Stud
How to play Razz
Razz looks like 7-card stud and thinks like the opposite of Hold'em. Lowest unpaired hand wins. Aces are low. Straights and flushes do not count against you. The wheel — A-2-3-4-5 — is the nuts.
The deal
Like 7-card stud: two down, one up (third street), then three more up cards and a final down card. There is no community board. The bring-in on third street is posted by the highest door card, not the lowest — because high is bad. After that, the lowest board acts first.
What you are trying to make
The best five-card low, unpaired, ace-to-five. Pairs hurt. A made 8-low is often in trouble against a draw to a 7. Dead cards matter more than in Hold'em: if you need a 3 and two threes are already up, your draw is sick. Reading upcards is the skill; hole cards are the hidden part of a hand you can already mostly see.
- Starting hands: three unpaired low cards. A-2-3 is a premium; 8-7-6 is trash
- Do not 'catch up' by calling seventh with a pair in your hand
- Steal more when the boards behind you are painted
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