I, Ulysses: Razz Guide Part 3

PLAYING RAZZ POKER

THIRD STREET

VIABLE OPPONENTS

A viable opponent, is one showing a playable door card, that is still active in the hand.

NO VIABLE OPPONENTS

If there are no viable opponents, you should immediately raise. This will either win you the antes immediately, or help to build a pot in which you can proceed with a clear advantage.

SINGLE VIABLE OPPONENT

If there is only a single viable opponent, you should also raise. This time, as well as attempting to steal the antes, you are looking to thin the playing-field; forcing unviable opponents to fold, or to play imperfectly. In this spot, you can either win the pot immediately, or get the hands heads-up against a single opponent, which will simplify all of your decisions on later streets. Should your opponents without viable door cards call your raise, you will be forced to play a multi-way pot (which is bad in Razz, with only a three-card hand), but at least you will have a clear advantage on most of your opponents.

UNVIABLE OPPONENTS

When opponents with unviable door cards play their hands on Third Street, you should assume that they hold almost perfect cards in the hole (certainly eights or lower – quite probably two cards to a wheel). Although this will not always be the case, it is a safe assumption lacking any further information about that player. Whilst you should always take every opportunity to learn how your opponents play whenever a showdown occurs; getting the opportunity to view an opponent’s hole cards after they have proceeded with an unviable door card, will enable you to accurately classify them as either a loose player (if their hole cards are babies), or a simply a weak player (if they are holding a nine-or-higher in the hole after playing out in this spot).

MULTIPLE VIABLE OPPONENTS

If there are several viable opponents on Third Street, your decisions become less simple, and you will need to consider your position at the table relative to your potential opponents.

POSITION

When playing against multiple opponents, your [betting] position on Third Street is key – in particular, your position relative to the player that Brings-in, and your position relative to opponents with playable door cards.

Clearly, having position on Third Street will provide you with a significant advantage that you would not otherwise have. Many potentially-viable opponents will simply fold due to the weakness of their three-card starting hand, which may enable you to play heads-up against a single opponent, or fold a marginal hand in the face of Third Street aggression. If several opponents continue in the hand, knowing which are playing, with what door cards, will enable you to make a key decision here – do you continue in the hand cautiously, or aggressively? With a premium starting hand, and favorable table conditions, raise to build a pot and place pressure back on your opponents – many players advocate capping the betting in these spots, and it certainly forces opponents with less stringent starting requirements to commit chips unfavorably – building a pot geometrically in these spots provides a buffer against the inherent variance on Third Street in Razz. With a marginal starting hand (or a strong starting hand when the table conditions are unfavorable) you may take a more cautious approach to continuing in the hand. Having position provides you with the advantage of choosing whether to fold a non-premium hand if forced to cold-call two bets or more; or to call a single raise with the intention of considering the texture of the board on Fourth Street.

Being out of position on Third Street, when facing multiple, viable, opponents is a very tricky spot, and you should accept that you are quite likely to lose value when playing these positions, regardless of the strength of your starting hand.

Consider your potential strength – do you have a premium, or strong, starting hand? Is your potential strength, relative to your opponents’ up-cards sufficient to confidently proceed with the hand? Are any of your perfect cards already dead? If so, you should proceed with more caution; on the other hand, if there are cards that you already hold that are dead, and your perfect cards are live, you may proceed with more confidence. Have any opponents called, or raised, bring-in prior to your turn?

If a single opponent raises, you may wish to re-raise and make later opponents face cold-calling two raises on Third Street. Be careful, as this can be a play of ambiguous value, forcing out opponents with marginal hands that you would prefer to play against, and building a pot for opponents with premium hands to play back into. However, you will invariably increase your odds of winning a pot, by facing a single, rather than multiple, opponents – even if you also increase your single opponent’s already-favorable odds at the same time.

STEALING THE ANTES

We have already discussed how to play a decent starting hand on Third Street, against no viable opponents – you raise in order to win the pot immediately.

If you don’t have a decent starting hand on Third Street, but do have a decent up-card; there may still an opportunity to use your apparent strength to win the pot immediately.

APPARENT STRENGTH

Apparent strength is based on the up-cards that you have showing; therefore, on Third Street, your apparent strength is simply the rank of your door-card. In the following examples, all of the hands have an apparent strength of 3-high.

Apparent strength is exerted to steal the antes, when your opponents’ relative strength is low, and [usually] when you are the first player after the bring-in to make a non-mucking action.

Identifying the most appropriate spots for stealing the antes is an essential element of a winning Razz strategy. Consider the pot odds, looking at two of the most common betting structures used in Razz:-

1:2:4:8 Betting Structure

8 x Antes (1) = 8

1 x Bring-in = 2

Pot = 10

Your Raise = 4

Pot Odds

10 to 4 = 2.5 to 1

2:5:10:20 Betting Structure

8 x Antes (2) = 16

1 x Bring-in = 5

Pot = 21

Your Raise = 10

Pot Odds

21 to 10 = 2.1 to 1

At a full table of eight players, if you are the first player (after the Bring-in) to bet on Third Street, the pot will be giving you odds of over 2:1 on your raise. This means that you need only be successful one time in every three attempts, for it to be profitable in the long term. Those odds assume that successfully stealing the antes on Third Street, is the only way your hand can win the pot; in fact, if a Steal attempt is not immediately successful, there are stills ways in which your hand may win the pot (see Fourth Street – Continuing with a Failed Steal).

Of course, you would like your steals to be successful more often than one time in three, and so it is crucial to use your position and apparent strength subtly, to best manipulate your opponents. If you are in a later position, all the players between the bring-in and you have folded, and any players left to act after you are showing tens or above; you will [obviously] want to raise with a wheel card 100% of the time. With more players left to act behind you, and a less significant advantage between your apparent strength and those opponents’ relative strength, your stealing frequency should decrease commensurately.

There can be no hard and fast rule about absolute stealing frequency, and you will always need to temper your attempts to the table you are playing at – increasing the frequency when playing into tight opponents, and decreasing the frequency when playing into looser opponents. Try to steal sufficiently often that your opponents are tempted to incorrectly call your value raises on Third Street; yet infrequently enough that your steals maintain a healthy profit over the course of a session.

DEFENDING THE BRING-IN

When is it correct to defend your bring-in against a possible ante steal?

If you are only required to complete your bring-in to a single small bet; are facing no more than two opponents; have two wheel cards in the hole (preferably including an Ace); and the number of exposed wheel cards that do not match those in your hand, does not exceed the number that do match.

These are fairly strict requirements. Against a single opponent that you have observed opening light, or routinely stealing the antes; it is correct to loosen these a little – playing hole cards that include a six or a seven, for example; or defending if there is a small net reduction in your modulated strength.

Consider the pot odds, looking at two of the most common betting structures used in Razz.

Against a single opponent:-

1:2:4:8 Betting Structure

8 x Antes (1) = 8

Your bring-in = 2

First Raise = 4

Pot = 14

Your call = 2

Pot Odds

14 to 2 = 7 to 1

2:5:10:20 Betting Structure

8 x Antes (2) = 16

Your bring-in = 5

First Raise = 10

Pot = 31

Your call = 5

Pot Odds

31 to 5 = 6.2 to 1

Against a single opponent, you will be getting between 6 and 7 to 1 to complete your bring-in. Against two opponents, you would be getting between 8 and 9 to 1 to complete your bring-in. Defending your bring-in against three or more opponents, is generally incorrect, as the likelihood of at least one opponent catching perfect, or apparently perfect, cards is too great to countenance continuing with a two-card starting hand.

If you are holding A-2-K, your odds of improving to an 8-high or better by the river are 4.1 to 1. These are certainly enough, given the pot odds offered, to justify taking a card on Fourth Street, and seeing if you can catch an eight or lower that doesn’t pair your hand.

WHEN THE BRING-IN COMPLETES OR RAISES

When the bring-in makes a full small bet amount, or raises a bet from another player; you should assume that they hold almost perfect cards in the hole, generally A-2, or an Ace with another Wheel Card.

When the bring-in completes their bet, you should assume that they hold two wheel cards in the hole or, if they are a loose player, two cards seven or lower.

These generalisations will not always be correct and, as with any poker heuristics, you should observe your opponents, and refine future decisions accordingly. However, beginning with these assumptions should enable you to play correctly against an unknown opponent in this situation.

READING THE BOARD ON THIRD STREET

It is important to consider the board fully on Third Street, from the moment the cards are dealt, to the last betting action; and use all the available information to develop a coherent picture of where you stand in relation to your opponents.

Keep track of all the exposed low cards, and consider how these relate to your hand, and those of your opponents

If cards in your hand were dealt as door cards on Third Street, were they dealt to players that have mucked, or players that are continuing in the hand? Your advantage will be shared with your opponent, if they also continue in the hand. It’s also useful to keep track of all matching [low] door cards, as these will confer an advantage on your opponents’, if they play their hands.

Is your hand strong relative to your opponents' and, if so, will your opponents be able to discern this clearly?

Remember, with a strong relative hand, you are unambiguously ahead on Third Street and should raise to take the pot, or force your opponents to call incorrectly.

Do you hold a premium starting hand, or a strong starting hand with a smooth kicker?

Premium starting hands, and strong starting hands with smooth kickers, will draw to optimum hands, and will have the best redraws, if they make less optimum hands on Fifth or Sixth Street. Consider the following examples:-

On Third Street, both Hero and Villain, hold 8-highs with an Ace in the hole – both catch a 3 on Fourth Street and a 4 on Fifth Street – giving both players a made 8-high with two cards to go. If Hero catches perfectly on the Turn or River a 5 would make a Wheel; but if Villain catches perfectly, their 2 will only make a Seven-Four; If Hero catches their second best redraw, a 6 would make a Six-high; but if Villain catches their second best redraw, a 5 would make a Seven-Five. Finally, if Hero catches their worst redraw, a 7 would make a Seven-Four; if Villain catches their worst redraw, a 6 would make a rough Seven.

Use Apparent Strength to overcome Relative Weakness

Look for opportunities to [correctly] steal the antes. Use Third Street position and apparent strength to force opponents out of the hand, or to put them onto the defensive during Fourth Street.

Think about future position

Consider what position you are likely to hold on later streets if you catch a good card, or if you don’t - begin to plan how you will respond in both situations.

Think about betting actions in the context of the board

Has an opponent indicated the strength of their hole cards by defending their bring-in, or continuing despite a clearly weak door card? Likewise, has an opponent indicated a possible steal attempt by open-raising the bring-in with a premium door card?

Continue to RE-Evaluate

Make sure that you continue to consider these factors, as hands develop - in particular, when opponents subsequently show down. Use every opportunity to develop your understanding of how your opponents are playing on Third Street.

PROBABILITIES ON THIRD STREET

Final Hand strength when holding:-