Razz

Razz: Low Hand 7-Card Stud, Sort Of.

A player who is familiar with Texas Hold’em might have some difficulty with Razz, but an experienced 7-card stud player should feel right at home. Of course, the player new to this version of poker will have to get used to looking for the lowest hand and will have to overlook the usual “great” hands like straights and flushes.

This is a game in which the lowest hand will win, using five of seven cards to make the best (worst?) hand. For players who know the low-ball game in 7-card stud, Razz has another twist. For example, in low-ball the winning hand might be 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 – no straight, no flush, just the five lowest cards. In Razz a player can win with A, 2, 3, 4, 5. This is, in fact, the best hand, even though it is a straight in most other games. A flush is not one of the top hands, unless the five cards used are of the lowest value among all players.

The basics of the game are the same as in 7-card stud:

• Two cards face down and one card face up to start
• High card up “brings in” an amount set at the start
• Betting takes place after each card is dealt
• Players get two cards down, four face up and the last card face down

In 7-card stud, good players learn to read the up cards of other players, to see what is already “out.” This is crucial to determining the odds of getting cards that will improve your hand. The same goes for Razz, except the player is looking for low cards that would have helped. In essence, if you have a 2 and a 3 in the hole and you see a lot of face cards in the other hands, your chances of catching low cards are better.

There are strategies and decisions that will give you a better chance. For instance, you may not want to stay in unless you have three low cards in the first four.

Consider this: According to Wikipedia, Razz has been an event at the World Series of Poker since 1973. Razz does not draw large numbers of players, as Texas hold 'em does.