Razz Rules
General Background
Razz is a game of drawing to the best low hand. Each player receives seven cards throughout the play of a hand. They are dealt three cards down and four cards up, which gives other players in the hand an idea of what their opponents have. The object of Razz is to have the lowest five-card hand made of the seven dealt to you.
Betting
Betting occurs six times in a full Razz hand. Betting occurs in a clockwise pattern, and continues until everyone has folded, put in all their chips, or matched the amount bet by all players.
If a player is first to act, they can check. Checking is the act of passing on a bet, or a bet of 0. The next player can also check. If every player checks then the betting round is over and the hand progresses. Pre-flop, only the big blind will have the option to check, unless he faces a raise.
The act or wagering more chips than the current bet is known as a raise. A raise has to be at least two times the current bet.
In the event the player wishes to match the current bet, it is known as a call.
Hand Play
First, three cards are dealt to each player. The first two cards are dealt face down, and the third card is deal face up. After this, there is a forced bet known as the bring-in. The bring-in bet is a small wager equal to half of the minimum bet, and the player with the lowest card showing has to post it. The player making the bring-in also has the option to complete the bet which is equivalent to two times the minimum bet. From there, betting continues clockwise until everyone has called, folded, or moved all-in.
Fourth Street
The next card is dealt face up to everyone in the hand still. The person with the highest card is dealt to first. After a card is dealt to each player, the person with the best two card hand starts the betting. Betting continues clockwise until completed.
Fifth Street
Another card is dealt face up to everyone in the hand still. The person with the highest two card hand showing is dealt to first. After a card is dealt to each player, the person with the best three card hand starts the betting. Betting continues clockwise until completed.
Sixth Street
Another card is dealt face up to each player. The person with the highest three card hand showing is dealt to first. After a card is dealt to each player, the person with the best four card hand starts the betting. Betting continues clockwise until completed.
Seventh Street (the “river”)
The next cards are dealt face down off the top of the deck. The final round of betting takes place, starting with the player with the best 4 card hand showing, and the hand is over. The pot – or the chips at stake – is then awarded to the player with the best hand (see hand ranks). In the event of a tie, or split pot, the chips are evenly distributed to the winning players.
End Hand Ranks
The quality of a players hand is determined by a combination of five cards picked from the seven cards in the players hand to make the lowest hand possible. Yes, this sounds weird, but the object of the game is to get the lowest hand. The best hand you can have is A-2-3-4-5, known as a 5 low. A hand of A-2-3-4-6 is known as a 6 low. The higher your highest card is the more combinations there are, so the hand moves to a two card system. Example: A-2-3-4-6 vs. A-2-3-5-6 – (46 low) beats a (56 low)













Leave Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.