Razz can be an intimidating game for newcomers, yet many veterans loathe the frustrating game that is a magnet for more tilt and bad beats than many other formats combined.
However, if you want to become a mixed games master, or want to become a stronger H.O.R.S.E. specialist, then you’ll have to learn to love Razz. Most importantly, you’ll have to exhibit mental discipline and toughness to learn how to shrug off the barrage of bad beats.
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Quick Tutorial on Razz
Razz is a variation of lowball and the object is to make the lowest possible five card hand.
Straights and flushes don’t count, but pairs and trips are your enemy. An Ace is considered the lowest card and the King is the highest card.
The ultimate goal is to make a Wheel, or an Ace-2-3-4-5 which is the best possible hand in Razz.
Razz is dealt like Seven-Card Stud with five rounds of betting that start with third street. Players are dealt two cards down, and the third card (or third street) is dealt face-up as a door card. The next three cards are dealt face up (or fourth through six streets). A final and seventh card is dealt face down.
Starting Hands: Secret to Winning Razz
It’s difficult to win a Razz pot without a strong starting hand. As a general rule for beginners, you want to fold if you’re not dealt three cards that are an eight or lower. There are some vigilant and super nitty players that will fold if they don’t have three cards that are six or lower.
If you have at least an Ace-deuce, or an Ace-trey, then you could expand your starting hands to cards higher than an eight so long as it’s one of your hole cards and it’s concealed from your opponents.
If you’re playing short-handed Razz, then you can expand your range of starting hands.
Beginners should avoid bluffing in Razz once the hand begins. However, you should take advantage of any opportunity to steal the blinds and antes if you have the lowest door card at the table. You could aggressively attempt a steal if you have an Ace as your door card. Even if you have high cards in the hole.
Just like stud poker, keep a close eye on all the door cards and any other streets before opponents fold their hands. Those dead cards provide extra information to help you determine how many outs are available to you or your opponents.
Razz is the R in HORSE
Razz was first introduced at the World Series of Poker in 1971. It’s been a regular stand-alone event at the WSOP for the last fifty years. It’s been included in other WSOP bracelet events such as H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game Mixed, and Dealer’s Choice. Last year, Julien Martini won the WSOP Razz Championship.
If you play a lot of H.O.R.S.E. then you’re aware that Razz is often the weakest link for many players. Some card rooms know that players hate Razz so much that they only spread H.O.S.E. and ditched Razz completely.
If you want to become a solid all-around player, then you’ll have to achieve basic proficiency in Razz. Texas Hold’em and Omaha are insanely popular games and it’s difficult to become a legit world-class pro in those formats. However, the “big fish in a small pond” saying applies here. Razz provides players with a tremendous opportunity to become a world-class player in a non-popular game.
Razz cash games are rare in brick-and-mortar rooms, so H.O.R.S.E. is usually the only time you have a chance to play Razz in a live setting.
You can turn Razz’s unpopularity into an asset if you practice online. Several online poker sites spread Razz cash games, and even host Razz tournaments. Online Razz is the best and fastest way to improve your Razz skills.
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Brick, Brick, Brick, Tilt!
If you play in a regular home game with a dealer’s choice format, calling Razz is a sure-fire way to cool down any hot players, or send some of your friends on mega-tilt.
Bad beats are common in Razz, which is why beginners often stop playing because it’s not fun. If you can accept the harsh reality of bad beats and all the suffering attached with Razz, then you can transcend the negative aspects of the game and pick off opponents that eventually lose their minds.
The fastest way to tilt in Razz is to wake up with a strong starting hand, but you end up with a non-playable hand by the river on seventh street. It’s a common scenario when you’re dealt three Wheel cards and even catch another Wheel card on fourth street with a juicy A-2-3-4 before disaster strikes and you whiff on the final three streets with bricks. Sometimes you pair one of your low cards. Other times you’re dealt nothing but high royal cards.
Bricking in Razz is a frequent outcome. You must keep your cool and not let the bad beats affect you. It’s only a matter of time before your opponents are steaming and dealing with their own mega tilt.
When your opponents go on tilt, they’ll start chasing hands or play looser starting hands. That’s a quick recipe for disaster.
If you’re playing H.O.R.S.E., sometimes Razz tilt will spill over into the next round of Seven-Card Stud. Be aware that your opponents are prone to make rash decisions if they were unable to shake off tilt from the previous round of Razz.
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