Rules of Razz

	Perfect when you are getting a really cold run of cards.

Otherwise known as the Dacey (our ill-mannered, short-tempered news editor). Actually, to all intents and purposes, the game may as well be called 7-Card Stud Lowball, as that’s essentially what it is. The rules and betting are the same as 7-Card Stud (links at the bottom of this article) except the lowest hand wins.

So in this game Aces are low and straights and flushes don’t count. And the only difference with the betting is that after the starting hands are dealt the high card places the forced bet, with the low hand betting first on subsequent rounds.

As with 7-Card Stud, the betting is at the lower limit for Third and Fourth Streets and upper limit for subsequent rounds. In this game, however, an open pair does not affect the limit. But as usual the best five-card hand wins. In this case the nuts being A-2-3-4-5 or ‘the wheel’.

In a big ring game, i.e. six or seven players, you really should be aiming for five cards ranging between A-7. Any cards higher than that and you’ll get yourself into trouble, although obviously you should keep an eye on others’ hands as it’s often easy to tell if you’re already beaten or you’ve got them beat.

As we said last month, bluffing is not really possible in Stud poker so you should be looking for any reason to fold. You need at least two low cards from the outset and if you’ve got more than one high card or, heaven forbid, a pair by Sixth Street, it’s time to cut your losses. Play tight, wait for a monster hand and the drinks will be on you!