Razz Rules and Basic Strategy

What is Razz?

Razz uses the same stud structure as Seven Card Stud: antes, a bring-in, individual upcards, hidden downcards, and betting from third street through seventh street. The difference is that Razz is low-only. There is no high half.

The best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5, often called the wheel. There is no 8-or-better qualifier in standard Razz. If the best hand at showdown is a nine-low, ten-low, or worse, it still wins if it is the lowest hand remaining.

The goal: bet when ahead, quit when behind

Razz rewards clear-eyed decisions. You want to bet when your board and hidden cards are likely ahead, and you want to stop paying when your board has fallen behind and your outs are dead or obvious.

In Razz, maybe more than any other mixed game, it is critical to press your advantage when you have it and give up at the right time when you do not.

How a Razz hand is played

Razz is dealt in streets. A full hand can run from third street through seventh street, with betting on each street.

1. Antes: Each player posts an ante before the hand begins.
2. Third street: Each player receives two cards face down and one card face up. The highest exposed card usually posts the bring-in.
3. Fourth street: Each remaining player receives one more face-up card, followed by betting.
4. Fifth street: Each remaining player receives another face-up card. Betting usually moves to the bigger bet size.
5. Sixth street: Each remaining player receives another face-up card, followed by betting.
6. Seventh street: Each remaining player receives a final face-down card, followed by a final betting round.
7. Showdown: The lowest five-card ace-to-five hand wins.

From fourth street onward, the first player to act is usually the player showing the lowest exposed board.

How Razz hands are read

Razz hands are read from the top down. The highest card in your five-card low matters first. If the highest card ties, compare the next highest card, then the next, until the tie is broken.

1. Lower is better. A seven-low beats an eight-low. An eight-low beats a nine-low.
2. Aces are low. A-2-3-4-5 is the best possible Razz hand.
3. Straights and flushes do not count against you. A wheel is not a straight problem. It is the nuts.
4. Pairs are bad. Paired cards cannot both help your low hand.
5. There is no 8-or-better qualifier. The lowest hand wins, even if both players make rough lows.

Upcards, low boards, and hidden cards

Razz is a visual game. Low upcards apply pressure, while paint cards and paired boards often reveal trouble. You are not just playing your hand — you are comparing your board to every other active board.

Your downcards are hidden, but your upcards are public. A board showing A-3-6 is telling a very different story from a board showing J-8-8.

Upcards should stay in the order they were dealt. Third street should be closest to the player, with later streets placed outward toward the middle of the table. Correct order matters because Razz is a visual information game. If another player’s board is out of order, you can politely ask that the cards be put back in street order.

Live cards and dead cards

Live cards are cards that have not been exposed. Dead cards are cards you have already seen in other players’ upcards or folded boards. In Razz, live-card tracking is central because your draw is only as good as the low cards still available.

If you need a five and several fives are already exposed, your draw is weaker. If your opponent needs to catch perfect and the cards they need are dead, your current board may be stronger than it looks.

Popular Razz variants

Standard Razz is ace-to-five lowball. These variants change the lowball system or add a split-pot Badugi half.

Basic Razz strategy

Razz strategy starts with board advantage. You want to apply pressure when your board is lower, your hidden cards are strong, and your opponent’s improvement cards look dead. You want to stop paying when your board has fallen behind and the live-card picture is bad.

Start with three low cards

Strong Razz starts usually have three low cards, preferably smooth and live. A-2-6 is very different from 7-8-9, even though both can technically keep playing in some spots.

Bet when your board is ahead

If your board is showing clean low cards and your opponent catches paint or pairs, you should often be betting. Razz rewards players who press visible advantages before the price gets bigger.

Give up when the board says you are behind

One of the most expensive Razz leaks is continuing just because the hand started well. If you catch high cards, pair your board, or see the low cards you need die, it may be time to let the hand go.

Respect fifth street

Fifth street is a major decision point because the bigger bet size usually begins there. If your board is behind on fifth street, future calls can become expensive quickly.

• Board advantage matters. Low exposed cards create betting pressure.
• Live cards matter. A draw is only as good as the cards still available.
• Smoothness matters. A smooth eight is much stronger than a rough eight.
• Discipline matters. Razz punishes players who cannot fold when the board turns bad.

Advanced Razz ideas for later study

At higher levels, Razz becomes much more than waiting for three low cards and hoping. Strong players think in terms of board texture, live-card removal, steal spots, re-steal spots, paired boards, fifth-street commitment, and river value.

Cash-game Razz rewards thin value, disciplined folds, and punishing boards that brick. Tournament Razz adds stack pressure, bring-in pressure, ante pressure, and survival decisions when the limits get large relative to stack size.

This page keeps the strategy beginner-friendly, but those advanced topics are where a full expert Razz guide should spend most of its time.

Common beginner mistakes

• Continuing after the board turns bad. A good start does not mean you should keep calling after catching bricks.
• Ignoring dead low cards. If the cards you need are already exposed, your draw is weaker than it looks.
• Forgetting pairs hurt. Pairing a low card often ruins a hand that looked strong on the previous street.
• Playing rough lows like smooth lows. An 8-7-6 low is very different from 8-4-3.
• Chasing on fifth street. The betting gets bigger, so bad calls become expensive.
• Only watching your own board. Razz is a visual information game. Everyone’s upcards matter.

Live Razz best practices

Razz moves cleanly when players protect their downcards, keep their upcards visible, and do not splash the board. Your exposed cards should remain easy for the dealer and other players to read.

Antes should be posted before the deal starts, and each player’s ante should be placed directly in front of that player so the dealer can clearly see who has posted.

In a casino stud game, your upcards must stay visible on the table. Do not pick up your board cards and hold them in your hand like a flop-game hand. In many poker rooms, taking your upcards out of view while the hand is live can kill your hand because exposed cards are public information in stud.

Razz is a visual game. You should be able to see every active player’s upcards on every street. If chips, hands, phones, drinks, the dealer, or anything else blocks your view, politely ask for it to be moved. If you cannot see a card clearly, you may ask the dealer to read the exposed cards currently in play.

If a player is confused, the cleanest explanation is simple: two down and one up to start, four more streets, lowest five-card ace-to-five hand wins, aces are low, and straights and flushes do not count against you.

Related games

If Razz is the game you are learning, these are natural companion games. Razz uses the stud structure, but flips the goal to low only.

Razz FAQ