Razz is a form of stud poker where the lowest possible five-card hand wins the pot, making it the complete opposite of traditional high-hand poker games. In this seven-card stud variant, straights and flushes don’t count against you, and aces are always low, making A-2-3-4-5 the best possible hand, often called “the wheel” or “the bicycle.”
Razz gained prominence as one of the games in H.O.R.S.E. and other mixed-game rotations, becoming a staple at the World Series of Poker since 1971. The game follows the same betting structure and dealing pattern as seven-card stud, with each player receiving three cards down and four cards up throughout the hand. However, instead of making the highest-ranking hand, players compete to make the lowest possible five-card combination from their seven cards. The ace-to-five lowball ranking system means that pairs hurt your hand, and the best possible holding contains five unpaired cards with the lowest ranks.
How Does Razz Work?
In Razz, each player starts with two cards face down and one card face up, called third street. The player with the highest exposed card must make a forced bring-in bet, typically one-third to one-half of the small bet limit. Action continues clockwise with players able to call, complete to the full small bet, or fold.
On fourth street, each remaining player receives another face-up card. From this point forward, the player showing the lowest hand acts first. This is where Razz diverges from regular stud, the best visible low hand leads the betting, not the highest.
Fifth and sixth streets follow the same pattern, with one face-up card dealt to each player. On fifth street, the betting limit doubles to the big bet size. Seventh street, or the river, is dealt face down to each remaining player. After the final betting round, players make their best five-card low hand from their seven cards.
Razz vs Seven-Card Stud: What’s the Difference?
While Razz uses the identical dealing and betting structure as seven-card stud, the hand rankings are completely reversed. In stud, you want pairs, straights, and flushes. In Razz, pairs are terrible, and straights and flushes don’t exist, they simply don’t count.
The bring-in also works opposite. In stud, the lowest showing card brings in. In Razz, the highest showing card must bring in, emphasizing that high cards are undesirable. This reversal extends to who acts first on each street, the lowest showing hand leads the action in Razz.
Key Facts
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cards dealt | 7 total (3 down, 4 up) |
| Best possible hand | A-2-3-4-5 (“wheel”) |
| Worst possible hand | K-K-K-K-Q |
| Straights/flushes | Don’t count (ignored) |
| Ace value | Always low |
| Bring-in | Highest card showing |
| Action order | Best low showing acts first |
Hear It at the Table
Key Takeaway
Razz flips poker on its head, you’re trying to avoid making traditional poker hands. The key to understanding Razz is remembering that pairs kill your hand, straights and flushes are ignored completely, and aces are always low. If you can wrap your mind around wanting the cards you’d normally fold in hold’em, you’re halfway to understanding this unique lowball variant.
