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]
Limit Razz (also known as 7 Card Stud Low) is played as a fixed limit game where the ‘worst' hand wins. Straights and flushes don't count, and the best hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5. For information on how to play, visit our Razz Rules page. A lot of players find limit Razz to be a frustrating game.
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]
- All seven-card stud rules apply in razz except as otherwise noted. The lowest hand wins the pot. Aces are low, and straights and flushes have no effect on the low value of a hand. The highest card by suit starts the action with a forced bet. The low hand acts first on all subsequent rounds.
- 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.
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
2-7 Razz Rules
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]
- All seven-card stud rules apply in razz except as otherwise noted. The lowest hand wins the pot. Aces are low, and straights and flushes have no effect on the low value of a hand. The highest card by suit starts the action with a forced bet. The low hand acts first on all subsequent rounds.
- 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.
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
2-7 Razz Rules
Razz Poker is a version of Seven Card Stud where the player with the lowest hand wins the pot. This game uses A-5 lowball rules, which simply means aces always count as high, and straights and flushes are disregarded as part of the hands rankings. Therefore, the best possible hand in Razz Poker is A-2-3-4-5, and the second best is A-2-3-4-6 with suits having no relevance. If you're looking to learn Razz Poker rules, it is first important you understand Ace to Five lowball rankings.
Razz Poker rules are quite simple, though for players not already familiar with seven card stud, we'll break them down in detail. At most live card rooms, and online at PokerStars.com, Razz Poker is played with up to eight players per table and uses fixed limit betting structure (most Razz games are Limit Razz but no limit and pot limit do exist but not online). The game starts with each player making an ante bet. This is a forced bet all players must make before they are dealt any cards. The amount of the ante is generally one-tenth to one-quarter the size of the game's small bet. For example, at PokerStars.com $2/$4 use a 25 cent ante, $5/$10 a 50 cent ante and $30/$60 a $5 ante, so as you can see it is not an exact science; the size of the ante varies from game to game and does not have a direct correlation to the stakes as far as fixed percentage goes.
Once all players have posted their ante, each player is dealt two cards face down and a third card face up for all players to see. The player with the highest face up card is required to make a live forced bet called the bring-in. At PokerStars.com $2/$4 uses a $1 bring-in, $5/$10 use a $2 bring-in and $30/$60 use a $10 bring-in. As you can see again, the exact size of the bring-in is not a standard percentage of the betting stakes, as the actual percent varies between stakes and where the game is being played.
Limit Razz Rules
The bring-in is a live bet which starts the initial betting round. Once it is made, action proceeds around the table, with each player having the option to fold, call or raise, unless the pot is capped (which is 4-bets at PokerStars.com, and 5-bets at some sites), in which case the only options are to fold or call. When this betting round is complete, players are dealt a second face up card for all players to see. The player showing the lowest hand is given first option to check or bet, and action moves around the table clockwise until the betting round is complete. The stakes now double for the remainder of the hand, and two additional up cards will be dealt, one at a time, with a betting round after each. This leaves players having two hole cards (visible to only them) and four board cards (face up cards everyone can see) with a betting round having just taken place. A final card is then dealt to each player face down, and the final betting round occurs. Once complete, players will expose their three down cards for a showdown, and the player showing the best five-card A-5 lowball hand is awarded the pot.
A Razz Poker rule that exists yet would never come into play involves the potential for a community card. This is a factor because Razz has a 52 card deck and there are eight players each able to receive up to 7 cards each. This equals 56 cards. In the event that there are not enough cards remaining to deal each player their final down card, a card will be placed in the middle of the table as a community card each player uses. In all of our years of playing, we've never seen this Razz Poker rule utilized, as never does a game go eight handed after the first betting round, never mind each hand making it through the first four betting rounds. Again, this Razz Poker rule will never come into play; it is simply there for the players who conspire to say what if, and all might agree to check down a pot to the river in order to see what happens.
Razz Rules And Strategy
Now that we've covered Razz Poker rules, your next step is to either read our Razz Strategy page or to get started playing online at PokerStars.com.
