Razz Poker Rules

Razz Rules: The Way to Master the Game

Now many people do not know exactly what the razz poker game is. While it is not hugely popular there are quite a few people that play regularly and in many different states, if you do not know how to play razz poker, you are not a real poker player.

In the game of razz, you have to remember that there are no straights and flushes and you may do good to remember that you do not want to have the high hand, so any high pairs are most likely going to count against you in the end. Razz is all about the lowest cards and the lowest card in this game is going to be the ace. The ace counts as one in razz, so having an ace in your hand is going to do nothing but help you.

The objective of razz is to make the best possible five card low hand by using any combination of the seven cards that you are dealt. The best hand in the entire game would be something like A-2-3-4-5, that is because they are all low cards and with the ace counting as one, you can see how that would be a fabulous hand to get.

Now that you know the objective of the game, you may not exactly know how to play or what is entailed in razz exactly. Well, first, as the game begins you will be dealt two cards face down and one card faceup on the table. From this point on, the betting will start and the player with the highest card faceup on the table will begin the betting. This is called a forced bets and if two or more players tie for the highest card, the one that is closest to the dealers left side will be the one to start the betting off. An important thing to keep in the back of your head when you are betting on this first round is that if no one raises, you won’t have to put anymore money in to see your next card, so doing the minimum would be best.

In razz, there are five rounds of betting, so you need to be sure that you are ready for that. If you are playing in a fixed limit razz game, all of the raises and bets need to be equal to either the low limit or high limit bet size. It all depends on what round it is. For example, the third, fourth and fifth rounds are the rounds that all the bets must be equal to the higher limit. The first and second betting rounds will need to be capped at the lower limit bet size.

There can only be a maximum of three raises per betting round, so that is something that you will need to keep track of if you plan on raising the bet on any particular betting round.

When the third street is dealt out, there should be two cards dealt out that are facedown for every player followed by one card that is faceup on the table. The player with the highest card faceup is the one that needs to bet first, similar to the blinds in regular poker games, this bet is the forced bet. Now the player that is forced to bet first must at least bet half of the low limit bet. Now he/she may choose to raise the bet by paying the full low limit bet, but it is not necessary. The betting will then go clockwise around the table and each player will choose to fold, call or raise the bets. The low limit bet size is what all of the bets/raises need to be equal to.

The fourth street is the next card that is dealt out and they are dealt out faceup to each and every player. The player with the lowest hand showing is the one that will be the first to make a move. Now, he/she can fold, call or bet.

The fifth street is next up and this is another card that is dealt faceup to each and every player. Bets continue to go around the table in a clockwise fashion except that now, all of the bets and raises must be equal to the high limit bet size, instead of the low limit bet size.

The sixth and seventh street cards are finally dealt out now and the sixth street is dealt faceup while the seventh street is dealt facedown. All of the bets in these two rounds, just as in the fifth round need to be equal to the higher limit bet size. It is pretty rare that all of the players will end up in this round as many of them may have folded by now, but any of the remaining players will need to go against one another in a showdown match.

A showdown is anyone who has not folded yet will have the option of showing their hand and comparing it to any of the players that are left. This is where the cards will determine who wins the pot and which players are going to be taking home the money. The showing of the cards will go around the table in a clockwise fashion and after every player has shown their cards, the person who has the lowest hand will win the pot!