Razz poker is the game most poker players, including seasoned professionals, love to hate. Razz, also known as 7 card stud low, is played with players trying to obtain a lowball hand. Because Razz Poker is so widely misunderstood it offers those who know the game to profit greatly. Razz was once a game only found in the back of casino where most of the players sitting around looked like they were not enjoying themselves.

Razz poker is not as well known as other games like Texas Holdem, Omaha or Stud, but thanks to television of Razz poker tournaments over the last few years more poker players are testing the waters. One of the biggest boosts in popularity came from the 2004 World Series of Poker when T.J. Cloutier was heads up against Dutch Boyd. Razz can most often be found in mixed poker games like H.O.R.S.E.

If you have never played Razz it is important to start off by learning the basic hand rankings, Razz poker rules and strategy for play. How to play Razz Poker will cover each of these steps and get you on your way to winning. It is also a good idea to get any one of a number of books available like, “Play Razz Poker to Win: Starting Hands: Eleven Rules to Know” to gain an even more rounded understanding of the game of Razz.http://www.poker-babes.com/poker/razz/

Most all Razz poker is played either pot limit or fixed limit style. Depending on the round of betting you are in your required bet must equal the low or high limits. Low limit match betting is required for the first two rounds. Each additional round of betting will match the high limit. When playing Razz poker there will be five rounds of betting and a limit of three raises per round allowed.

Razz poker uses the same forced bets rules as Ante 7 Card Stud. This generally means that players must ante about 1/5 the low limit bet size before play. Each player is required to place an ante which doesn’t count on any future bets.

Once the antes have been placed the dealer deals first round of cards: two cards face down and one card face up to each player. Once the deal is complete person with the highest card showing must place a “bring in” bet. “Bring in” bet is the low limit bet size of the pot. Should two or more players have the same value high card showing, player closest to the dealer must place bring in bet first. Bring in bet counts for your first round bet. As long as no other players raise, you will not be required to place anymore money in pot for next card of play.

In Razz poker flushes and straights don’t count against your low hand but pairs and three of a kinds do. The lowest possible winning hand of five out of seven cards is 5,4,3,2,A (aces are always low). This five card hand is known as the “wheel”. No other hand can bet the wheel hand and best other players can do is match.

As mentioned each hand will finish with seven cards but only the lowest five cards from each is used to determine the winner of each hand. If your five card hand comes up 4,4,4,6,6 it is best to fold if you hadn’t already. When viewing your hand keep in mind that low hands are counted from highest to lowest.

The following table will show you sample hand rankings from best to worse:

The old saying “know when to hold them, know when to fold them” has never been more true then it is with Razz poker. No matter how good your hand may be in the beginning be prepared to fold them if they turn bad. When playing Razz it is important to play tight and plan timed attempts at stealing the antes when chances arise. Patience is a virtue.

The best possible three card starting hand you can hope for in Razz is A, 2, 3. Hands between Ace to five are good starting hands as long as no pairs come up. These starting hands will allow you a chance to raise and you should play them aggressively.

While playing Razz and working your strategy it is most important to be observant of other players up cards. By paying attention to other Razz players up cards you will gain an inside idea of their strength and weakness allowing you to capitalize on open door opportunities in betting. This will also allow you to achieve a good measure of your own hands strength and weakness and may be the difference between betting or folding your hand.http://www.poker-strategy.org/default.aspx?tabid=211