Card Games

Razz

Razz is the lowball variant of Seven-Card Stud — the lowest five-card hand wins, inverting every strategic instinct you have from high-hand poker. Aces are always low (value 1), and straights and flushes are completely disregarded, which means A-2-3-4-5 — the Wheel — is the best possible hand. Each player receives the same seven-card structure as standard 7-Card Stud (two hole cards, four face-up up-cards, one face-down river card on 7th Street) and selects their best five for the showdown. The critical difference is in what 'best' means: pairs, trips, and all made hands are weaknesses, not strengths. The bring-in is posted by the player showing the highest exposed card (not the lowest as in standard stud), and betting action is led by whichever player shows the strongest low board. Razz is the 'R' in HORSE poker and is featured in major tournaments including the World Series of Poker.

Rules & Gameplay

All players post an ante. Each player receives two face-down hole cards and one face-up door card (3rd Street). The player showing the highest door card must post the bring-in (reverse of standard 7CS). On each subsequent street (4th through 6th), one face-up card is dealt and a betting round follows — the player showing the best low hand acts first. 5th Street onward uses the big bet size. On 7th Street (River), all active players receive one final face-down card, followed by the last betting round. At showdown, each player reveals hole cards and river card — the player with the lowest five-card hand wins. Straights and flushes are ignored entirely. Aces always count as 1. Unpaired hands beat all paired hands regardless of values; within unpaired hands, the one with the lower highest card wins; ties broken by second-highest card, then third, etc. Example ranking (best to worst): Wheel (A-2-3-4-5), 6-Low, 7-Low ... Pair hands, Two Pair, Trips, Full House, Quads.

Basic Strategy

Start with three low cards (A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) to have a strong Razz starting hand — ideally three cards all under 8 with no pair. Fold immediately on 3rd Street if you hold a pair or any card above 9. The Wheel draw (starting with A-2-3 or A-2-4) is the strongest possible start and justifies aggressive play. Dead-card awareness matters even more in Razz than in standard stud: the low-card outs (A through 8) are the only ones you care about, so count carefully how many of each low rank has already folded. If you start with a strong three-card low and catch bricks (high cards or pairs) on 4th or 5th Street while opponents are catching low cards, abandon the hand quickly — the hand can deteriorate fast. Conversely, if you are consistently catching lows while opponents show pairing cards, apply maximum pressure. The bring-in player has the worst starting position structurally but may hold strong hidden hole cards, so the bring-in is not a reliable tell about hand strength.

At a Glance

Category: Card Games
Sections: Rules + Strategy

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RazzLow Wins

Ante 5 | Bring-in 10 | Small 20 | Big 40

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Razz Poker

The lowball variant of Seven-Card Stud. The lowest hand wins. Ace is always 1, straights and flushes don't count. A-2-3-4-5 (the Wheel) is the best possible hand.

Low Wins

Low 5 cards = strong. No-pair 5-low (Wheel) is the best. Ace counts as 1.

Bring-in

Reversed from 7CS — the highest card showing must post the bring-in.

Bet Order

Best low hand acts first. 5th Street onward uses the big bet.

Dead Cards

A–8 dead cards reduce your outs. Watch the purple-bordered cards.

Razz key concept: The lowest unpaired five-card hand wins. Ace is always 1, straights and flushes are ignored. The bring-in falls on the highest exposed card (reverse of standard 7CS). The Wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the best possible hand. Dead low cards (A–8) reduce your outs — track them carefully.

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