Bring it in for the full bet - when?

[Alex Scott]

Hey there. Been playing a fair bit of Stud, Razz and Stud/8 recently, with encouraging results.

One thing I've noticed is that it is very rare for somebody to bring it in for the full bet, and whenever someone does do it, it's normally an awful player who doesn't have a clue what they're doing.

So when is it correct to bring it in for the maximum? The only situation I can think of off hand is if you're playing Razz shorthanded, so the bring in is a low card. Still, I think I'd prefer to just bring it in for the minimum and conceal the strength of my hand. Any thoughts?

Alex

[TheShootah]

As far as Razz goes, the high brings it in, so I think bringing it in for a full bet is a -EV bluff. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[LittleLTluc]

Well I only play stud high but i bring it in for a full bet on the same hands i would complete the bet on. As in your typical premium pairs. I might not bring it in for a full bet with (AA)X but that is probably the only exception. In my mind, the fact that you are the bring in does not change the fact that your big pairs do not play well against many drawing hands. Let me know where I am wrong... I enjoy learning from replies.

[PoorLawyer]

I think it depends on the table. Sometimes you see someone bring it in full and the whole table folds and other times people dont even realize they are putting in a larger bet to play. In the latter case I would bring in full with my premium hands for value, otherwise I think it is much better to bring in the min and hope someone completes so you can reraise.

[MLo]

In Stud/8 I've found it fairly common for someone with 3 babies to bring it in for a full bet - especially in the loose Party games.

[Jeffage]

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So when is it correct to bring it in for the maximum?

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Never.

Jeff

[bikedocjoe]

Yes, and it seems to me that a full bring in brings out the curiosity in some of the bad players. I would bring a full bet with any premium pair in a typical PP game and expect someone to be a nonbeliever and call.

[Andy B]

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Never.

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This is just plain wrong. I rarely bring it in for a full bet, but there are situations where it is warranted. The most common scenario for me is when I have a big pair in the hole and one of my cards is out. I want to thin the field. In stud/8, if you have a three-card low, and almost everyone else is showing bananas, you should probably bring it in for a full bet if there is some chance that you can steal the antes. Even if there is no chance of stealing the antes, it's a good value bet. I will frequently bring it in for a full bet in the latter stages of a tournament. Not that I see the latter stages of a tournament very often.

This subject has come up before, and there are several good posters here who almost never bring it in for a full bet. How often you do it is not as important as having some kind of a gameplan. I bring it in for the minimum most of the time in part because the limp/re-raise is a significant part of my arsenal, particularly in stud/8. I get to see fourth street for free a lot of the time, and people are somewhat less inclined to pimp my bring-in. If you don't make this play very often, there is less reason for you not to bring it in for a full bet with your better hands.