The simplicity of razz

Marcus Bateman / Marcus Bateman / 06 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

Razz is a game that makes many players roll their eyes back in their heads and talk about how they wish that such a game had never been invented.

Due to it being included in the H.O.R.S.E. Rotation, most players will at some point have to play it, and understanding a little about the game is crucial to keeping your sanity and your money.

Razz is a much simpler game than stud high or stud eight or better. This is simply because in razz the lowest hand wins, therefore having a high card up means you simply cannot have a very strong hand. Compare this to the other stud games, where you can be sitting on a monster regardless of your up card, such as in the case of (2c2s)2h (concealed cards in brackets) in stud high or a hand like (Ah2h)3h in stud eight or better. This means that most hands in razz are played between the two or three players with the lowest cards showing.

This is the same regardless of the value of the cards - if four out of five players are showing kings up you can raise with basically any card showing, as you know that you have the best hand at that point. This also applies later on in the hand, as the board is pretty easy to read in the most part - you either catch lower cards than your opponent or you don't.

As a result of this, the skill in razz is much more subtle than that of the other stud variants. Keeping track of the up cards remains important, as it can radically change the strength of what looks like a good hand - through removing many of the outs you need. Putting pressure on habitual low card raisers can also pay dividends, as they can't always have a great hand, and if you have two concealed low cards and sense weakness in them it can often be worth trying to jam the pot as hard as possible.

Razz is a simple game, but that does not mean it does not require attention and thought. Many hands in it play very basically, but others raise all the usual questions of bluffing, value betting and trying to price out draws. Razz is truly a game of simple complexity, and if you pay close attention you will quickly start to see many subtle nuances which make the game so popular.

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