There’s a common attitude amongst less experienced razz players, and even some more experienced ones, that there isn’t much to 4th street. If you catch a brick, you decide to fold or call; if you catch well, you bet or call. Maybe if you catch really, really well, you raise, if you get the chance, which you probably won’t. To these players, 4th street appears cut-and-dried.
Their play is what’s cut-and-dried if they believe this. 4th street is your land of opportunity. Like all streets, it has its own critical decisions to be made. Unlike other streets, it sits on the brink of big bets. You can do a lot of things here you might not be willing to risk on a big bet street. And knowing many of your opponents don’t want to make risky plays on later streets, you can set up situations where you can get free cards, build fold equity or set traps. In poker you are always playing: the hand, the session, the game (usually called the “metagame”) and every opponent at the table. In every hand when you act, you play the streets behind you, the one you are on, and the streets to come.
Power Betting the Weak Hand Against the Weak Opponent:
you: (85)25 opponent: xxA8
Your opponent limped in on a balanced board. You were the cut-off and completed, he called. What will you do? Unless you intend to fold this hand to one bet, you bet out. Some will make the argument that the A8 is likely to be playing some sort of brick or a very weak hand, like (97)A. Yes, he probably is. So, they say, if I check he’ll probably check behind me and I can see how things look on 5th street. Then I can just fold 5th street if I brick again. You can do that. A lot of people do that. They play “I don’t want to put in any money unless I’m sure I’m ahead or have a really good draw” razz. These are people who are only playing the hand in their hand and street they are on against the player who is in that single hand with them.
Let’s see how that works out. How many people are interested in this hand? More than two, unless you are at a heads-up table. Your play is being watched by anyone else at the table who is serious about their game. The higher limit you play, the more people this includes. Let’s say you check here, and 5th street comes: (85)25K against xxA87. Even if your opponent played a 9 in the hole, you still have to catch runner-runner. And now you are on a big bet street, so you fold. Anyone watching is instantly typing “checks hidden pairs” in their note box. That means when in hands with those players, every time you get a hidden pair and check on 4th, those players, who may also have paired or may be playing less than premium hands, are going to bet you off your hand. As the session progresses, experienced, more aggressive players will take to coming in against you with marginal hands they would fold against anyone else, betting with (9K)A7 whenever you check 4th and you will soon not be able to keep up.
What if you check, 5th street comes (85)258 and xxA87, and you want to bluff-bet? You can’t. You already told your opponent you had a three-card hand on 4th street when you checked. He isn’t going to buy the bluff and is only going to fold if he paired twice.
You bet when the hands are (85)25 vs. xxA8 because you read your opponent as weak. Often, he’ll fold. It’s common to limp an 8, especially a pretty weak 8, so he may have paired. If not, and he has (97)A8 or (66)A8, he may still fold rather than face what looks like a very good draw. If he does call, he is much more likely to fold 5th if you catch well again, even if he does, also. Remember, you completed on 3rd; you said you had a decent hand to start. There isn’t anything wrong with choosing to fold a hidden pair, but if you decide to play it – then play it aggressively. Checking here is just an advertisement for pairing.
It could be argued that if 5th comes (85)25K and xxA87 after you have bet 4th, when you fold, they’ll know you bet a pair, anyway. First, you might get a check here. You see, your opponent might hope he can get a free card with his weak hand. Because you completed 3rd and bet 4th, the weak 87, who may have paired or made a 98 or only have three live cards at this point, will assume you will call a bet, or possibly raise 5th with a stronger draw. He’ll check in the hope you will take a free card with the K up, and to avoid a check/raise. If the 87 bets into you, your fold can easily mean you were playing a 9 yourself, which will get you more action later on when you complete with your always-good hands.
To Check When You Pair, First Check When You’re Good
you: (A5)34 opponent: XX76
Players generally hate the idea of checking here because it looks like such an obvious attempt at a check/raise and your opponent is as likely to check behind as bet. This is true and the reason why you want to do this about once a session for effect. If the 76 bets and you raise, whether or not you win the hand, you will have established an image that will allow you to take a free card now and then against these opponents. If this wheel draw is live enough, you can also simply call in order to trap the 76 into calling you all the way down. You simply want to underplay the hand in a way obvious enough to confuse your opponents about why you might be checking 4th street.
You will also want to check once in a while, when you are marginal: (64)57 vs. xx47. If this hand goes to showdown, you will have completely confused your opponents who will have no idea what a 4th street check means when you do it.
It should go without saying that calling a bet when paired or with a monster, is a different situation entirely than betting out with one.
Envelope Pushing: Raising with the Worse Board
you: (85)28 opponent: xxA8
When the A8 bets out here, it is natural, and for the most part your best choice, to fold. However, if this is another situation where you have read your opponent for weakness and you don’t want to abandon your hand, instead of calling try raising here. You are going to surprise your opponent and he’s going to believe you have something like A3 in the hole. (One thing to keep in mind is that whenever you bet out, whether you intend to or not, you are always asking a question and making a statement: “Do you really want to put more money into this pot?” and “I have a much better hand than you right now.”) This opponent might be unlikely to fold right here, but he will be more vulnerable to pressure on 5th or later big bets streets if you catch well and pressure him again. The next 6 or better you catch will make him believe you have a very nice made 8. This is a play you want to make only when you have great board support and a very solid read. If you use it sparingly and get lucky on a later street, it will pay off.
Power Folding
you: (75)25 opponent: xx74
Let’s say in this situation, instead of having a weak read on the 74, he has completed-in on 3rd and you called. He is a solid played and you believe he has a decent three-card hand. You have no other indicators to make you want to play, but you are tempted to bet because checking or folding seems too weak, or you just like bluffing. Just check/fold it. It’s a great power play. Everyone who isn’t asleep at the table is going to notice you folding this hand. “Folds hidden pair” they will type into their note boxes. What a great image, really tight, possibly even weak – at least very conservative. This kind of fold makes all those hidden pairs you will bet out with or occasionally raise with, really pay off. There is a faulty logic players often employ that says: “If he will fold a hidden pair on 4th this time, when he does bet 4th, he must have four live cards.”
You might have noted the seemingly glaring inconsistency of me saying at the beginning of this article that having opponents typing this note was a bad thing, while here, I am saying it is good. Huh? In the first instance, what they would be typing would be true – if you always check/fold your hidden pairs, you will cripple yourself over the long term and miss a lot of opportunities to win. In this case, you have a well-chosen moment to fold when you seem to be ahead, the kind of hand that is commonly bluff-bet. In this case you get to both make the best choice re: bankroll and also mislead your opponents as to your future actions.
And, of course, if you’ve been check/raising on other hands, an opponent in this situation will check behind some of the time, and then fold when 5th street comes (75)254 vs his xx74Q and you bet him off his hand.
Generally:
If you have a hand on 4th street that you believe is weaker than your opponent’s hand and you want to play it, anyway, make sure you have a strong base from play on 3rd (no limping on your part) and make a strong play on 4th. You cannot pull off a bluff on a later street if you’ve played weakly on 4th street. Taking some risks on the small bet street can lead to nice profits on big bet streets.
Play your strong 4th street hands inconsistently: bet out with some, check/call some, and check/raise some. Check/call the weak opponent who will fold and the aggressive opponent who will do your betting for you. Check/raise a LAG who will three-bet you, or in a multiway pot to get players out or get a lot more money in.
Raising 4th street:
- Uses a single small bet to get a free card on 5th street
- Represents a stronger hand to induce a fold on a later street
- Reveals how strong an opponent is. You use one small bet to save later big bets by folding earlier.
- Will induce surprise folds.
Check 4th Street With:
- A big hand and risking the loss of one small bet, often traps an opponent into calling more big bets on later streets
- A hand you will fold to one bet. (Can sometimes get you a free card if you were previously seen to have check/raised.)
Call 4th Street With:
- A big hand you want to trap with ...
- An obvious weak hand you hope will improve on 5th while your opponent bricks
- A mystery hand where you have no idea who is ahead
Folding 4th Street with an Obvious Bluffable Hidden Pair
- Will make future bluff bets more credible
- Will make your opponents believe you are tighter than you are
- Can induce a future bet or raise from an opponent with a moderate to weak hand when you have a big hand since he believes you will fold if you are weak
These plays are things to consider during the course of play that can be used to take hands you would normally give up, take charge when you’d usually play passively, and see opportunity when it arises. Incorporate some of these ideas, try them out, and use them to conceptualize the game in what might be a very new way for you. Consistency is the hobgoblin you want to avoid in your own game, and discover in your opponents’.
Other Razz articles by listening that previously appeared in the Two Plus Two Internet Magazine can be found at - Listening’s Razz Blog.
