What Is Razz?
Razz is Seven-Card Stud played completely upside down — the LOWEST hand wins the pot instead of the highest. Aces are always the lowest card. Straights and flushes do not count against you — they are completely ignored when determining the low hand. The best possible hand is Ace-2-3-4-5, called the Wheel. If you have ever been frustrated by getting nothing but low cards in regular poker, Razz is your game.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards
- Two to eight players
- Poker chips
Understanding Low Hands
In Razz, you want five UNPAIRED low cards. The hand is ranked by its highest card — lower is better. Pairs are bad because they raise your effective high card.
- Best hand: Ace-2-3-4-5 (the Wheel) — five perfect low cards
- Second best: Ace-2-3-4-6
- Third best: Ace-2-3-4-7
- Worst possible made hand: something like K-K-K-Q-Q — high paired cards
Straights and flushes are completely irrelevant — Ace-2-3-4-5 is not a straight in Razz, just five low cards.
Setting Up the Game
- Each player antes — places a small forced bet in the pot.
- The dealer deals two cards face-DOWN and one card face-UP to each player.
How to Play — The Five Streets
Third Street
Each player has two private cards and one visible card. In Razz, the player showing the HIGHEST face-up card must post the bring-in — a small forced bet. This is reversed from Stud where the lowest card posts. If two players tie for highest, suit determines: Spades highest, then Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds. After the bring-in, others fold, call, or raise going clockwise.
Fourth Street
One more card dealt face-UP to each player — two visible cards each. The player showing the LOWEST visible combination acts first — they may check or bet. (In Razz, the best visible hand acts first, which means the lowest cards.)
Fifth Street
One more card face-UP — three visible cards each. Same structure, lowest visible hand acts first. Bet sizes typically double at Fifth Street.
Sixth Street
One more card face-UP — four visible cards each. Same betting.
Seventh Street
Final card dealt face-DOWN — each player now has three private and four public cards. Final betting round.
Showdown
Players reveal all seven cards and select their best five-card LOW hand — five unpaired cards with the lowest possible high card. Best low hand wins the pot.
Tips for New Players
- Start with three low cards (8 or below) including an Ace — that is a strong Razz starting hand. Fold if your first three cards include a pair or two high cards.
- Watch your opponents’ visible cards carefully — if many low cards are showing on the board, your own low draws are less likely to complete.
- Fold when you pair a key low card on fourth or fifth street — a pair dramatically weakens a Razz hand and catching up is difficult.