[electrical]

Standard caveats aside (I'm still learning split-pot games, I'm bad at poker generally, I don't play this high often, I don't know this crowd, mixed games are more about exploiting uncertainties and meta-game stuff...), I post in threads like this because I often see high-stakes hands that just baffle me, and I'm hoping that there is something other than "they often have nothing here" that I can grasp with my meager poker mind. This seems like a situation where "they often have nothing here" isn't even a reason to chase half the pot.

Straight hi, you aren't involved in this hand at all. Straight Razz (ignore the bring-in rule for a moment), you maybe peel because some villains will defend with a big card, some pair cards have folded and your backdoor draws are better than theirs. In a split pot game, the Razz considerations don't apply because big cards in the hole hurt you for high and you wouldn't mind making a pair.

That villain could have a really wide range doesn't really make the hand any easier to play. A pair of Threes in the hole sucks for us, an Ace in the hole sucks for us, little cards suck for us...

What can you catch on Fifth to make you like your hand, and alternately what cards constitute "bad" cards for villain?

When I'm going to play in a confusing situation, where I never really know where I'm at, I like to have something going for me if it turns out I've made the right decisions -- an overlay of some kind. What's the bonus for playing here? What extra thing other than maybe getting our money back is there? How do you scoop? How do you get an extra bet?

If the answer to all these questions is "catch good twice while he bricks," then I guess it's not that big a mystery after all, but I'm hoping there's more to it than that.