Learn how to razz

[NFI]

Razz is a rarely played variation of seven card stud. Razz is a simple game, and it is easy to play, but it is deceptively difficult to master (much like other forms of poker). Some professional poker players refer to Razz as the hated game, because it can be very frustrating.

The ante and playing structure of Razz is exactly the same as seven card stud except it is played for low instead of high. Straights and flushes are ignored, so the best possible hand is A 2 3 4 5. There are five betting rounds in Razz.

Razz is played with two to eight players per table. Each player places an ante and is dealt two cards face down and one card face up. This is followed by a round of betting, started by another forced bet, called the bring in, placed by the player with the highest card showing. When two or more players have the same high card, the player closest to the dealers left must place the bring in. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table, with each player folding, calling or raising. In limit play, the bring in is equal to the lower of the two betting limits, and each subsequent bet or raise must be equal to the lower limit. For example, in a 5/10 game, the bring in and betting is done in units of 5. The first two betting rounds are at the lower limit and the last three are at the higher limit.

After all of the betting is completed on the first round, each player remaining in the hand is dealt another card face up, and the player with the lowest hand showing acts first. The lowest possible hand showing is A 2, followed by A 3, etc. The first to act may either check or bet, then play continues clockwise around the table. This round is often called Fourth Street.
Another card is dealt face up to all remaining players, and the betting is the same as the previous round, with the lowest hand showing acting first, with the exception of moving to the higher limit. This is often called Fifth Street.

At this time the last face up card is dealt and betting is the same as the previous round. This round is called Sixth Street.
The final card is dealt face down to each player remaining in the hand and the final betting round is conducted just as it was the previous two rounds. If all the players who started the hand remain in the hand, there will not be enough cards left in the deck, so the final card will be placed face up in the centre of the table for each player to use instead of being dealt to each player, like a community card in Texas Holdem. This round is called Seventh Street.

After the final round of betting, the remaining players show their hands to determine who had the lowest possible five-card hand. The easiest way to determine which hand is lower between two hands is to read it backwards like a number, with the lowest number winning.

A 2 4 5 8 = 85,421

2 3 4 5 7 = 75,432

In the above example, the second hand is lower than the first. In the event that all of the players remaining in the hand have pairs, the lowest pair wins.

[inittowinit30]

i love to play razz but everytime i do i seem to get awesome stud hands lol then when i play stud i get razz hands its crazy

[rockape]

cool way to read a razz hand , backwards

[datsme53]

Good game Razz. I like to play it, but don't seem to find the time to play all that much of it. That's a very good layout of how to play the game boss. Strategy involved doesn't include bluffing much, but it can seep in sometimes. It's hard to push someone off a hand in Razz because it's most always a limit game and some players always think the next card will give them the best hand. You get to see a lot of cards in this game, so you can determine the odds of hitting your hand, and also the odds of your opponent hitting his hand from what you can see from the cards showing. There are a lot of players in Razz games that don't know the game very well and you can exploit that a lot I feel. It's important to remember cards that have been exposed. Once they are mucked by a player that has played some streets, it's important to keep those cards in mind. I've seen many times when some players were drawing for a better hand or even to make a hand when all or most all of their cards were gone. Some players will stay in the hand even when, by looking at the cards exposed, they should know they can't win. So, remember the cards that have been exposed and pay close attention to your opponents exposed cards and be sure your chances are justifiable in order to make a call and continue in the hand. Staying in hands that you need to draw perfectly to can be your undoing for sure. For instance, you have 3 low cards, but 2 of the five cards you have are faces. You now need to draw 2 cards in a row in order to make a low hand. Your opponent shows 3 low cards and has been betting and or raising. This might be the best time to get away from the hand. Your chances of hitting a runner runner low hand are very much against you now. In the long run, getting out of these hands, especially when your getting raised in order to stay in, is advised. Most of the time I like having my first 3 cards low in order to continue even from that point. There are times when I will make a call to see the next street, but usually will depend on what my opponents show and how they are playing. Keep playing, of course, if it's been checked, but decide from what you have and can see if you should continue on each street. Get to know your opponents and keep in mind how they bet and play in different situations. This will help you along in determining what hands you should continue with. Good luck with your Razz game.

[mls1024]

Razz= chase+chase+fold

It's my favorite of the chasing games, better than omaha, badugi or stud for me anyways

[buzzmania]

ok game but slow so i usually have something other going on when playing.