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Game guide · Razz

How to play Razz poker

Here is how to play Razz poker: the same deal as Seven-Card Stud, opposite payoff — the lowest hand wins. Learn to read a low, play the five streets, and turn ragged cards into the nuts, with trainers on every concept.

Learn how to play See starting hands
  • Players 2–8
  • Deck 52 cards
  • Difficulty Advanced
  • Betting Fixed-Limit
What is Razz

The game where the worst cards win

No flop, no button, no shared cards — just seven cards each and a race to the lowest hand. Simple to deal, brutally hard to master.

Seven-Card Stud, turned upside down

Deal Seven-Card Stud exactly as you always would — antes, a bring-in, seven cards over five streets — then hand the pot to whoever built the ugliest five-card hand. That single inversion is Razz. The mechanics never change; every card you catch is yours alone. Only the goal flips: you are hunting the worst-looking collection of cards you can build. High cards are now your enemies, and the ragged 2-3-4-6-7 you would fold in Hold'em is suddenly a hand worth raising with.

Aces low, and pretty hands are bad

Two rules make Razz its own game. First, it uses ace-to-five lowball: aces always count as the lowest card, and straights and flushes are completely ignored — they never count against you. Second, pairs only ever hurt. Because there is no board to share, every player builds a private hand from their own seven cards, so reading exposed up-cards and remembering which low cards are gone is the whole battle.

Read a low hand

The lower the better — count from the top down

In Razz you want the lowest five cards. Compare hands by their highest card first, then the next, and so on. Straights and flushes are invisible, and aces are always low. Here is the ladder, best to worst.

  1. Best

    The wheel · five-low

    5-4-3-2-A is the unbeatable nut low. It is also a straight — but straights never count in Razz, so it simply reads as a five.

  2. 2nd

    Six-low (a 'six-four')

    6-4-3-2-A is the best possible six. Name a low by its two highest cards: this is a 'six-four', and it beats every seven, eight and worse.

  3. 3rd

    Seven-low (a 'seven-five')

    7-5-4-2-A. Read the top two cards — a seven-five. Any seven-low is a strong hand that wins most Razz pots at showdown.

  4. 4th

    Smooth eight (an 'eight-six')

    8-6-4-3-A. Its second card is low, so it is a 'smooth' eight — it beats any rougher eight where the second card is higher.

  5. 5th

    Rough eight (an 'eight-seven')

    8-7-6-5-4 — five in a row, all one suit. In any other game that is a straight flush; in Razz it is only a rough eight, beaten by the smooth eight above.

  6. Worst

    Pair of nines — trash

    Pair up and you crash to the bottom: any pair is worse than every unpaired hand, even a king-high. This is why pairing your low card is the Razz nightmare.

Interactive · How a hand plays

One Razz hand, five streets

Razz shares Seven-Card Stud's structure: no flop, no button, just seven cards dealt over five betting rounds. Deal through a hand and watch a good low draw run all the way to the nuts.

Your seven cards
hole
hole
shown
shown
shown
shown
hole
Three low cards — wheel draw Lit cards = your best five right now
3rd street 2 down + 1 up · bring-in

You get two hole cards (A♦ 2♠) plus one up-card (4♣). Three low cards — a dream 'three-card wheel'. The player showing the highest up-card must bring it in; with a start this strong you raise to build the pot.

The forced bets · antes & bring-in

How to deal Razz poker: the highest card pays

There are no blinds in Razz. Everyone antes, then on third street each player gets two face-down cards and one face-up card. The player whose up-card is the highest is forced to open the betting — the exact opposite of Seven-Card Stud rules, because a high card is the worst thing to be showing.

Your third-street cards
hole · hidden
hole · hidden
up · shown

Two down, one up. Your 4♣ is low, so you are safe from the bring-in. The player showing a king would have to post it.

  • Ante, then bring-in

    Every player antes before the deal. After third street, the highest up-card posts a small forced bring-in bet to get the action started.

  • Lowest board acts first

    From fourth street on, the best low hand showing acts first and sets the pace — the mirror image of high stud, where the best hand acts first because high is good.

  • Fixed-limit betting

    Bets are a fixed size: the small bet on third and fourth streets, then a big bet (double) from fifth street through seventh. No all-in surprises.

Third-street starting hands

Razz starting hands: three low cards, or fold

A Razz hand lives or dies on its first three cards. Judge all three together — a shiny low up-card means nothing if a king and a nine are hiding underneath. Because low wins here, the usual poker hand rankings chart flips upside down. The lower and smoother your three cards, the more freely you can play. New to lowball? Compare it with the other types of poker before you sit down.

Premium · raise

Three wheel cards

Three different cards, all five or lower, like A-3-5. You are drawing to the nuts. Raise, re-raise, and build a big pot against high cards.

Playable · proceed

Three cards eight or lower

Any three unpaired cards from ace to eight, like 2-6-8. A solid, playable start — press on if your low cards are still live and rivals show bricks.

Trash · muck

A high card or a pair

Any pair, or cards nine and up like K-9-4, is a fold. One low card cannot rescue two bad ones — you would be drawing from behind all the way.

Interactive · Trainer

Which low wins?

Two players turn over their best five cards. Remember: lower is better, straights and flushes don't count, aces are low, and a pair drops you to the bottom. Tap the winner.

Hand 1 / 3 Score 0

Tap the player whose low wins the pot.

How it compares

Razz or Seven-Card Stud?

Same deal, same five streets, same seven cards — and completely inverted goals. Here is exactly what flips when you sit down for lowball.

Seven-Card Stud

Highest hand takes it

Classic Stud rewards big cards: pairs, trips and flushes win. The lowest up-card brings it in, and the highest hand showing acts first on every later street. Aces are high and every pretty hand you can make is worth chips.

  • Best HIGH hand wins
  • Lowest card brings in
  • Highest board acts first
  • Pairs & flushes are gold
Razz

Lowest hand takes it

Razz flips every instinct: you chase the worst cards, the highest up-card brings it in, and the lowest board acts first. Aces are low, straights and flushes are ignored, and a single pair can sink an otherwise perfect hand.

  • Best LOW hand wins
  • Highest card brings in
  • Lowest board acts first
  • Pairs are pure poison
Talk the talk

The Razz words worth knowing

Lowball has its own vocabulary. Learn this dozen and you will follow any Razz table, stream or strategy talk without missing a beat.

Razz
Stud's mirror image: the worst five cards scoop the pot. Ace-to-five lowball, where each player builds a private seven-card hand — nothing is shared.
The wheel
5-4-3-2-A — the best possible low and the nuts. Also called a 'five-low' or a 'bicycle'.
Ace-to-five
The lowball ranking Razz uses: aces are low, and straights and flushes never count.
Bring-in
The forced third-street bet posted by the player showing the highest (worst) up-card.
Up-card
A card dealt face-up for the whole table to see. Razz players read these to guess rival lows.
Smooth low
A low whose second card is small, like 8-6-4-2-A. A 'smooth eight' beats a rough one.
Rough low
A low whose second card is high, like 8-7-6-3-A. Weaker than a smooth low of the same top card.
Pairing up
Catching a card that matches one you hold. It drops you below any unpaired hand — the Razz nightmare.
Live cards
The low cards you need that are still unseen. If yours are all folded or showing, your draw is dead.
Third street
The opening round: two hole cards plus one up-card, then the bring-in and first bets.
Seventh street
The final card, dealt face-down (the 'river'). Your last chance to improve your low.
Brick
A high card that cannot help a low hand. You simply ignore it and keep your best five.
Avoid these

6 Razz mistakes to leave behind

Playing three high cards

Fix Three cards 8 or lower is the baseline for a starting hand. Muck holdings full of nines, tens and face cards — they are the worst cards in the game.

Ignoring the dead cards

Fix Note every low card folded or showing. If the deuces and threes you need are all gone, your draw is dead — release it.

Chasing after you pair

Fix Pair your low cards and your hand collapses below any unpaired holding. When you pair up on a later street, be ready to fold.

Fearing straights and flushes

Fix They do not count. Never fold a great low because it 'made a straight' — 5-4-3-2-A is the nuts, not a liability.

Reading the low from the bottom up

Fix Always compare from the highest card down. The lowest top card wins; only then do you look at the second card.

Playing every strong door card

Fix A low up-card is nice, but two low cards buried underneath a brick is a weak start. Judge all three third-street cards together.

FAQ

Razz questions

What is the best possible hand in Razz?

5-4-3-2-A, known as 'the wheel' or a 'five-low'. It is the lowest five unpaired cards you can hold. It is also a straight, but straights are ignored in Razz, so it still ranks as the unbeatable nut low.

Do straights and flushes count against me in Razz?

No — they are completely invisible. 8-7-6-5-4 all in spades looks like a straight flush, but in Razz it is simply a rough eight-low. Only the rank of your cards matters, never the suits or the sequence.

How do I read which low hand wins?

Compare the highest card first; the lower one wins. If they tie, compare the next card down, and so on. A hand is named by its two highest cards, so an 'eight-six' (8-6-4-2-A) beats an 'eight-seven' (8-7-3-2-A).

Who brings it in on third street?

The player showing the highest up-card must post the bring-in. That is the opposite of Seven-Card Stud, where the lowest card brings it in — because in Razz a high card is the worst card to be showing.

Why are pairs so bad in Razz?

Any pair is worse than every hand with no pair — even a king-high. Pairing your low card, called 'pairing up', instantly turns a strong draw into near-worthless holding, so avoiding it drives most Razz decisions.

Keep building

Where to go next

Seven-Card Stud

Razz's high-hand parent — same streets, opposite goal. Learn one and the other clicks.

Open course →

Badugi

A draw game where low and four different suits both matter. The other great lowball.

Open course →

Texas Hold'em

The community-card classic. A gentler place to build core poker instincts.

Open course →

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