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Poker basics: How to play Razz
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With the increase in popularity of mixed games like H.O.R.S.E. players must be willing to learn the different poker variants that are played. And perhaps the strangest one of all is Razz. Razz is a form of Stud Poker where the object is to have the five lowest cards possible. Razz is a peculiar game in that it is the opposite of everything people know about poker; you’re trying for the worst hand!
Game play is the same as 7-Card-Stud; first each player antes the designated amount. Each player is then dealt two hole cards, and one up card. The highest card is the forced-bet bring-in, and the other players act in turn with the action proceeding to the left.
Three more cards are dealt to each active player, one at a time followed by around of betting. The seventh and final card is then dealt face down concluding with a final round of betting.
The player with five lowest (unpaired cards) wins the pot: Straights and flushes do not apply, and Aces are counted as low. Hand rankings descend from the highest card to the lowest: So, a 6-5-4-3-2 beats an 8-4-3-2-A.
Playing 3rd Street
The key to Razz is starting with three prime low cards:
Monster Hands – Any three cards 5 and lower, with A23 being the best, and 543 the worst. You should be willing to bet and raise these hands pre-flop.
Good Hands – any 6 low or 7-4. These are hands that you would put in the first raise with or re-raise a higher door card with. If a player raises a wheel door-card you should simply flat-call.
OK hands – any rough 7 (a 7-6 or 7-5) and any 8-4. These hands are good for open raising (especially if the 7 or 8 is hidden) or calling a completed bet.
Playing 4th Street
When you catch a good card on 4th street you want to stay aggressive, even if your opponent also caught what appears to be a good card. The reason for this is your opponent may have paired one of his hole cards, and even if he has gone ahead of you there is still a long way to go until the river – at this point in a hand of Razz hand values are very close together, and there isn’t much of a difference between a 7532 and a 842A.
If your opponent “bricks” (catches a bad card) on 4th street you should always bet, even if you paired a hole card or bricked slightly better: For instance if your opponent catches a Queen and you catch a Ten.
Playing 5th Street on
As a hand of razz unfolds you will have to consider what you know of your opponent and how the cards are falling when making decisions. Very few games are as straightforward as Razz is on later streets. Players do not have to worry about hidden straights or flushes; or if you have a big pair in the hole. In Razz, more so than any other game, cards speak.
Having a good grasp of Razz basics will not only allow you to hold steady when the Razz rotation comes around, but it allows you to be able to exploit players who haven’t taken the time to learn a few basics of the game. You’ll make most of your money from these players – they are good at other forms of poker and have a general idea of how Razz is played, but they stick around with 8-7’s and get caught up in raising wars with marginal hands.
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