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—Rules—

Razz is a seldom-known yet very popular, fun to play, variation of Seven Card Stud. The same five card hand principle still applies. However, the aim of Razz is to get the lowest hand, the lowest hand winning the pot. Basically, turn the “winning hand hierarchy” upside-down, but with one exception - straights and flushes don’t count at all. So, the ‘highest ranking’ hands are:

1. The Wheel
5-4-3-2-Ace.

2. Lowest High Card

The player with the lowest high card wins.

3. Second Lowest High Card

If two or more players have the same high card, the next lowest high card wins. So, 6-4-3-2-Ace would beat 6-5-3-2-Ace.

After this, comes a pair, three of a kind, two pairs, full house.

Razz is played on a table with eight hands maximum. Players are dealt two hole cards (face down) and one upcard (face up), which is followed by a round of betting. Three upcards are then dealt one at a time to each player, followed by a round of betting. Then one final downcard is dealt to each player, followed by a round of betting, which culminates in ‘The Showdown’.

Each new hand of Razz signals an “ante” from every player. An ante is a pre-established bet before any cards are dealt in order to instigate a pot. The ante in Razz is commonly 20% of the low limit bet. In a $3-$6 limit game, the ante would be 60 cents.

A typical hand of Razz involves a lot of betting action, with every turn of a card like a movie plot-twist. In effect, each player remaining in the hand, ends up with seven cards - four of which are upcards, and three of which are downcards. At the showdown, the player holding the lowest hand using the five card principle wins the pot.

—Glossary & Definitions—

Hole Cards: The two cards dealt face down to each player.
Upcards: Any of the cards dealt face up to each player.
Downcards: Any of the cards dealt face down to each player.
Ante: Usually 20% of the low limit bet which must be put in to receive cards.
Pot: The total amount of money the player with the best hand wins.
Bet: An increment of money placed into the pot.
Check: Not making a bet when no one has bet beforehand.
Call: Placing an equal bet to remain in a hand.
Raise: Increasing the bet that others must make to remain in a hand.
The Wheel: The best lowest card combination (5-4-3-2-Ace).
Street: A round of betting.
The Button: A white disc in front of the dealer that determines the first to act.
Bring In: The initial bet made to start action, usually 50% of the low limit.
Checked Around: When a round of betting has finished with no bets made.
Check-Raise: A player who initially checks his bet then raises on the return.
Common or River Card: When too many players remain active by the 7th Street to each receive an individual final downcard, one single upcard is dealt in the middle of the table for all to use.
Showdown: The part of the game when players reveal their hands.
Muck: To withdraw from the showdown without revealing your cards.

—Betting Rounds Detailed—

There are five rounds of betting. Each round is referred to as a ‘Street’, with the first round called the 3rd street, the second called the 4th street, and so on. In fixed limit play, all bets and raises in the 3rd and 4th street must equal the low limit bet. In the 5th, 6th and 7th streets, all bets must equal the high limit bet. A maximum of three raises per street are allowed.

3rd Street: Players are dealt two hole cards and an upcard. The player with the highest upcard is forced to make a bet called a ‘Bring In’. A bring in is usually half of the low limit bet. If two or more players share the same ranked upcard, the bring in is determined by suit - spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs in that order. This is the only occasion when suits have a bearing in Razz. The bring in is often mistaken as a blind. However, the bring in actually counts as a first round bet. The player bringing in only has two options - opening the bring in at half the value of the low limit, or, completing the bet at the full value of the low limit. This is sometimes referred to as a raise. The action then proceeds clockwise around the table, with each succeeding player having three options - folding, calling the value of the bring in, or raising.

4th Street: A second upcard is dealt to each active player. The player with the lowest upcard hand (two cards) must bring in. If two or more players share the lowest upcard hand, the player nearest to the dealer’s left, or ‘The Button’, must bring in. Hereafter, in the 4th and every succeeding street, the player first to act after the bring in can either check or bet at the limit for that street. If no one bets, each player in turn can choose to check. It is possible in every street bar the 3rd for no betting to occur. This is referred to as ‘Checked Around’. Otherwise, the action proceeds clockwise around the table with each player able to fold, call, or raise. When the action returns, any player who previously checked can still choose to fold, call, or raise. The act of checking and then raising when the betting returns is referred to as a ‘Check-Raise’. A check-raise is considered a risky tactic as it can cause no one to bet, meaning a loss of a good hand.

5th Street: A third upcard is dealt to each active player. The player with the lowest upcard hand (three cards) must bring in. If two or more players share the lowest hand, the player nearest to the left of the button must bring in. The action then proceeds clockwise around the table, with all bets and raises now equal to the high limit bet.

6th Street: A fourth upcard is dealt to each active player. The player with the lowest upcard hand (four cards) must bring in. If two or more players share the lowest hand, the player nearest to the left of the button must bring in. The action then proceeds clockwise around the table, with all bets and raises equal to the high limit bet.

7th Street: A final downcard is dealt to each active player. In the rare event that all eight players are still active, there won’t be enough cards in the deck for each player to receive an individual downcard. So, a single upcard is placed in the middle of the table which every player is free to use. This is sometimes referred to as a “Common” or “River” card in Razz. The player with the lowest upcard hand must bring in. The action proceeds clockwise around the table, with all bets and raises equal to the high limit bet.

The Showdown: At the completion of the 7th street, all betting ceases, and a showdown takes place where the remaining active players show their cards to make the best five card low hand. The showdown is not done simultaneously, but follows a specific order. The last player to have bet on the river is the first player to show his cards. If there was no betting on the river, the first player who bet in the previous street or the last player to have raised in the previous street is designated the first player to show his hand. This proceeds clockwise with each player either choosing to show their hand in hopes of winning the pot or choosing to ‘Muck’ it. A muck is done when a player knows he will not win the pot and would rather conceal his cards from his opponents.

—Strategy—

Razz is a game tailor-made for fast, fun action. With each player ‘owning’ four upcards visible and separate to the other players’ four upcards, it makes strategizing Razz quite complicated. The general strategies in most Poker games do not easily fit straight into Razz play. The two main strategic moments in a Razz game are at the 3rd Street, with 2 downcards, and at the 7th Street, with 3 downcards. Also, when the 7th Street becomes a ‘common’ upcard shared by all. Otherwise, the strategies of bluffing, folding, raising, and checking have a somewhat more convoluted effect in Razz. As with Seven Card Stud, the important thing is to not chase cards if it’s unprofitable to do so. This is even more relevant in Razz as there are usually more plot-twists with each turn of a card. There are moments when playing conservatively is detrimental to the situation, and moments when playing aggressively is detrimental to the situation. Committing oneself to any decision is a recipe for danger. Nimble and flexible decision-making is required. Learning to play Razz ‘one card at a time’ is the attitude to take, and it is a great training ground for just this lesson in playing other Poker games. It also helps one keep a close eye on every card and every situation and be able to quickly remember key bits of information.

Out of Eden is a regular contributer to PokerPlasm.com, as well as the founder of the fashion site, SixOneSix. He also contributes articles to other sites about world travel, political affairs, and Aussie Rules Football.