Razz Rules
Razz is a form of stud poker that is normally played for ace-to-five low (lowball poker). It is one of the oldest forms of poker, and has been played since the start of the 20th Century. It emerged around the time people started using the 52-card deck instead of 20 for poker.[1]
Razz poker is a stud poker variation of lowball poker. It is essentially a variation within a variation, which is part of the game’s charm. The poker hand hierarchy is inverted for razz poker games. Therefore, the best hand is five high hand that is a 5-4-3-2-A hand. Card suits are not of importance in razz poker. ROOKIE RAZZ (Kindergarten – 2nd Grade) games are on Friday Only. Games start on Friday morning. Click the following to preview & print the ROOKIE RAZZ Rules & Regulations: 2019 K-2nd Grade Rookie Razz Rules. Click the following to preview & print the Rules & Regulations for grades 3-Adult: 2019 3rd Grade-Adult Rules. Each player will receive two cards face down and one card face up and the action will begin. In Razz there is no dealer button. That means that every hand starts with the dealer dealing to the 1 Seat first and continuing to the left. Every proceeding street will continue in the same fashion. The rules of Razz Poker are just like 7 Card Stud, except the lowest (worst) hand wins. Razz is played as a fixed limit game, with four cards dealt face up and three cards face down. Instead of blinds, Razz Poker utilizes antes and bring-ins to create action. Antes are typically 20% of the lower betting limit. Razz Poker Rules. Razz poker is a lowball poker game meaning the rank of the poker hands is inverted. Therefore, the highest-ranking hand is 5 4 3 2 A. Straights and flushes do not count in razz poker; therefore, card suits are completely disregarded in what makes the best hand.
The object of Razz is to make the lowest possible five-card hand from the seven cards you are dealt. In Razz, straights and flushes do not count against the player for low, and the ace always plays low. Thus, the best possible Razz hand is 5-4-3-2-A, or 5 high, also known as 'the wheel' or 'the bicycle'. Deuce-to-seven Razz is also sometimes played. Razz is featured in the mixed game rotation H.O.R.S.E. as the 'R' in the game's name.
Play[edit]
Razz is similar to seven-card stud, except the lowest hand wins. Seven cards are dealt to each player, but only the five best cards (generally the five lowest unpaired cards) are used in forming a complete hand.[2]
Razz is usually played with a maximum of eight players,[3] with limit betting, meaning that there is a fixed amount that can be bet per player per round. Each player antes and is dealt two cards face down (the hole cards), and one card face up (the 'door card'). The highest door card showing has to 'bring it in' – put in the mandatory first bet, which is usually one third to one half of the regular bet. The player responsible for the bring-in can instead opt to 'complete the bet', i.e. make a whole regular bet. If they opt to make a normal bring-in, the remaining players can either call the bet or 'complete', by raising to a regular bet. From that point the betting continues in regular bet increments.[2][3]
In a case where two people have a door card of the same rank, the bring in is determined by suit.[2][3] Spades (♠) is the highest possible suit, followed by hearts (♥), diamonds (♦), and clubs (♣). The K♠ is the worst possible door card in Razz, and a guaranteed bring-in. Play continues clockwise from the bring in, as in normal Stud poker. After the first round of betting, each player still in the hand receives another card face up. Betting begins with the lowest hand showing. Play continues like this until the fifth card, at which point the betting increments double.[2][3] The seventh card is dealt face down, and action would begin with the same player who opened betting on the 6th card.[2][3] In hand-dealt games, after each hand the deal rotates to the left, as with most forms of poker; although the dealer doesn't play a strategic role as in blind games.[3]
Shortage of cards[edit]
It is possible for the dealer to run out of cards before the end of the hand. This can occur when eight players are still in the hand when the seventh cards are to be dealt. Seven cards for eight players would require 56 cards in the deck. Since Razz uses a standard 52 card deck, the hand would be four cards short.
To fix this problem, the dealer does not deal a seventh card to any player. Instead, the dealer deals one final card face up in the center of the table, which becomes a community card. All eight players may use this card as the seventh card in their own hands. This is the only time a community card is ever used in Razz.[4]
World Series of Poker[edit]
Razz has been an event at the World Series of Poker since 1971, when Jimmy Casella won the first ever WSOP Razz event for a grand prize of $10,000.[5][6] Razz is the most popular form of lowball poker but in the overall popularity stakes sits firmly behind Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em. In 2004, the WSOP Razz event was televised by ESPN; the tournament was won by professional poker player and multiple bracelet winner T. J. Cloutier.[3] After the event Razz grew massively in popularity and most of the major online poker rooms added Razz to their spread of games. Full Tilt Poker was the first online site to offer Razz games but soon after the televised tournament, Poker.com, Absolute Poker and finally in 2006 PokerStars added Razz to their selection of games.[7] Since 1971, Razz has been featured in every World Series of Poker apart from the 1972 series.
London lowball[edit]
London lowball is a game played almost exclusively in Europe. It is almost identical to Razz in play with the following exceptions: straights and flushes count against a player for low, so the best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A,[8] and its canonical version is played at pot limit. Some variations of the game are played at no limit, but the name 'London lowball' is typically reserved for the pot-limit version.[9]
Strategy[edit]
Normally the best starting hand in Razz is A-2-3. A general strategy in a full-ring game is to only play unpaired cards none of them higher than 8s.[10] Players want to avoid making pairs and should evaluate other door cards in relation to the strength of their hand. For instance, Jane holds 3-4-5 and sees four 'dead' door cards of 3-4-4-5 behind her. This is a strong hand, as the likelihood of pairing her hole cards is now greatly diminished.
Observing the door cards of other players is also very important. A player's hand is much stronger if there are cards of the same denomination already showing (less chance of pairing up on a draw) and weaker if there are make cards visible (i.e. a A-6-7 is a much stronger hand when other players are showing Aces, 6s and 7s than when these players are showing 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s).
Another key strategy in Razz is stealing the antes and bring-in bets. If a player is to the right of the bring-in bettor, and everyone else folds, a raise with a lower exposed card is normally the correct play. For example, if Mary has a 9 showing, and John, the bring-in bettor, has a K showing, Mary should normally raise if everyone else folds.
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Razz. |
- ^'Razz Rules'. somuchpoker.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ abcdePokerstars.com: Razz (7 Card Stud Low)
- ^ abcdefgPoker-Babes.com: How to Play the Game of Razz
- ^lolPoker.com: Razz poker rules
- ^'2nd World Series of Poker (WSOP) 1971 – $ 1,000 Limit Razz'. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
- ^Razzpokerrules.org - WSOP Razz
- ^Playlowballpoker.com: Razz Poker
- ^PlanetPoker.com: Poker Dictionary
- ^Gambling-Poker.com: Razz Poker - London Lowball Poker
- ^Poker-Strategy.org: Razz poker
Razz Poker is probably the most profitable game being played right now. With basic Razz knowledge and a little practice, it’s an easy game to win. The best part about Razz is that there are so many players who have no idea how to play the game. After you read through the rules, read a couple of our beginner strategy articles and go play some micro-limit games. It won’t take long before you have a solid grasp on how to play. Practice Razz at Full Tilt Poker or Pokerstars.
For more information about the best sites for Razz, check out our Pokerstars Razz or Full Tilt Razz pages.
Rules of Razz Poker
The rules of Razz Poker are just like 7 Card Stud, except the lowest (worst) hand wins. Razz is played as a fixed limit game, with four cards dealt face up and three cards face down. Instead of blinds, Razz Poker utilizes antes and bring-ins to create action. Antes are typically 20% of the lower betting limit. At Pokerstars however, the antes are between 10-20% of the lower betting limit. Depending on where you’re playing, the bring in can be anywhere from 1.2 – 5 times the size of the ante. At Pokerstars, the antes are low, but the bring in’s are big. At Full Tilt Poker, the antes are more standard. Razz is played with no more than 8 players, as the 52 card deck cannot support more.
- The lowest 5 card hand wins.
- Aces are low, kings are high.
- The best hand in Razz is 5, 4, 3, 2, A, also known as a ‘wheel’ or ‘bike’.
- Straights and flushes do not count and have no effect on your hand.
- Unlike 8 or better games, there is no ‘8 or better’ requirement – every hand qualifies.
- Pairs do not help your hand. Only one card in any pair can be used towards your low hand.
- Razz hands are counted from the top-down, with the lowest five cards playing. So, a hand of 9, 7, 6, 4, 2 beats 10, 7, 6, 4, 2. If the highest cards are the same, move to the next card down. If those cards are the same, move to the next card down. Example; 9, 7, 5, 4, 2 beats 9, 7, 6, 4, 2.
Example Razz Hand – $5/10 Game ($1 ante, $1.50 bring in)
Ante: Before any cards are dealt, each player must post a $1 ante.
Third Street – The first three cards are dealt; 2 face down (hole cards), and one face up which is called the door card. The player with the highest door card must ‘bring in’ for $1.50. If two or more players share the highest door card, the player who must bring in is based on card suits in the following order; spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs. So, if three players have door card kings, the player with the king of spades is required to bring in. If none have the king of spades, the player with the king of hearts is required to bring in.
After the bring in, players have three options. They can fold, call the bring in, or ‘complete’ to $5. If someone ‘completes’, players must call $5 or raise in $5 increments to stay in the hand.
Fourth Street – One card dealt face-up. The player with the lowest hand showing is first to act. He can either check or bet $5. Play then moves clockwise around the table. If the first player has checked, the next player can either check or bet $5. If the first player has bet ($5), the second player can fold, call, or raise $5. Play continues around the table, with a maximum of 1 bet and 3 raises. (If two players have the same low hand after fourth street is dealt, the player closest to the left of the button is first to act)
Fifth Street – One card dealt face-up, round of betting at the $10 limit. Once again, the player with the lowest hand showing is first to act. This time he can either check or bet the higher limit, in this example $10. All bets and raises are now $10. Play continues clockwise around the table the same as it does on fourth street.
Sixth Street – One card dealt face-up, round of betting at the $10 limit. Action is the same as it is on fifth street.
Rules Of Razz Poker
Seventh Street – One card dealt face-down, final round of betting at the $10 limit.
The player with the lowest 5 card hand wins the pot. Playing online, the last player that bet or raised will automatically show his/her cards first. In a clockwise direction, any player with a losing hand has the option to fold their hand face-up or face-down. Winning hands will automatically be shown face-up.
In total, there are 5 rounds of betting. While Razz Poker is a limit game, 5 betting rounds can generate sizeable pots.
Since very few players understand the rules of Razz Poker, it’s a game that can be very profitable. There are situations where you can plainly see that your opponent can’t beat you, and yet they call and raise you anyway. Learn the rules, practice Razz, and build your bankroll by winning at Razz Poker.
Razz Hands
Play at the best room for Razz -Full Tilt Poker
Razz Card Game Rules
Play at second best room for Razz -Pokerstars