The Rules of Razz Poker
Razz is exactly identical to Seven-Card Stud with one major difference: the player who makes the worst hand wins the pot. Like in Stud, players are dealt three cards, two down, one up. Betting round. Another card face up. Betting round. Another card face up. Betting round. Another card face up. Betting round. A final card face down. A final betting round.
The best possible hand in Razz is Ace-Two-Three-Four-Five. The lowest five of the seven cards are played. Straights and flushes do not count against you in Razz. So technically you can make an Ace-through-Five straight flush and you would still have the "nuts" (that is, the best possible hand).
In Razz, players look for their first three cards to all be low. For example, being dealt a Two-Four with a Five face up is a very good starting hand in Razz. Generally speaking, having your first three cards all Eight or less is very good.
Razz players hope to avoid having their cards "paired". For example, a player who starts with Ace-Three-Six does not want to be dealt an Ace, Three, or Six again as this "paired card" is essentially worthless to them. Since players can see 4/7ths of their opponents cards, this game is a largely straightforward game. If you have a "Nine low" through five cards and your opponent is dealt a King, you can be 100% certain that you have a better hand than he does. Typically the player with the best face-up hand is the aggressor as the other players will have to hope that a.) their opponent is bluffing or b.) they'll improve to a better low hand.
Razz is one of the easiest poker games to learn and master. Often some common sense and discipline is all that is needed to hold one's own even if they have little Razz experience.
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