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. 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. 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. How to Play Razz Poker Razz is almost always played as a fixed limit betting game. The small bet size is used during the first two rounds of. Each player antes a fraction of the small bet before the cards are dealt. In a $2/$4 limit game, for example, the antes. Three cards are dealt to each.

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.

Poker Game Razz Rules

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Play at the best room for Razz -Full Tilt Poker

Poker Razz Rules

Play at second best room for Razz -Pokerstars