Sponsored Post: All About Razz Poker

Sponsored Post: All About Razz Poker

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Razz Poker Rules

Razz is basically 7-Card Stud played for low, which means that instead of making the highest possible poker hand, the goal in Razz is to make the worst possible conventional poker hand. Straights and flushes do not count in Razz, which leaves the wheel (A,2,3,4,5) the best possible Razz hand.

Before we jot down any strategy considerations, let’s take a look at the rules differences between Razz and Stud.

The Bring-In is the first difference between Razz and Stud. While in Stud, the player with the lowest upcard has to bring it in, in Razz, the player with the worst Razz hand is the one who has to make the move, which means that the player in possession of the highest cards has to bring it in.

The Ace counts as low in Razz, so the highest (and worst) card is the King. In case there’s a tie, suit is used as a tie-breaker, just like in Stud. In Razz though, the worst suit is the club, then comes the diamond, heart and finally the spade.

In the betting rounds, the action is started by the player with the best Razz hand. Again, Razz hands are low, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a 2-card or a 4-card hand we’re talking about. This means the player who has the lowest 2-card hand starts the betting. Two unpaired cards are always better than two paired ones. The rank of a 2-card hand is always determined by the higher card.

At showdown, no qualifier for the winning low hand exists. Regardless of its makeup, the lowest hand at the table wins even if it happens to contain paired cards and such. The 5-card showdown hands are always evaluated starting with the highest card.

Razz Poker Strategy

That about wraps up the differences between the two games, so assuming that you know your 7-Card Stud rules, I’ll move on to strategy. There are several things you can do to maximize your odds even before you sit down to the table. First of all: sign up for a rakeback or a poker prop deal. That’s correct: you can’t go wrong with that, regardless of the poker variant you play. It’ll keep delivering that 30-120% edge on every single real money hand you log.

Exercise proper table selection. Unlike Holdem, Razz (much like 7-card Stud) is not a suitable game for beginners. The edges here can be enormous and skill relegates the luck factor to a mere extra in Razz.

If you have your sights set on Stud though, you may as well begin with Razz. Razz is easier to learn than Stud and beginners will find it easier to cope with the rules in the beginning. Razz boards are easier to read. Keep your eye on your opponents’ upcards and act according to the reads you make. If you see a player needing one more card to make a better Razz hand than yours, you probably wouldn’t be correct going up against him. A made hand in Razz is a hand which doesn’t need a draw to further improve. Such made hands should be no-go zones for beginners, that is, they shouldn’t attempt to draw against such made hands.

Starting hand selection – though simple – is also important in Razz: only play starting hands which consist of 3 cards below 8. Start with only 2 cards below 8 and you’ll have to hit 3 of the 4 cards that will come, to make a competitive Razz hand.

Bluffing in Razz is done based on one’s upcards. If you have a A,2,3 in the window, fire away: it’s the perfect hand for a bluff, regardless of your hole-cards.

One more thing: you cannot play Razz with more than 8 players.

Now, go buy the book Play Razz Poker to Win. Oh, one very important fact about Razz. If you only play Razz online, you will find it is very different than playing in a poker club. The reason is simply the challenge of recalling your cards and opponents card are much more difficult when you've been trained on Razz using only online poker sites.

Rules for Razz Poker

Razz Poker Rules

The objective of Razz poker is to make the lowest possible hand from the seven cards you are dealt. The cards are dealt just like in 7-card stud, except that an Ace is always low and straights and flushes have no effect on the value of your hand. The lowest hand in Razz poker is A-2-3-4-5, and this is called a wheel, a bicycle or a bike.

Razz is played with two to eight players, and is a fixed limit game. In a fixed limit game there is a set amount that can be bet by each player in each round.

The sequence of action in a hand of Razz poker is the following:
1. At the start of each hand, every player must ante a set amount. This is often about 1/5 of the low limit bet size.

2. Each player is dealt three cards; that is, two cards facing down, and one card facing up. This is known as 3rd street. The player with the highest card facing up must start the action, which is called the “bring-in” bet. The bring-in bet is a set amount, and is lower than the low limit bet size. The bring-in bettor has the option to raise the bring-in bet and make a bet that is equal to the low limit bet size. (Note: If two or more players have the highest ranked cards, the bring-in bet is determined by which player has the highest suit of that rank. The suit order is spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Therefore, the King of spades would be the bring-in bet, when tied with another card that has a rank of King.)

3. Action proceeds clock-wise from the bring-in bettor. Each player can fold, call, or raise the bring-in bet. All bets are equal to the low limit bet size.

4. After this first round of betting, the players still in the hand get dealt another card face up. This is called 4th street, as each remaining player has four cards. The player with lowest hand showing acts first, and the action proceeds clock-wise. Each player has the choice to fold, call, or raise. All bets are equal to the low limit bet size.

5. After this round of betting, the players still in the hand get dealt another card face up. This is called 5th street, as each remaining player has five cards. The player with the lowest hand showing acts first, and the action proceeds clock-wise. Each player has the choice to fold, call, or raise. All bets are equal to the highest limit bet size, which is double the low limit bet size.

6. After this round of betting, the players still in the hand get dealt another card face up. This is called 6th street, since each remaining player has six cards. The player with the lowest hand showing acts first, and the action proceeds clock-wise. Each player has the choice to fold, call, or raise. All bets are equal to the highest limit bet size.

7. After this round of betting, the players still in the hand get dealt another card face down. This is called 7th street, since each remaining player has seven cards. The player with the lowest hand showing acts first, and the action proceeds clock-wise. Each player has the choice to fold, call, or raise. All bets are equal to the highest limit bet size.

8. The player with the lowest hand wins the pot.