How To Play Razz
Razz is unlike any
other poker game in regards to winning poker
hands, as making the worst possible hand is the
object of the game. If you've always considered
yourself to be a terrible poker player, but
still feel drawn to the excitement of the game,
Razz poker just may be the perfect solution.
Razz is played in
the exact same way as 7 Card Stud, except that –
as we mentioned above – the worst hand wins.
Razz is somewhat like 7 Card Stud Hi-Low, apart
from there being no High Hand winner, and no
need to "Qualify"
(8 or Better) to win with a Low Hand.
There are a few
distinct rules that one should know before
playing Razz.
1. Aces are the
lowest card, not the highest.
2. Straight and Flushes are not considered
viable combinations.
3. The best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5
Razz poker is a
game for 2-8 players, utilizing a standard
52-card deck.
Object of Razz
The object of Razz is simple – create the
weakest ranking poker hand to win the pot.
Players have 7 cards to work with and must use 5
of them to develop the lowest hand. Remember,
Aces are low and Straights/Flushes don't
count.
Betting Structure
of Razz
Razz poker, like its other Stud cousins, is most
often played in a Fixed Limit betting structure,
though the occasional No Limit and Pot Limit can
be found. Razz uses Ante bets from all players
and a forced Bring-In Bet, rather than the
typical Blind Bets used I Holdem style poker
games. All limits and bet types are described
below.
Ante: A small
wager placed by every player before the cards
are dealt. The Ante ranges from 10%-25% of the
low-end stakes, depending on the rules where
you’re playing.
Bring-In: Once the
initial deal is complete, each player will have
3 cards – two face-down Hole Cards and one
face-up Open Card, called the Door Card. The
player with the lowest Door Card must place the
Bring-In bet, equal to 50% of the low-end stakes
in Fixed Limit (equal to the low-end stakes in
NL or PL). In the event of a tie for the lowest
Door Card, the Bring-In is determined by the
lowest suit – Club, Diamond, Heart and Spade.
Suit ranks are easy to remember because they run
alphabetically lowest to highest.
Check: To Check is
to place no wager but stay in the hand. This is
only an option if no player has already Bet in
the current round.
Bet: To Bet is to
place the first chips into the pot in the
current betting round.
Call: To Call is
to match the current Bet.
Raise: To Raise is
to bet more than the current Bet.
Fold: To Fold is
to throw in your cards, surrendering the pot and
hand.
All-In: To go
All-In is to wager all of your remaining chips.
All-In bets are pushed into a separate chip pile
to keep track of the bettor’s amount, as he
cannot win a higher amount from any player than
his own bet.
General Game Play
of Razz
Note: For this example of how to play Razz, we
use a $2/$4 Fixed Limit betting structure, with
a 25% Ante of $0.50.
Razz begins with
each player offering an Ante bet into the pot.
All players are dealt 3 cards, 2 face-down Hole
Cards and 1 face-up Open Card, called the Door
Card. The player with the lowest door card must
place the Bring-In Bet of $1. Starting with the
player left of the Bring-In, each player will
Bet, Call, Raise or Fold. All bets/raises must
equal the low-end stakes. Upon his turn, the
Bring-In Bettor may Call or Raise the current
bet by adding enough chips to his Bring-In to do
so (or Fold, of course).
4th Street: Each
player receives a 4th card, dealt Open
(face-up). Another round of betting begins, this
time (and from here out), starting with the
player who shows the highest Open hand.
5th Street:
Another Open card is dealt to each player,
followed by a third round of betting. For this
and all remaining betting rounds, all
bets/raises increase to the $4 high-end stakes.
6th Street: The
sixth card is dealt, again Open. Another round
of betting…
7th Street: A
final card is dealt to each player, this time
face-down. Since the highest Open hand has not
changed from the previous round, the same bettor
will start the final round of betting.
The Showdown: If
two or more players remain in the hand, a
Showdown commences. (Many times, a winner is
already declared as all other players have
Folded out). The remaining players combine 5 of
their 7 cards to develop the lowest possible
poker hand. (Reminder: Aces are low;
Straights/Flushes don't count!). The player with
the weakest poker hand wins the pot.
Should two or more
players tie, the winners will split the pot.
(Lowest Suit is only used to determine the
Bring-In bettor, not to break a tie.)
Not Enough Cards
With a full table of 8 players, should no one
Fold before the 7th Street - extremely rare, but
it does happen – there won’t be enough cards
left in the deck to deal the final cards to each
player. Should this happen, the dealer will play
a single Community Card face-up in the center of
the table. This card becomes every player’s 7th
Street.
Poker Hand Ranks
(highest to lowest)
Royal Flush (Ace-high straight suited)
Straight Flush (straight suited)
4 of a Kind (4 cards of the same value)
Full House (3 of a Kind + 1 Pair)
Flush (all cards suited)
Straight (all cards in sequence)
3 of a Kind (3 cards of the same value)
2 Pair (1 Pair + 1 Pair)
1 Pair (2 cards of the same value)
High Card (none of the above combinations) |
