Written By: HowToPlayRazzPoker.com
Razz Poker, also known as 7 Card Stud Low, is a lowball game and is a variation of 7 Card Stud. With Razz poker, the “worst” hand wins. The object of the game is to make the best five low cards from the seven cards dealt to you. There is no ‘8 or better’ qualifier like in some lowball games and aces are always low and straights and flushes do not count. But pairs, trips, and four-of-a-kinds can work against you.
The best hand (the nuts) in Razz poker is a 5-4-3-2-A, known as the ‘wheel’, the ‘bicycle’, or simply the ‘bike’. You are trying to make a hand with five low cards that are different from one another. Typically cards seven or lower are preferred and cards between ace and five (baby cards) are revered.
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The top 10 Razz poker hands are:
#1 – 5 4 3 2 A
#2 – 6 4 3 2 A
#3 – 6 5 3 2 A
#4 – 6 5 4 2 A
#5 – 6 5 4 3 A
#6 – 6 5 4 3 2
#7 – 7 4 3 2 A
#8 – 7 5 3 2 A
#9 – 7 5 4 2 A
#10 – 7 5 4 3 A
Razz poker has been around a long time and it has even been included as an event in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) since 1973. Yet unlike other games popular today, like Texas Hold’em and Omaha for example, Razz really never did catch on to the poker masses. Razz was put into the spotlight in 2004 when ESPN first televised a WSOP Razz event, which did help give the game some much needed exposure. Even so, Razz is still a relatively unknown and misunderstood game in today’s poker world.
So why learn Razz poker? For the very same reason why it is not popular… most poker players don’t get it! Even though Razz poker is not that popular it is still played online and even offline in some brick and mortar casinos. Many online poker rooms offer Razz as part of their game choices to their players and usually have Razz available in ring (cash) games, multi-table tournaments, and sit and go tournament tables. Razz is mostly played by players who are checking it out for the first time, have played it a “few” times, or play it in part in some mixed poker games, like H.O.R.S.E.
Think about this; it’s pretty tough to dominate in Texas Hold’em games right? I mean really, the competition is so tough because there are just so many Texas Hold’em players out there, and because of the sheer volume of players that makes for a lot of good players at the tables too. This certainly can’t be said for Razz! Sure, there are some Razz specialists out there, but compared to Texas Hold’em and most other games, there are far more bad players than good ones. This opens the doors for good Razz players and lets them exploit this poker niche and do very well for themselves, and their bankroll! So learning how to play Razz well will make you a profitable player!
Learning to play Razz well also opens the doors to becoming a specialized player for the mixed poker game H.O.R.S.E. H.O.R.S.E. is an acronym for limit Hold’em, Omaha Eight or Better, Razz, 7 Card Stud High, and 7 Card Stud Eight or Better. Many H.O.R.S.E. players enjoy the variety of games that H.O.R.S.E. offers, and the one game in H.O.R.S.E. where most players are weakest is, you guessed it, Razz. A good Razz player can really take advantage of the other players in the Razz rounds.
Razz poker tournaments are another excellent avenue for good Razz players, not only because the competition is soft, but also because the player fields are much smaller than that of other popular poker games like Texas Hold’em. Typically an online Razz tournament can have anywhere between 20 and 150 players, with buy-ins ranging between $1 and $25 and higher. These small player fields give a good player an excellent chance to cash and final table these kinds of tournaments.
Razz poker is not for everyone, as attested by its lack of popularity, but if you are willing to learn something new and have a great deal of patience, focus and discipline, then you are well on your way to becoming a good Razz player and you owe it to yourself to give Razz a try! Who knows, you may even love the game, which would only make you that more dangerous at the tables!
To learn the rules of Razz, get Razz tips, read poker room reviews that offer Razz games, and more, then you’ll want to visit How to Play Razz Poker.