Razz Strategy

By Daniel Yee
8-15-06

Ever have one of those days in which none of your poker hands turn out to be the best and you think, "Gee, if I could win with the worst hand possible, I'd be rich!" Well, apparently other poker players in the past have felt the same way you did, because there's Razz, a low version of Seven Card Stud, in which players win by having the worst possible poker hand.

Why play Razz at FullTilt.com? Well, it's a tremendously fun game that trains your mind to work "backwards" as you build the worst hand. It's also fun because it has plenty of dangers -- you could be dealt high cards that would make your hand lose on later streets. Or your hand could pair up, which also is a disaster.

Razz is like Seven Card Stud -- you are dealt two face down cards and one face up. Then there is a round of betting. Another card is dealt face up, called fourth street, and then a round of betting. Two more streets are dealt face up, with betting after each card. The last card, seventh street, is dealt face down before a final round of betting. You pick your best five cards -- that is, the worst five cards you have -- to win the hand.

The lowest possible hand wins -- the best hand possible is a wheel, or 5, 4, 3, 2, A. As you can see here, straights do not hurt you in this game. Also flushes do not count. But pairs are not good -- a marginal, non-paired hand such as J, T, 9, 3, 2 is better than 4, 4, 3, 2, A.

As with all lowball games, you want to build your hand from the bottom up. Thus, receiving A, 2, 3 in your first three cards is the best possible way to start off your hand. You can still play with a high card if your other two cards are lower, say, A and 2 with a K showing. But you want to be careful.

In Razz, the highest card showing at the table -- say a Q or a K -- starts the betting with a mandatory bet -- $1 in a $3/6 razz game -- and the action works clockwise from the "bring in" bettor. If you have an A showing, this is a good time for you to raise, even if your face down cards aren't as good. The A will intimidate people with weaker or marginal holdings and may get them to fold. If you have other low cards, say a 2, 3, or 4 showing as your face up card, you may want to raise, especially if that card is the lowest at the table.

When in doubt, I like to raise with low face up cards, even if someone behind you has an even lower card (they have a "2" showing when you have a "4" showing, for example). That's because there's a chance they may opt not to play the hand because they have even worse cards underneath. As in any poker game, you are rewarded for your aggression and keeping the pressure on other players.

As you are dealt additional cards (fourth through seventh streets), you'll want to keep track of the possible hands that your opponents have. It's pretty easy to do because you can see most of their cards. As in Seven Card Stud, you'll want to keep track of the cards you've seen previously before people have folded them. As in any poker game, bet when you have the upper hand -- make it as expensive as possible for people to draw out and beat you.

Don't fret if you start off with a good hand, say A, 2, 3 and are dealt high cards or pairs on later streets. You have to make the best five-card hand, so you really are allowed two "mistake" cards. For example, if you have A, 2, 3 and are dealt a K, you may wish to continue if your hand likely still will be the best hand if you aren't dealt another high card or paired card.

Check to see if your opponents are in the same boat -- they may fold because they have other high or paired cards that aren't showing. Of course, if you end up with two pairs of cards, say KKTT showing, it's likely you'll end up folding the hand to a bet, since there's a good chance your opponent has a decent unpaired hand.

But razz is a game of guts and sometimes you can proceed even if you know you have a terrible hand. Say you have KK as your hole cards but an A showing. You're dealt 2, 5, 7, 4 and another 4 on seventh street as your face down card. Sometimes, if you've studied the table well you can get away with bluffing by betting it out. Your opponent doesn't know you have two pair, does he?

These are just some starting tips. But the real way to learn is to get your feet wet, either at a play money table or a micro limit table at Full Tilt Poker, which spreads razz games online.

Ed Note:  Poker Stars has just launched their new Razz tables, and are including Razz in their annual WCOOP.