Razz poker - rules
Razz (7 card stud low) is a variant of poker in which the lowest hand wins the pot at the showdown. In Razz poker each player is dealt seven cards but only the best hand consisting of five cards is used to determine the winner. In Razz poker, straights and flushes do not count and the lowest card is A, while the best hand is so called "wheel": 5, 4, 3, 2, A. Here are some random hand sorted from strongest to weakest in Razz poker:
5, 4, 3, 2, A
6, 4, 3, 2, A
6, 5, 4, 3, 2
9, 7, 6, 5, 3
9, 8, 7, 6, 5
K, Q, J, T, 7
A, A, J, 8, 7
K, K, 6, 4, 2
Razz poker - the game
Pre-Flop
Before the start of the game in Razz poker, all players must pay a so called "ante". Each player is dealt two hole cards and one card which is revealed so everyone can see it. Player with the highest exposed card is a "bring-in" and must invest half a small bet or a full small bet (for example, in a $1/$2 game, he has to invest either $0.5 or $1). After the bring-in, the action continues clockwise until every player makes his decision whether to continue playing his hand or fold.
Fourth street
Each player gets one exposed card. The first step in this "street" has a player whose two exposed cards have the lowest value in Razz poker, ignoring straights and flushes. Action can be either check or bet worth a small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game).
Fifth street
Each player gets one more exposed card. Again the first player to act is the player whose three exposed cards have the lowest value in Razz poker, ignoring straights and flushes. First player can either check or bet but from this street until showdown, his bet has to be worth one big bet ($4 in a $2/$4 game).
Sixth street
On sixth Street each player receives one more exposed card. Again, the first player to act is the player whose four exposed cards have the lowest value in Poker Razz.
Seventh street
The seventh and final street in Razz poker. Each player gets one concealed card, visible only to him. The first player to act is the player whose exposed cards have the lowest value in Poker Razz. If there are more than one player left in the game after the last betting round, the player who made the last bet or raise shows his hand first. If there was no bet on the last round of betting, the player with the lowest exposed cards value shows his hand.
Showdown
In Razz poker player with the lowest hand consisting of 5 cards wins the pot. If two or more hands have the same value, the pot is divided in equal parts between them. Color and character play no role in determining the winner in Razz poker. For exercise, we suggest you to try play money Razz tables on PokerStars and/or FullTilt.
Poker rules - other games:
Texas holdem rules
Omaha poker rules
