Everything Beginners Need to Know about Razz Poker

Poker players who have played Seven Card Stud Poker will find it very easy to understand and play Razz Poker as the two variants are similar.

Players who are a bit weary of having to create the strongest hand will be happier playing Razz as the variant pays the player with the weakest hand.

The Rules

Playing Razz Poker is incredibly simple, especially considering the fact that the aim is to create the weakest possible hand. As many as six players can play a game of Razz although as few as two players can also play it.

The game begins with each player placing a bet that goes into the pot, after which the cards are dealt. Each player receives a hand of one face-up card and two face-down cards, which are also known as hole cards. The face-up card is also known as the door card and the player who has the weakest door card must place the bet to initiate the first betting round. Once this happens, players can raise, call, or fold. Cards will continue to be dealt after this betting round, and each card dealt is called “street.”

• Fourth Street – Players will now receive a fourth card, followed by another betting round. The player who has the highest face-up card will initiate the betting round from the fifth street onward.
• Fifth Street – Players will now receive a fifth card, followed by another betting round.
• Sixth Street – Players will receive their sixth face-up card, followed by another betting round.
• Seventh Street – Players will receive their seventh and last face-up card, followed by another betting round.
• Showdown – It is now time for the showdown. Players left at the table will have to use the seven cards dealt to them to create the weakest poker hand. In case of Razz, the Ace is the weakest card, and the pot goes to the player with the weakest hand.

Learn the Basic Rules for Razz Poker using the video below

This video has been provided by expertvillage

Razz Strategies

Players can think about learning and implementing winning Razz strategies once they have thoroughly understood the basic rules of the game. Here are some great Razz tips and strategies for beginners:

• Play only weak hands – If players have a card stronger than seven, they had better fold. Some Razz players do play a hand with an eight, but experts advise beginners to fold all hands that have cards stronger than seven. Players should play only weak starting hands because the objective of Razz is to create the weakest poker hand possible.
• Players can play hands with one pair – A hand comprising one pair has the potential to become a winning hand, but a hand with more than one pair can seriously damage players’ chances of winning the pot.
• Bluff – Razz players do bluff, but most of the time it is not necessary as most of the cards are face-up cards.
• Fold by the Fifth Street – If players must fold, they must fold on the fifth street or before that, otherwise they are going to lose a lot of money. Players might begin with a good starting hand, but if the going gets tough and they are sure that their chances of winning have diminished, they must fold by the fifth street before they lose too much money.
• Watch other players’ cards – Razz players should not only analyze their own face-up cards, but also the face-up cards of their opponents. They can decide on their next move after analyzing the relative strength of their opponents’ hands. For example, if a player has three nine cards, but notices that none of his opponents have face-up cards lower than a nine card, the player can conclude that he/she still has the weakest possible hand at that particular point of the game.
• Bricks need not necessarily kill the game – Players need not panic if they get a brick, but if they get too many, they might have to decide to fold their hand.
• Steal antes and bring-ins – Players should never give up opportunities to steal antes and bring-ins, especially when they have really good Razz cards such as deuces, Aces, or even threes as their face-up cards and the opponents have bad cards. This strategy works most of the time, and even if it does not work always, it is still a lucrative strategy to implement.