Razz
From Poker Wiki
RAZZ, the "R" in HORSE, is a stud-type poker game almost always played as a limit game, rather than pot limit or no limit. In Razz, the winning hand shows down the lowest unpaired 5 cards with no qualifier,. as in Stud or Omaha hilo, where the low hand must be an 8-lo or better.
Nuts & Bolts
Razz plays like any Stud game: Everyone antes, about 5-10% of a big bet. The worst card showing (in Razz, the highest card) has the bring-in. The BI is about half of a small bet (SB). Three cards (3rd street) are dealt: two down, one up, followed by a betting round. Because almost all stud games are limit games, you can call the BI or complete (raise to one SB). Like limit hold ‘em, the action then proceeds with options to fold, call or raise in single SB increments, often capped at three bets. Three more upcards are dealt, (4th, 5th and 6th streets) each followed by a betting round, 5th street and up being big bets (BB). 7th street, also called the river, is dealt facedown with a last betting round.
You make your best five-card hand entirely from your own hand. In Razz, the lowest five cards win. No flushes or straights in Razz. No “qualifying.” If K,J,T,4,2 is the lowest hand, it wins, though that won’t happen often. If you end up with a pair, any five unpaired cards win. Aces are low, which makes the best hand in Razz a Wheel; you know it as A,2,3,4,5. But that isn’t what it is in Razz. In Razz, a Wheel is 5,4,3,2,A. (from Listening's Introduction to Razz on [Listening's Razz Blog][1])
Played at:
Razz is played as a single game in full table and Heads-up at Poker Stars and Full Tilt. It is played at all rooms that spread HORSE as part of that game. Both Stars and FT offer Razz in tournament format, freerolls, and buy-ins from low to high stakes.
Razz Strategy Sources:
Sklansky on Poker which has the whole small book "Sklansky on Razz" by David Sklansky
Super System 1 by Doyle Brunson which has a short but good Razz section
Listening's Razz Blog [2]or Forum [3]
Stox Poker one free video and others for members
