Razz

[yellowcab]

I think this is one of the most depressing game to both watch and play. I've seen Lederer and Cloutier play Razz on TV and they both looked so unhappy, especially Lederer.

I dont mind Hi/Lo Omaha but Razz is just not for me.

[mister_frank]

What is razz?

[egthareal]

Razz is a wierd combination of many different types of poker...

http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/razz.html

Is a great site where you can find excellent resources on what Razz is. You can even play it online at FullTilt; its an interesting game to say the least but I tend to agree with yellow cab - boring game.

--EG

[mister_frank]

Thanks for the info egthareal.

That's good site to check out to learn about razz.

[card4]

I wonder how long before Razz is phased out. It is certainly one of the most frustrating of games to play. All of the pros seem to hate it, I agree. I think deep down though, aside from the main event braclet, its the other WSOP event a lot want to win because it shows just how much skill they have. You ocassionally get a weaker player who can win a holdem event but I can't remember the last time anyone who I would classify as weak won a razz braclet.

[egthareal]

Razz, although a very odd and frusterating game will likely never be fazed out. IT actually has a very decicated underground following. It's almost cult status. Agreeing with Card4, most pros who play simply are seeking a bracelet.

[egthareal]

JUST A FEW THINGS WHEN PLAYING RAZZ

The rules:

For those of you who aren't familiar with Razz, it is a game played like 7-card stud. The twist is that in Razz, the worst hand wins. Straights and flushes don't count for anything, but pairs are bad. Aces are always low cards. A five-high (or wheel -- remember that straights don't count against you) is the worst -- or I should say the best -- possible hand for this game. A-2-3-4-5.

Starting hands:

When playing this game, it's important that you start with 3 little cards. You shouldn't play with any card bigger than an eight in your hand. But there are two exceptions to this rule.

1. You have a nine showing when the hand is dealt, everyone else's up card is bigger than a nine, and you have two low cards in the hole. In this case, you have the best starting hand.

2. You are in steal position with a baby showing, and the remaining player (or even the remaining two players) has a big card showing. You can often raise in this spot to steal the antes regardless of what your hole cards are. If somebody calls, you hope that their next card (fourth street) is a big card and yours is a baby. If your opponent catches a baby and you catch big, you should let it go. There's no point in continuing with the bluff.



Tracking cards:

Are your cards dead?


This is another important thing to know when playing Razz. What do I mean by 'dead card'? A dead card is a card that is no longer in the deck. You know this because you have seen it in someone else's hand. Keeping track of the dead cards allows you to know how many of the remaining cards can hurt you, and how many will improve your hand. For example: your first three cards are 2-5-8. There are seven other players in the game, and their upcards are: 2, 5, 8, 8, 2, 7, J.


Remember that pairs are bad in Razz. Fortunately, many of the cards that will pair you are in other players' hands, or 'dead'. Now suppose your opponent is holding 7-3-A. He needs a lot of the cards that are on the board (dead) to make his hand. The cards you need to make your hand are still available. In this situation, you are a little more than a 56% favorite. By tracking cards, you can more accurately make decisions based on your real equity at any given time.


As orignally posted by Jennifer Harman @ Full Tilt Poker



Hope It Helps,
EG

[Phish]

Razz is a good game to play on a drunken rainy night when you can scrounge together 3 friends and put on green days "Time of your life".

my ideal razz game anyhow.

[kansaspoker]

can you explain the dealing in razz on 3rd and 4th st?

[egthareal]

Heres some information that might help:

From National Master Encyclopedia

Razz is seven-card stud played with ace-to-five low hand values. It is usually played with a bring-in, paid by the player with the highest-ranking upcard on the initial deal (aces are always low cards in Razz, even for the purpose of assigning the bring-in). On the second and subsequent rounds, the player with the lowest exposed hand starts the betting.
London lowball is seven-card stud played with ace-to-six low hand values. It is usually played at pot limit or no limit, and is otherwise identical to Razz.

Here's a sample Razz deal (suits are omitted here because they are never of consequence in Razz; in London lowball, a flush cannot play as a low hand but otherwise they don't generally matter either). Alice deals each player two downcards and then one upcard: Bob's upcard is a J, Carol is dealt a 3, David an A, and Alice a 4. Bob's J is the high card (David's A is low), so he pays a $1 bring-in. Carol, David, and Alice all call. Now Bob is dealt a 9, Carol another 3, David a 4, and Alice a 2. The best low hand showing is now David's 4-A, just beating Alice's 4-2. David bets $1, Alice calls. Bob folds his J-9, and Carol calls (her pair of 3s is the worst hand showing, but there are still many cards to come). Alice now deals Carol an A, David a K, and herself an 8. The low hand showing is now Alice's 8-4-2, so she bets $2. Carol raises $2, and David folds. Alice calls, ending the round. Carol is now dealt a 6, and Alice another 8. Now the lowest hand showing is Carol's 3-3-6-A, a pair of 3s being lower than Alice's pair of 8s. She bets $2 and Alice calls. A final downcard is dealt, Carol again best $2, and Alice calls. Alice reveals that her downcards are 7-J-A, making her lowest five-card hand an 8-7-4-2-A. Carol reveals her downcards to be a 4-6-7, making her lowest five-card hand a 7-6-4-3-A, which wins the pot.


From Full Tilt Poker:

3.The dealer deals each active player a third upcard (fifth street). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting, but the bet size is now equal to the higher limit bet size. All bets from here on out will be at the higher limit.

4.The dealer deals each active player a fourth upcard (sixth street). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting.

5.The dealer deals each active player a final card, face down (seventh street, or the river card). Players still in the hand participate in a final round of betting.

In the rare event that all eight players remain in the hand at this point, there would not be enough cards for each player to receive another card. Should this occur, a single "common" card is placed in the middle of the table face up which every player is free to use.