Razz By Brian Boyko

Page 1

Panel 1.1

Description Ext. Outside Ryans House. Bull is walking to the door.

Dialog Caption: In Austin, its six miles to the nearest legit poker room. The underground rooms are shady, and the rakes a killer. That leaves home games. Caption: And this has got to be one of the toughest home games in Austin.

1.2

Int., Poker Room. There are seven players seated - eight including the dedicated dealer. The ninth, Ryan, is opening the door, in the middle of giving Bull a high five.

RYAN Bull! Glad you could make it buddy. Come on in. How much you buying in for? BULL Hey Ryan, glad to see you. take eighty. Ill

1.3

closeup of the money sliding across the table in exchange for chips.

Caption: 98% of home poker games out there are no-limit Texas holdem. But Ryan runs a mixed game. Its not enough to be good at one form of poker. All-in-all, theres ten different games in the mix. Caption: No Limit Holdem, four variations of Pot Limit Omaha including Big-O-High-Low-Eight, Four different stud variants, and Badugi.

Page 2

Panel 2.1

Description Bull looks at his hand. Its a 6 and a 4.

Dialog Caption: Right now were playing fixed limit $5-$10 Razz, a Stud variant. Your goal in razz is to make the worst hand possible - and straights and flushes do not count. Low cards are good, aces are very good, high cards and pairs are bad. So the best possible hand is 5-4-3-2-A - known as "the wheel."

2.2

Players have two cards down, one up. Ted has a 5, Bull has a King. Everyone else has sixes or fours. There are eight blue chips in the middle. Ted is seated immediately to Bulls left. Bull looks at his upcard, frowning, tossing in two white chips. Caption: My problem right now is that I have a king showing. Kings are the worst possible card to have in Razz. Whats more, because I have the worst "worst" hand showing, Im forced to bring in the initial $2 bet.

2.3

Page 3

Panel 3.1

Description Ted tosses in a $5 chip with confidence.

Dialog TED Complete to $5. PLAYER 2 (OS) Fold. PLAYER 3 (OS) Fold. PLAYER 4 (OS) Fold. DEALER (OS) Bull? Action on you...

3.2

Bull sizes up Ted.

Caption: Ted was the first to act, with a 5 up, and six players left to act behind him - all with good cards showing. This isnt to steal the antes - I have to give him credit for a great hand if hes opening with a raise. He probably has three to the wheel already. Maybe 5-2-A or 5-3-2.

3.3

Bull reaches to muck his hand

Caption: With a king up, and drawing with two-to-a-six when Teds representing three-to-a-five, it would be crazy to play this hand...

3.4

Bull thinks better of it and pulls the cards back. The faces on the other players are shocked.

Caption: ...Crazy like a fox.

3.5

BULL (OS.) Call.

Page 4

Panel 4.1

Description Ted smirks.

Dialog TED Youre calling with a king showing? You could just give me the money and save time... Caption: The thing about Ted is that hes a solid Holdem player. But in Holdem, there are no dead cards - cards that cant be in either your hands or your opponents.

4.2

The board is shown from overhead in muted colors its a flashback

Caption: And the cards I saw that were dead were three fours, two sixes, and a queen.

4.3

Extreme close up. furrows his brow.

Bull

Caption: With those cards dead, its impossible that Ill pair my four, and nearly impossible to pair my six. Just on the math alone, Im winning forty-ish percent of the time. Caption: Its only gonna cost me $3 to try to win the $9 in the pot. Its a correct call if I only win one-time-out-of-three, but Im winning two times out of five.

4.4

Bull turns to Ted

BULL Wheres the fun in that?

4.5

Bull turns back to his cards.

Caption: Besides, I can always fold if I brick Fourth Street.

Page 5

Panel 5.1

Description The dealer flips over a 9 for Bull and a Jack for Ted.

Dialog Caption: I know it doesnt look like it, but my King-Nine, as improbable as it seems, is actually a 51% favorite over his Jack-Four because of the dead cards.

5.2

Ted rolls his eyes.

TED Bet $5. Caption: Plus, with everyone folding with sixes and fours showing - playable hands if they didnt have high cards in the hole - I gotta believe that the other players folded high cards, meaning that the remaining decks full of low cards that make my hand, but pair Teds up. In other words, Im more than a 51% favorite, Im actually a strong favorite, though I dont quite know how strong. Caption: But whats really gonna make this hand profitable is that to Ted, it looks like I have complete garbage that cant even call a single bet.

5.3

Bull smiles.

BULL Raise to $10.

5.4

Ted looks incredulous.

TED. Fifteen.

5.5

Bull continues to smile.

BULL Call. Caption: I could re-re-raise here, but if I do, Ted - who is no dummy - might start to wonder what the hell is up. And the betting limits double on the next street.

Page 6

Panel 6.1

Description The cards come out on 5th street. Bull now has King-Nine-Seven, Ted has Five-Jack-Nine.

Dialog Caption: Fifth street isnt bad, but its not great either. Were still about a coin-flip - Im not sure who is "ahead," equity-wise, but Ted is still leading. Hes got at least a made Jack-Nine. My made hand is a King-nine, and Im drawing to a Nine-Seven, while hes drawing to a Nine-Five.

6.2

Ted tosses two red chips in.

TED Ten.

6.3

Bull looks like hes agonizing over the decision over three small panels. Cont. Caption: Despite appearances, this is one of the easier calls Ive made in my life.

6.4

6.5

Cont, Bull tosses the two chips in.

BULL Call.

6.6

The dealer deals out 6th st. Its a 3 for Bull, ... and an ACE for Ted!

6.7

Page 7

Panel 7.1 7.2

Description Ted sits there and smiles. Bull looks worried.

Dialog

Caption: Im not acting this time...

7.3

Ted, with confidence, tosses out two red chips.

TED Its been fun, Bull, but Ill take it down now. DEALER Ten dollars to you, Bull.

7.4

Bull looks deflated.

Caption: Dammit. Did he just make his Nine-Five versus my Nine-Seven? Friggin Razz. Theres a reason nobody likes this game...

Page 8

Panel 8.1

Description Bull is deep in thought.

Dialog Caption: Okay, lets think about this. Ive still got ten outs to a rough seven. Three fives, three aces, and four deuc-- no, wait, if it didnt pair him, Ted has to have a deuce in the hole, mathmatically. So nine outs even if Im behind. Thats maybe, what, 32%?

8.2

Bull stares down Ted, trying to get a read

Caption: But it could have paired him. I mean, he either had Ace-deuce, Ace-Trey, or Deuce-Trey to start with. And if it did pair him - Im a huge, huge favorite. Like... 85% to win.

Page 9

Panel 9.1

Description A bead of sweat falls on Bulls face. Teds eyes glimmer with malice.

Dialog

9.2

Caption: That does not look like a man who paired his ace...

9.3

Bull looks aside, thinking.

Caption: Then again, it also looks like a man who doesnt want to look like he paired his ace...

9.4

Bull looks like he just got an idea.

Caption: Wait a second. What the hell am I worried about? Theres only twelve combos of 32 he could have in the hole, and 21 combos of A3 or A2 he could have. And even if Im wrong - hell, Im only a 33% dog, the pots already $72, and Ive only got $45 behind. So even if I am behind, I could call off my $45 and still be correct to do so...

9.5

Ted waves his hand in front of Bulls face.

TED Earth calling Bull. Come in, Bull. Cmon man, make up your mind, call or fold.

Page 10

Panel 10.1

Description Teds face is intense.

Dialog TED. Call. Or. Fold.

10.2

Bull grins.

BULL Raise.

10.3

Ted is shocked.

TED What?

10.4

Bull grins.

BULL Cmon man, I cant stop now! Lets do this thing! Its ten to you, twenty all-day.

10.5

Ted is angry.

TED Re-raise to thirty!

10.6

Bull is wild-eyed

BULL Forty!

Page 11

Panel 11.1

Description Ted slams down a stack of ten red chips

Dialog Caption: Fifty!

Page 12

Panel 12.1 12.2

Description Bull is shrugging calmly... and flips over his 6-4.

Dialog

BULL I call. That puts me all in for forty-five, so you can take a red chip back. If youve got me, youve got me. Im all-in.

12.3

Ted looks at his hole cards. He flips over Ace-Deuce, disgustedly. The dealer deals out the last card. Its a second King for Bull... Caption: A pair of kings... Boy, the poker gods do love to make you sweat...

12.4

12.5

...and an eight for Ted.

Page 13

Panel 13.1

Description Bull re-arranges his cards in order.

Dialog BULL Lets see. Thats... a nine-seven.

13.2

Ted is furiously trying to make a better hand - an impossible task. Deflated, Ted says

TED A nine.... uh... nine...

13.3

TED Nine-eight.

13.4

The dealer pushes the pot to Bull.

Page 14

Panel 14.1

Description Ted is really steaming.

Dialog TED. I cant believe it. Ive got three to the wheel, he calls me with a king-up, RAISES me with King-Nine on fourth street, gets there, and gets the money in on sixth.

14.2

Ted is damn near losing it.

TED. Bull, you have got to be THE WORST Razz player in the entire world. Jesus.

14.3

Bull is stacking his chips.

BULL Sorry, Ted. I just got a little lucky on you...

14.4

We see the entire table, other than Ted and Bull, laughing.

Caption: Lucky.

Yeah, right.