Razz poker is becoming one of the more popular games to play, slowly catching up with Holdem and Omaha. Here are some simple rules when playing Razz Poker...
The rules:
Razz Poker is a game played like 7-card stud. The twist is that in
Razz poker, the worst hand wins. Straights and flushes don't count for
anything, but pairs are really bad. Aces are always low cards. A five-high is
the worst -- or we 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 we 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, almost like card counting in blackjack. 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.
Play Razz Poker Online
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