Razz Poker (also sometimes referred to as known as Low ball) is a variety of Poker which is becoming increasingly popular to play. Razz forms part of HORSE games, but can also be played as a cash game or tournament, making it popular online and in live play. While the rules can often be confused, Razz is dealt much like 7 card stud. However, there are many differences to the game, the most obvious being the fact that the winning hands are ‘low’ rather than ‘high’.
Objectives of the game
The main objective of Razz Poker is to form the best five card low hand, using a combination of 7 cards which the player is dealt. There are no community cards in Razz Poker. Below we will look at the way that Razz is dealt out, and the betting actions.
Antes and Betting Actions
Each player must place an ante bet in Razz Poker before any cards are dealt. The ante is usually about a quarter of the low limit bet size. This is to ensure there is a pot to play with, much like the small / big blinds you find in other types of Poker such as Texas Hold Em. The ante is a forced bet, so in order to play the hand you most ‘post’ the ante.
Once all ante bets have been collected and placed into the pot, each player is dealt three cards. Two of these cards are dealt face down, and one is dealt face up for the rest of the table to see. The player who receives the highest card dealt face up has to make the first bet. This is called ‘bringing in’. If two or more players have the same card, it is the player nearest to the dealer to place the first bet.
In total, there are 5 different betting rounds in Razz poker. The game varies to other types of Poker players may be used to, as usually betting on Razz tables is strictly limited. The first two rounds of betting all bets made by players must be the same as the low limit bet size. The final three rounds of betting must be the same as the high limit bet size.
For example, if there is a Razz table with a $5/ $10 limit, the bets will be $5 for the first
two betting rounds. In the remaining three rounds, the bets will be $10 each. Only 3 raises
are allowed per round. As with most types of Poker, all bets, calls and raises are performed
clockwise round the table.
Razz is a ‘fixed’ betting game – therefore it is uncommon for players to be ‘all in’ during a hand.
Betting Rounds
First Betting Round: The first round of betting starts as soon as all players receive their first three cards. Two cards are face down and one is face up and visible to the entire table. The player responsible for ‘bringing in’ (the player with the highest visible card), can either ‘bring in’ for a quarter of the big bet at the table or ‘complete’ which is to raise to the size of the half of the big bet of the table stakes.
For example, a player with a king showing at a $20/$40 game, can either ‘bring in’ for $10 or ‘complete for $20 on the first betting round.
Second Betting round: The second betting round begins as soon as players are dealt their fourth cards. All bets must still be the lowest betting limit of the table.
Third betting Round: Again, the betting begins as soon as players receive their fifth card. All bets must be equal to the big bet limit.
Fourth betting round: In the fourth betting round, players must again bet the maximum bet allowed at the table. The betting in this round starts as soon as the sixth card has been dealt to all players.
Fifth Betting Round: The fifth and final betting round starts as soon as the final card has been dealt to all players. The bets should equal the big bet limit at the table.
Once all players have finished betting, players must show their cards to have a chance of winning the pot. The player who made the last bet on the table has to show their cards first, followed by all players in a clockwise direction around the table.
As discussed earlier, the lowest hand wins in Razz Poker. Flushes, straights pairs etc make no difference at a Razz table, the object is to get the lowest cards possible. The best five cards a player can hope for is A, 2,3,4,5. This is the best hand possible in Razz Poker. 2,3,4,5,6 , 3,4,5,6,7 , 4,5,6,7,8 are reasonable hands, and will usually be a strong contender against most other hands.
A common misconception when playing Razz Poker, is that A, A, A, A, 2 is the best hand possible. You are not allowed any pairs in Razz Poker, however straights and flushes are disregarded, so a straight A-5 is ‘the nuts’.
There are different ways to play Razz Poker, but usually the rules listed above should be a fairly good and accurate description of play. If you want to find out specific rules for where you are playing, get on the phone to the Casino, or if you are playing online look in their help section for detailed rules regarding their specific games.
Winning hands in Razz
In order to evaluate the strength of your hand in Razz, you need to look at the highest ‘low’ card in your 5 card hand. The following five hands would be considered the best hands in Razz:
(The above would be the best possible combination of cards to have in your seven card hand (A,2,3,4,5) – Suits do not matter)
The following 4 hands would be the next best possible hands to achieve in ascending order. Again, suits do not matter:
(A, 2, 3, 4, 6)
(A, 2, 3, 5, 6)
(A, 2, 4, 5, 6)
(2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Where would I play Razz online ?
Whilst Razz is not that common, it is possible to play at a number of limits on Pokerstars, both in cash games and tournaments (HORSE, 8-GAME etc).
