which hand would lose if it was a regular (high-only) poker game (but discounting straights and flushes), and that should be the winning hand in Razz...

...Except for cases involving pairs/trips/quad aces (as in the OP), which you'd rank lower than pairs/trips/quads of any other ranks.

Maybe the people who'd rank AA higher than 55 are used to 2-7 low games, where aces are always high? (I was in a 2-7 triple draw hand once where I ended up with A2345 thinking I'd lost with a straight. But the other player had a pair in his hand. So I won since my hand was actually 2345A and not a straight.)

 

[upNdown]

Yeah I would have said AA was the higher hand. I know A is low in razz, but I guess it never occurred to me that a pair of aces could be the bottom pair. Live and learn!

 

[TheOffalo]

Now I'm wondering how confusing short deck Razz or short deck Kansas City ("2-7") Lowball would be! Best short deck Razz hand would be A6789, I'd think. Best short deck "2-7" low hand would be... 6789J?

 

[dmoney]

Now I'm wondering how confusing short deck Razz or short deck Kansas City ("2-7") Lowball would be! Best short deck Razz hand would be A6789, I'd think. Best short deck "2-7" low hand would be... 6789J?

I fold.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Dumb game, my tattoo of two Aces smoking a joint that says 'High Hand' is less cool while playing it, bummer.

 

[JustinInMN]

Maybe the people who'd rank AA higher than 55 are used to 2-7 low games, where aces are always high? (I was in a 2-7 triple draw hand once where I ended up with A2345 thinking I'd lost with a straight. But the other player had a pair in his hand. So I won since my hand was actually 2345A and not a straight.)

Yes Aces play high only in 2-7, not "both ways" as in high-poker. You had the nut ace-low . You beat all other ace-lows and any paired hands.