Razz is a variant of 7-Card Stud where the object is to make the lowest five card hand out of seven cards.
A hand in Razz is ranked based on the highest card or pair in ones hand. Straights and flushes do not count in razz. Aces are always low in Razz, or equal to one. The king is the highest card in Razz. As a result, a pair of aces is lower than a pair of deuces. Also, in regards to straights and flushes, only the rank of the highest card is applicable. For example, if you have an eight-high straight, then you have eight-high in Razz. If you have a king-high flush, then your hand would be king-high.
Razz is dealt the same as any other stud variant. You start with dealing each player three cards. The first two are face down and the third card is then dealt face up. This is known as third street. In Razz, the player showing the highest card is the “bring-in.” If more than one player has the same ranking of card, the player with the highest suit must put out the bring-in. Suits in rank from highest to lowest are spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. A bring-in is a force bet, similar to a blind, that a player is required to make regardless of whether they play the hand. In many cash games, the bring-in is double the ante. The bring-in also has the option to “complete” a bet. This completion is to the small bet amount.
For example, in a $2-$4 with .50 ante Razz game, the bring-in would be $1 and the completion would be $2. Note that a completion is not considered a raise. Once a bet is complete, subsequent raising is done in the small bet amount. If the bring-in player does not complete the bet, any player left to act at the table may complete the bet.
Once action is completed on third street, each player still in the pot then receives another up card. This is known as fourth street. From fourth street to the river, the player with the lowest hand showing has the option to check or bet. If they bet, they will bet in the small bet amount. If more than one player has the same low hand, the player closest to the dealer opens.
After fourth street action concludes, another up card is dealt to remaining players. This is known as fifth street. On this street through the river, all betting is done in the big bet amount. In the example earlier, the betting from this point would be $4. After the betting is completed on fifth, the last up card is dealt to each player remaining in the pot. This is sixth street. Note that the player with the lowest hand on this street will automatically be the first player to bet on the river.
Once action on sixth street is completed, the last card is dealt to each player face down. This is known as the river, or seventh street. One last round of betting occurs and the remaining players turn over their hands. The player with the lowest hand is the winner. If more than one player has the same rank of hand, then they split the pot.
The best hand in Razz is the wheel, or five high. (A-2-3-4-5) There aren’t any qualifiers in Razz, so for example, if two players go to the river with a full house as their lowest hand, the lower full house would win the pot. However, it is rare that anything higher than a small pair will be shown at the conclusion of many Razz hands.
Razz is a very simple game to learn, but as you will find out with experience, it is one of the more frustrating games in poker. While good starting hands are key to playing Razz effectively, once you go past third street, you will be at the mercy of the cards you catch. However, with patient play, this game can be mastered as easily as any other poker variant.
