Razz - Defending Your Bring-In

As anyone who has played Razz can attest, the game is probably the most consistently frustrating poker variant of all. Perfect three-card and even four-card starting hands quickly devolve into full houses and three pair, and other players at your table who have no idea how to play the game hit three miracle cards in a row to run you down. One of the most annoying situations that can come up occurs when you are repeatedly stuck with the bring-in, meaning that you have the highest card showing at the beginning of the hand.  When this happens, you are forced to start the action on the first round of betting.  Therefore, an important question to answer is “How aggressively should I defend my bring-in bet to a raise, and when should I do it?”

Making the decision to defend should be based on three factors:
1) How many players are at the table and are active in the hand,
 2) Who the player is that made the raise, and
3) What that player’s door card is, as well as what your hole cards are. 

Before looking at these three issues, it is important to remember that Razz offers no place to hide, meaning that there is no way to bluff that the king of diamonds is anything but a horrible card. Whereas in 7 Card Stud, that deuce of hearts you are bringing the bet in with could be part of rolled-up trips or three cards to a straight flush, that king is just, pure and simple, a big, ugly brick.  Therefore, there is a good chance that you are a full card behind, even with two great hole cards, and unless you have a good reason to feel that you are relatively even with the raiser, you should fold.

Having said that, let’s look at times when defending the bring-in can be a solid play. Consider the fact that, at a typical $1-$2 table, with a 10 cent ante and eight players, there will be about $1.30 in the pot (80 cents in antes plus your typical 50 cent bring-in) before someone completes the bet to $1. If only one player is in the pot, there will be $2.30 in the middle, and you will be getting close to 5 to 1 odds to make the call. If two players are in, your pot odds are even better, however, you can be certain that at least one, and maybe both of the others is a full card ahead, greatly reducing your chance of eventually winning the pot.

If you have been observing the table, you should already be aware of which players are consistently trying to steal the antes by raising with a low door card.  In addition, it is much more common for a late position player to try and steal the pot if he has the lowest door card showing, even if he has two big cards in the hole. If a chronic pot stealer or a late position player is the one making the raise, you can make the call, IF your two hole cards are either two wheel cards (A-2-3-4-5) or both lower than the raiser’s door card. With the pot odds you are getting, the decision to play in this situation should be profitable, especially if you catch another good card on fourth street while he catches bad.

By defending your bring-in in this type of situation, you will prevent other players from automatically raising you every time you have the bring-in, knowing that you might play back at them.  This will result in times when you get a free pass on your bring-in, which is always a pleasant surprise.  The most important thing in this situation is not to be totally predictable, which will keep your opponents off balance, not knowing just how you will react in different situations.