Why Isn't Poker Stars Razz $1/2 Ever Played

[TomBrooks]

Poker Stars usually has a couple of tables of Razz .5/1 and $2/4 going on, but the $1/2 game is virtually always empty. What's up with that?

[jbrennen]

Could be the rake structure.

At $1/$2, you start to have rake taken out at 2.5 BB pot size.

At .50/$1 and $2/$4, there's no rake taken until the pot
reaches 5 BBs.


Full Tilt has a similar rake issue with the $1/$2 tables there, but it doesn't seem to matter on Full Tilt... Maybe the Stars players are smarter about these things, or maybe Full Tilt players don't mind the rake so much because they can get rakeback, plus they get Full Tilt points for every penny of rake paid, which can't be said for Stars' FPP program.

[RustyBrooks]

Actually if I can piggyback I noticed when I started playing .5/1 on FTP that the bringin amount is less as a proportion of the bet size. At .25/.5 the bringin is .1 and at .5/1 the bringin is .15. Is this enough of a difference to play differently? I'm thinking you'd want to limp a little more with some bad hands and fold to completions (because the portion of a completion that you've put in is smaller, and compared to the bringin, the bets you can win on 4th are larger)

[Praxising]

[ QUOTE ]
Poker Stars usually has a couple of tables of Razz .5/1 and $2/4 going on, but the $1/2 game is virtually always empty. What's up with that?

[/ QUOTE ]

Play the PS Razz trnys. That's where most of the good players go. They are better than FT's IMO. And you will see play at 1/2, I play there, myself - but beware - when they come, they are very tough. Especially Winkie.

Also keep in mind that PS has no micro limit razz the way they have all the other stud games - no .05/.10 even. So everyone learning is trying to play as cheaply as possible. Those good guys would only end up playing each other at 1/2.

Keep watching - especially week-ends. You'll find a game.

[ChipsAhoya]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually if I can piggyback I noticed when I started playing .5/1 on FTP that the bringin amount is less as a proportion of the bet size. At .25/.5 the bringin is .1 and at .5/1 the bringin is .15. Is this enough of a difference to play differently? I'm thinking you'd want to limp a little more with some bad hands and fold to completions (because the portion of a completion that you've put in is smaller, and compared to the bringin, the bets you can win on 4th are larger)

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, you're right, it's always important to consider your pot odds. Make an excel sheet to calculate the various odds on 3rd and 4th and you can see the differences between the levels.