Razz Rules

Objective

Build the lowest, most pitiful 5 card hand you can and walk away with the pot for it. Razz flips poker on its head. Big cards become bricks, pairs turn into problems, and every street feels like a slow crawl toward either a beautifully ugly hand or a complete disaster. If you enjoy upside down logic, this is your playground.

Material

Standard 52-card deck

2♠ 3♠ 4♠ 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ 10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠

Hand Rankings (Low to High — completely backwards!)

Best possible: A-2-3-4-5 (the bicycle, the wheel — absolute nuts) Second best: A-2-3-4-6 Worst: K-Q-J-10-9 (as long as you somehow avoided pairing…)

Key rules (burn them into your brain):

• Aces are LOW. The best card you can hold.
• Straights and flushes DO NOT COUNT. Totally ignored.
• Pairs are TERRIBLE. Avoid like fire.
• Goal: Make the lowest unpaired 5-card hand.

How to Play

Razz uses the full 7 Card Stud structure, but everything good becomes bad and everything bad suddenly shines.

3rd Street: You get two cards face down and one face up. Whoever shows the highest up card is forced to post the bring in.

4th Street: Everyone receives another up card. Low cards look gorgeous here.

5th Street: One more up card. Boards start telling stories, and you check who’s quietly building a smooth low.

6th Street: Another up card hits the table. By now, you usually know if your hand is drifting toward glory or collapsing.

7th Street (River): Your final card arrives face down. Time for one last prayer.

Showdown: You choose the lowest 5 card hand, ignoring straights and flushes. Aces are always low, and pairs will ruin your whole day.

Starting Hands

Premium (attack, raise, show teeth):

• A-2-3 (dream opener)
• A-2-4, A-2-5
• A-3-4, A-3-5
• 2-3-4, 2-3-5

Playable (call it and see what happens):

• Any 3 small cards (8 or lower) with an Ace
• Clean shapes like 5-6-7 or 4-6-7

Fold (don’t even think about it):

• Any pair (instant garbage)
• Anything starting with 9 or higher (unless there's an Ace helping)
• Weird, disconnected middling junk

Strategy

Door Card Importance

Your face-up card on 3rd Street screams info.

Highest door card brings-in, which is a punishment in lowball:

• Showing K or Q = probably in trouble
• Showing 2 or 3 = instant credibility

Live Cards

Lowball is a counting game — track what’s gone:

• Need 2s and 3s? Check how many are already showing
• If your outs are dead, your hand is shrinking
• If your cards are live, press your edge

Reading Boards

Opponents tell their story with up-cards.

Opponent shows: 2-4-6-8 → Probably building a monster low

Opponent shows: 9-K-Q-J → Zero threat (unless they’re acting weird)

Example Hand

Your hand: (A♠ 3♦) 2♥ | 5♠ | 7♣ | 6♦ | (8♥) Best 5: A-2-3-5-6 — a crisp Six-low. That’s strong. Very strong.

Opponent: (? ?) 4♠ | 9♦ | K♠ | 2♣ | (?) With a K up, their board looks like a mess. Good spot to push.

Common Mistakes

• Playing starting hands with pairs (don’t do this to yourself)
• Ignoring dead cards
• Chasing hopeless 9-high boards
• Underestimating scary low boards (2-3-4-5 staring at you)
• Forgetting straights don’t matter — A-2-3-4-5 is GOD MODE here