Home

Razz (Seven Card Stud, played for low only) is a poker game in which the best Ace to Five low poker hand wins the pot at showdown. In Razz poker, players are dealt seven cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner. Note that unlike Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo or Omaha Hi/Lo, there is no "eight or better" requirement to win the pot in Razz.

Razz uses the ‘Ace to Five’ or ‘ California’ system for ranking low hands. Straights and flushes do not count against a hand, and aces are low, so the best possible hand is a "wheel": 5, 4, 3, 2, A. The following Razz hands are ranked from least powerful (#1, will rarely win the pot) to most powerful (#12, the nuts):

• 3, 3, 3, 5, 5
• K, K, 4, 3, 2
• 2, 2, 7, 6, 5
• A, A, T, 9, 8
• K, Q, J, T, 9
• K, Q, J, T, 7
• 9, 8, 7, 6, 5
• 9, 7, 6, 5, 3
• 9, 7, 6, 5, A
• 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
• 6, 4, 3, 2, A
• 5, 4, 3, 2, A

Note that a low hand is always ranked from its highest card downwards. So for example, hand #10 is known as a ‘six low’ because its highest card is a six. Hand #9 is a ‘nine low’, and Hand #5 is a ‘king low’.

Rules for Playing Razz

Before a game of Razz begins, all players ante a nominal amount (the exact amount depends on the game, and is displayed in the table’s title bar). Each player is dealt two hidden hole cards and one exposed card. The player with the highest exposed card is the "bring-in", and is forced to make another nominal bet or a full small bet (again, the exact size of the bring-in depends on the game). Action continues clockwise around the poker table until betting is complete for the round.

Rule Note: For the purposes of determining the bring-in in Razz, ties in card rank are broken by suit, with the order from highest to lowest being spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. The highest suit brings in, so if the queen of hearts and queen of diamonds are visible at the beginning of the hand, and a queen is the highest card, then the queen of hearts would have the bring-in.

Each player now receives an exposed card, called "Fourth Street". The first player to act is the player with the strongest (lowest) exposed hand. By rule, this player may either check or bet. The bet will be a small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game).

Each player now receives another exposed card, called "Fifth Street". Again, the first person to act is the player whose exposed cards are lowest.

Rule Note: Starting on Fifth Street and for the rest of the hand, all bets are in big bet increments ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each player now receives another exposed card, called "Sixth Street". Again, the first person to act is the player whose exposed cards are the lowest.

Each player now receives a seventh and final card, which is dealt face-down and known only to the player to whom the card is dealt. As with earlier streets, the first person to act is the player whose exposed cards have the lowest poker value.

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete in Razz, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player in the earliest seat shows his or her cards first (Seat 1, then Seat 2, and so on).

Showdown - Determining the Winner

The player with the best five-card Ace to Five low hand wins the pot. Remember that (unlike Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo and Omaha Hi/Lo), there is no "qualifier"; the best low hand wins the entire pot. After the pot is awarded to the best hand, a new game of Razz is ready to be played.

If two or more hands have the same value, the pot is equally split among them. There is no precedence of suit for the purposes of awarding the pot.