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Razz Poker Rules
For all intents and purposes, Razz poker is 7 Card Stud Lo. Razz poker (and 7 Card Stud) is a more difficult game than Holdem, because your opponents have one more holecard. It is a preferred game for hard core players. Razz takes additional play to Holdem to develop the capability to win with consistency. Because of the added difficulty, top players develop an added edge over new players in this game. Let us begin with the basic rules.
Hand Ranking
As in all low hand games, pairs count against the player. That is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or three-of-a-kind, etc.No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In low hands, straights and flushes are ignored, and aces play as the lowest card. In razz poker, the best, and therefore lowest, hand is 5-4-3-2-A, called a wheel. The next best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A, followed by 6-5-3-2-A, 6-5-4-2-A, 6-5-4-3-A, 6-5-4-3-2, 7-4-3-2-A, 7-5-3-2-A, etc.
i.e. 9-6-5-4-3 defeats 10-7-6-4-A, because nine-high is lower than ten-high. The hand 8-7-6-5-4 defeats both, because eight-high is lower than both- and straights do not count. i.e. 8-5-4-3-A defeats 8-5-4-3-2, because aces are low card. Also, A-A-9-5-3 (a pair of aces) defeats 2-2-5-4-3 (a pair of deuces), but both of those would lose to any no-pair hand such as K-Q-10-8-4. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker in reverse: 8-8-6-4-2 defeats 8-8-6-5-A.
Common lowhand poker terminology includes calling a nine-high hand "a nine", which is defeated by any "eight". If top cards match, the hand 9-7-5-4-2 would be referred to as a "nine-seven" and would defeat a "nine-eight" such as 9-8-7-5-A. A “smooth” low hand is one where the remaining cards after the highest card are very low. i.e. 9-4-3-2-A would be referred to as a "smooth nine." A “rough” low hand is one where the remaining cards are high. i.e. 9-8-7-6-3 would be referred to as a "rough nine"
Betting Limits
Razz Poker games are defined by their betting limits. The following are common limits in most online poker rooms: $.05/$.10, $.25-$.50, $.50-$1, $1-$2, $2-$4, $4-$8, $8-$16, $15-$30, $40-$80 and above. The game's betting limits can be used as a strong indicator of competitor experience in this game. It should also tell the Stud player the size of the bankroll you should have before you sit in.
Buy-In and Bankroll
Your minimum Razz Poker buy-in is typically 10-times the low limit, or $20 for a $2-$4 game. But we recommend you buy in with 50 times the low limit, or $100 in a $2-$4 game. Adjust your table to suit your bankroll. For online poker, we recommend $.25-$.50 limit tables or less for players who have logged less than 50 hours real money play time at 7 Card Stud.
The Ante
Ante in Razz Poker is mandatory and changes depending on the betting limits. Razz Poker antes are around 10%-12 ˝% of the big blind. Common Online Poker Room antes:
- $.05/$.10: 1 cent ante
- $.25-$.50: 5 cents
- $.50-$1.00: 5 cents
- $1-$2: 10 cents
- $2-$4: 25 cents
- $4-$8: 50 cents
- $8-$16: 75 cents
- $15-$30: $1.50
- $40-$80: $5.00
Dealing
We'll use a $2-$4 game as our working example, so the Ante is .25. The dealer deals clockwise starting on their immediate left. They deal one card at a time around the table until each player has two pocket cards (face down) and a single up (the "door" card). At this point the dealer indicates which player will open the betting, determined by the lowest door card (visible card to the other players). If there's a tie for low door, suit resolves it: spades over hearts, followed by diamonds, and finally clubs is the lowest.
Betting
Once the initial cards have been dealt, the game begins. At this point we've got three cards on the table per player and that's called "Third Street".
Third Street
The player holding the lowest door card must "bring it in" by opening with a bet equal to ˝ the low betting limit ($1 in our example game) or the low betting limit ($2 in our example game). If the low door player doesn't make this bet, they're forced to Fold and the opener passes to the player on their left. The next player clockwise from the opener can Call by matching the opener, Raise by betting the low betting limit ($2) or Fold. Once the betting has reached $2, further raises must be in $2 increments until the cap is reached. If the bring-in bet is $2, subsequent players have three choices: fold, call $2, or raise to $4.
Raising
The maximum allowable number of bets per player during any particular betting round is four. This would consist of the opening bet and three raises. Once the betting limit for that round has been reached, players have only the option of calling or folding. In brick and mortar (casino) games, house rules usually allow for unlimited re-raising on the river. Players therefore have the opportunity to stop the betting at anytime with a calling bet.
Fourth Street
The dealer gives each player another open (up) card. Unlike third-street, the opener in the fourth and remaining streets is the high hand as determined by the open cards. They may Check (Pass) or Bet. If they Bet it's at the low limit ($2) and that fixes all raises in this round to the same. If the high hand is an open pair, the opener can choose to bet at the upper limit ($4) and this fixes all Raises in the round to the upper limit.
Fifth and Sixth Street
Again, the fifth and sixth cards are dealt up and high hand opens. All Bets and Raises are at the upper limit ($4).
Seventh Street
The last card, called the "river", is another pocket card (face down). All bets and raises are at the high limit ($4).
Showdown
After the Bets and Raises have been resolved, the remaining players enter the Showdown. The opener reveals his pocket cards. If a player wishes to compete with this hand they too reveal their pocket cards, or they can yield and muck out (Fold). At the casino it's the dealer's responsibility to call the winner, as determined by the best 5-card hand under normal Poker rules. In online games, the software will designate the winner and the pot will be passed to them.
Our Site Recommendation: Razz is a difficult to find poker game and when you do find it, there are only a few tables. That said, we recommend you play Razz at Full Tilt Poker. At peak hours, Full Tilt Poker has 3-4 low stakes tables playing Razz. You can use the banner below to go direct to Full Tilt Poker, or go to our complete Full Tilt Poker Review.
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