Razz

Razz is a fairly simple game, but due to its 'backwards' way of thinking, some people find it very difficult to learn.

Razz is played the same way as your standard 7-Card Stud game, but the object is to create the lowest possible hand, rather than the highest.

The game begins with each player receiving two cards face down, and one face up. To begin the game, the player to the left of the dealer plays the small blind, and the next player plays the big blind. The person to the left of the big blind begins the action by deciding whether to match (call) the big blind, raise, or fold. After each player has had a turn to act, another card is dealt face up to each player. There is another round of betting. Two more cards are dealt face up to each player with a round of betting between each. One final card is dealt face down so there are a total of 7 cards in front of each player.

So that's how you deal razz, and how the gameplay works, now to discuss how to win.

Basically, the object of the game is to have the lowest possible hand. However, straights and flushes do not count against you. What this means is that best and lowest possible hand is A-2-3-4-5. Because straights do not count against your hand, the A-5 straight is just considered a 5 high, which is the best.

The rest of the hands are ranked by the lowest high card. For example, 3-5-7-9-T is better than A-2-4-5-J because the T is lower than the J in Player 1's hand. Even though Player two has an A in his hand, his highest card is a Jack, and that automatically makes his hand a Jack high.

In the event that two players have the same high card, the winner is decided on how low the next card is in the sequence. For example, if Player 1 has A-3-4-7-9 and Player 2 has A-2-3-8-9, the winner is player 1 as his 7 is lower than Player 2's 8.

And that's how you play Razz.