How to play Razz Poker
The rules of razz poker are fairly simple to understand for any fan of the game. The goal is to create the worst 5-card hand from the seven cards dealt to you. The basic gameplay is very similar to 7 Card Stus. Unlike other “low hand” poker games, straights and flushes have no ranking and aces are low. This simplifies the gameplay in a lot of ways, making Razz Poker a variant that even newer poker players can enjoy.Razz Poker Game Play:
To begin, each player antes up. A total of three cards are dealt to each player - two of the cards are dealt face down and one is dealt face up. Action begins on the player with the highest face-up card. If two players or more are tied with the same card, the first to act will be the player with the highest suit according to the following order (highest to lowest): spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. This player may either: act, fold, or place the Bring-In amount (a forced bet).Once the first round of betting has concluded, a fourth card is dealt to each player, face-up. A second round of betting follows and the first player to act is the player with the lowest poker ranking in their exposed hand (straights and flushes are ignored). A fifth card is dealt face-up to each player. Again, the first player to act is the player with the lowest poker ranking in their exposed hand. Betting follows and then a sixth card is dealt face-up to each player.
After the sixth card is dealt, a penultimate round of betting takes place, with the same betting rules applying as earlier. At this time, a 7th card is dealt to each player - this time face-down. This is the final card to be dealt. Each remaining player now holds 3 face-down cards and 4 face-up cards. This is when the final round of betting takes place. The player with the lowest hand wins the pot. Once again, straights and flushes have no ranking and aces are low. In the event of a tie, the pot is split. It's important to note that suit rankings do not apply in determining the winner of a pot.
