That might seem like the more familiar low-ball game in 7-card stud, but this low-card game has at least one additional guideline that is crucial to success. The lowest hand in the game is actually a straight! Yes, A, 2, 3, 4, 5 is the best hand possible. In games such as 2-to-7 lowball, for example, a player cannot have a straight. The best hand is 2, 3, 4, 5, 7. In the same manner, a flush is not a “good” hand unless it contains the five lowest cards among all the hands still in at the end.

Players getting involved in Razz Poker should make sure they understand the betting limits and requirements, just as they would any other form of poker. In most cases, there will be three bets per round, as in 7-card stud.

Players get two cards face down and one card face up, just like the other forms of seven-card poker. The player with the highest up card must bring in, which is essentially no different than other stud games. However, in some stud competition, low card brings in, but this is announced before a card is dealt.

At this point a second card is dealt face up and another round of betting takes place. Remember that low hands are best, so reading the other cards requires you to look at opponents’ low cards as your competition. In the mid-point of the game, low hand showing brings in and bets must match the high limit. Tip: Make sure you know about this detail and use it properly during play. This applies to the four cards that each player is dealt face up.

The final card is dealt face down, giving each player three cards others cannot see. In Razz, as in other stud games, a huge part of successful play is reading the other up cards. You should pay particular attention not only to what other low cards an opponent has but also which cards in other hands match your cards. The key here is that your odds of making a good low hand are better if you can’t see any of your cards in those other hands.

That’s the game of Razz in a nutshell. Of course, there are strategies and decisions that will give you a better chance to win. Like 7-card stud and other stud games, for instance, you may not want to stay in unless you have three “premium” cards in the first four.