Razz is a variation of seven card stud poker that is played for low only. It can be thought of as playing stud in reverse. The worst hand wins. Straights and flushes do not count against your hand. Aces are always low in Razz. In fact, a pair of aces is actually lower than a pair of deuces. The card rank is the only thing that matters in razz. Suits are irrelevant. The best hand in Razz is the wheel, or an A-2-3-4-5. Unlike stud eight or better, there is no qualifier in razz; therefore if you hold 4-4-8-7-5 and someone holds A-2-3-6-6, you win.
There are a couple of rule changes in regards to betting that make stud eight different than other stud game. First, the highest card showing on third street is the bring-in. Next, from fourth through seventh street, the lowest showing hand opens the betting. Otherwise, the game is dealt as a normal stud game.
As a beginning player you will want to start with a very tight strategy in regards to playing razz. You really want to start with three cards eight and lower. Preference should be for hands that include an ace and a deuce or a three. The lower your starting hand is in razz, the better off you are. If your hand contains a card higher than nine, abandon the hand, especially if the door card is higher than 9. There are times where you can actually play hands that contain a card above an eight, but starting out, you need to start off with a solid strategy. The only time I would recommend playing a hand with a card above an eight is if you are holding a three card nine and your opponents are showing a nine or higher. In this case, you can play a nine low. Otherwise, wait until you get a better grasp of the game. There are many players that will play a high card with an A-2 or an A-3, hoping that they can catch a couple of low cards to make a good draw. First, if you call a bring-in or a completion with a card higher than a nine showing, you are telegraphing that you have a couple of solid low cards as hole cards. Player will punish you at the tables with extra bets when you make this play. Also, if you don’t catch immediately, you have to almost always abandon the hand.
If you do not improve your hand by fifth street, in most cases it is time to abandon the hand. Betting limits double and you must catch both cards perfect to make a hand. There may be times that you will want to abandon your hand at fourth street. For example, if you start with a three card eight and on fourth, you opponent catches a 7 to go with a low card, then you are very likely against a seven low draw. You will have to catch every card perfect to outdraw a seven. In this case it’s time to fold.
Learn how to recognize a boardlocked situation. When a player is boardlocked, they are locked into a certain hand and cannot improve to beat you. For example, let’s say you have a 7-6-5-4-A low on fifth street and your opponent is showing 9-10-8 as their board. Even if both are their down cards are perfect, such as A-2, there is no possible way they can outdraw you with two cards remaining. You have the nuts and need to bet like mad. This is also a helpful thing to know if you are drawing to a hand. If you have four cards to a six low on sixth street and your opponent is boardlocked into an eight low, you can usually call a bet in most cases because you can catch many cards to beat his hand. Recognizing boardlock situations requires you to pay careful attention to not only what your opponent is showing, but keeping in mind what the best possible hand is that he or she can draw to. Doing this will win you bets or over time.
Play your board aggressively. Razz is a game where you need to play a strong looking board aggressively to push drawing hands out. If you are sitting on fifth street with a three card seven and your opponent is showing a couple of high cards then you need to bet. The same is true when your opponent pairs up on his board or catches high cards that leave him drawing lower than you. In some cases it does not matter what your hole cards are. Lets say you call a bring in with a deuce up and a A-4 in the hole. You immediately catch a 4. Your opponent has a 10-8 showing. While you are technically behind right now, it’s hard for your opponent to know this. You might have started with A-2-3 and just now picked up a wheel draw as far as he knows. Betting will likely cause him to fold. If he does not fold, you may be able to push him out depending on how the board falls as right now, he has a four card ten at best. Remember, bet scary boards aggressively.
Now that mixed games are picking up popularity, it is important that you stay versed in all forms of poker. Razz is a game that you will likely see only played in either tournament or at higher levels at a casino. You can easily find it in most of the larger poker rooms online. Like stud eight or better, many people do not play this game well so building a solid foundation for the game will prove profitable over the long haul. With the above tips, you should be able to win in most lower level Razz cash games. Being a solid razz player will also help you when you play mixed poker games and in H.O.R.S.E. tournaments. Good luck and I hope to see you around the tables.
