Razz is very similar to 7-card Stud Poker, but with some differences. If you don’t know how either one of them works, here’s an in-depth, easy-to-follow breakdown.

How Razz resembles 7-card Stud:

1. Two cards are dealt face-down to each player, as well as one card face-up
2. The player with the highest face-up or ‘door’ card, has to place or ‘bring in’ the first bet
3. Play starts clockwise from the ‘bring-in’ player
4. There are three rounds with upcards, with each player deciding to up the ante into the pot, or folding, at the beginning of each round
5. There are four upcards, or ‘street cards’. On the seventh upcard, or ‘river’ card, players place their final bets
6. A showdown occurs where all players still in play show their hands to determine the winner. The winning hand is determined by the five best cards out of the seven the player has in hand

What are the differences between Stud and Razz?

1. Unlike Stud, the lowest hand wins the pot
2. Aces are only counted as low (ones)
3. A pair of Aces (two ‘ones’) loses to a pair of deuces (two ‘twos’)
4. On subsequent rounds following the first round, the low hand, rather than the high hand, acts first
5. If two players have the same low hand, then the suit of the lowest card determines who acts first (as with most cases, the suits read from spades as highest, followed by hearts, diamonds and then clubs as lowest)
6. The best possible Razz hand is 5-4-3-2-A or 5 high, also known as ‘the wheel’ or ‘the bicycle’
7. The player holding the best LOW hand, using any five of their cards, wins the pot

Here’s a quick run-through of how a Razz game might go:

1. The first round, or ‘Third Street’ round, starts with the player having the highest upcard betting on his/her cards. This is a forced bet, and is called a ‘bring in’. The next person to bet will sit clockwise from the bring-in, and like all consecutive players after, may see or raise the bet, or fold.
2. The second or ‘Fourth Street’ round starts with the dealer dealing each player another upcard. Betting proceeds at the lower limit, and players again have a choice of raising, betting or checking.
3. On ‘Fifth Street’, every player is dealt a third upcard, and betting proceeds as normal.
4. ‘Sixth Street’ follows through the same as the third round (fifth street), with betting as normal and every player still in the hand receiving their fourth upcard.
5. On the fifth or ‘Seventh Street’ round, each player still in the hand gets their final upcard. This upcard is dealt face down, though, and then commence the final round of betting.
6. The final act, so to speak, is the showdown, where remaining active players show their cards. The player making the best, lowest hand with five of the seven cards wins the pot.

Some easy terms to remember:

• Bring in: The player who has the door or highest card.
• Door card: The highest face-up card dealt a player before betting begins. The player with this card starts the hand, and the game proceeds clockwise from him/her.
• Lower Limit: The agreed-upon starting bet, which players either have to match (see) or raise (ante).
• River: The seventh upcard, dealt face down before the showdown and revealed during showdown. Also called the ‘Seventh Street’ card.
• Showdown: The final stage of a hand of Razz, where players reveal their cards and the winner of the pot is determined.
• Street cards: The four cards each player gets dealt as the hand progresses. They are numbered ‘fourth’, ‘fifth’, ‘sixth’ and ‘seventh’. The Seventh Street card is dealt face down, and only revealed – to all players still playing – during the showdown.

Now that you know the rules, you can bet that Razz is easy to play, and loads of fun as well!