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So you like Poker but always seem
to get terrible hands? Maybe you should take up Razz! Similar in play to
7-card stud, Razz is a game where the object is to make the “worst” 5 card
hand from 7 cards that you are dealt. Every player that stays in (doesn’t
fold) all the way through the hand will finish with 7 cards, and they will
play the 5 that make the lowest ranking poker hand. To note, unlike other
poker games, in Razz having a straight or flush does not rank your hand; that
is to say having five cards in consecutive order, or five cards of the same
suit doesn’t lower the value of the hand. Also, in Razz, Aces are always the
lowest ranking card; therefore the best possible hand in Razz is A-2-3-4-5.
The action in Razz begins by each player putting in an ante, and each player
being dealt a total of three cards- one is dealt face up, and two are face
down hole cards. This is followed by a round of betting, and action proceeds
clockwise as in any other Poker game, beginning with the player having the
highest displayed card. The first player to act may either fold, or place the
Bring-In amount which is a forced bet to ensure action. After the conclusion
of this round of betting, a 4th card is dealt to each player, face up for the
rest of the table to see. Another round of betting ensues after this 4th card,
and at the conclusion of this betting, a 5th card is again dealt to each
player, again face up for the rest of the table to see. A fourth round of
betting follows, and a 6th card is dealt face up to each player. Another round
of betting follows, and then the 7th and final card is dealt to each player,
face down.
The deal of the 7th card marks the end of dealing in Razz. At this point,
each remaining player at the table holds 3 hole cards, and 4 cards face up
that opponents may view. Now the final round of betting begins- after all bets
have been placed and settled, hands are compared, and the best (worst) 5 card
hand is the winner. Note that there are no community cards, and each player
may use any 5 of his 7 cards. Hands are ranked based on the highest card
adversely affecting the hand’s ranking; for example a T high would beat a Q
high and so forth. Likewise for pairs, the lower pair would be the better
hand, however either pair would be beat by the High Card hand.
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