The rules of Razz are quite simplistic, when you get down to it. If you’ve ever played 7 Card Stud and/or 7 Card Stud High/Low, you already have the basic idea of how the game is played. Razz is a variation of 7 Card Stud in which only the lowest ranking poker hand wins the pot.

Please refer to our page for a list of highest (and lowest) ranking poker hands found here.

In its most basic description, Razz is a poker game involving up to 8 players, where each player is dealt a total of 7 cards throughout the hand. The player to develop the lowest ranking 5-card poker hand from his 7 cards.

Aces are always low and Straights/Flushes are not considered combinations in Razz, resulting in the best possible hand (lowest) being 5-High (A-2-3-4-5).

Razz is most often played in a Fixed Limit format, meaning bets can only be made in the specified increments. For example, in a $5/$10 game, players may only bet/raise in increments of $5 during the Fourth and Fifth Street, then $10 during the Sixth and Seventh Street.

The Game Starts

A game of Razz begins with each player placing an Ante bet. The Ante is typically 10% of the low-end stakes. A $5/$10 game of Razz would incur an Ante of $0.50. However, a 20% or 25% Ante is not unusual ($5/$10 stakes = $1 Ante at 20%). Each player is then dealt 3 cards, the first two face-down (Hole Cards) and the last face-up (Door Card). Note that each card dealt thereafter is referred to as a ‘Street’.

The player with the highest Door Card must place a ‘Bring In’ bet, equal to half of the low-end stakes ($2.50 in a $5/$10 Razz game). If a tie occurs, lowest card is determined by suit. The highest ranking suit is spades, followed by hearts, diamonds, then clubs. For example, K-spade would be the worst possible Door Card, forcing a Bring In bet. A normal round of betting then continues, starting with the player right of the Bring In bettor.

Fourth Street: Each player is dealt a fourth card, face-up. From here on out, the lowest hand showing must start each round of betting.

Fifth Street: A fifth card is dealt face-up to each player, followed by another round of betting, same as the last.

Sixth Street: A sixth card is dealt face-up to each player, again followed by a round of betting. This time (and each time thereafter), bets and raises must be made in increments of the high-end stakes; $10 in a $5/$10 Razz game.

Seventh Street: A seventh and final card is dealt to each player, this time face-down. The player who started the Sixth Street betting round will start this betting round as well, as his status of lowest-hand-showing is unchanged.

Note: Though extremely rare, it is possible for the deck to become too low to deal a seventh card to every player. This only happens when all players remain in the hand (i.e. no one Folds). Should this occur, a final seventh card is dealt in ‘Community Card’ fashion, face-up in the center of the table. This card is used by every player as their seventh and final card.

The Showdown: Once the final betting round is over, each player reveals their cards to determine the winner. The lowest ranking poker hand takes the entire pot. Remember, Straight and Flushes are not considered combination, therefore the best possible hand is 5-High (A-2-3-4-5). In the case of an exact tie, the winning players split the pot.