Razz Poker Rules: How to Play Razz Step by Step

Last Updated on October 6, 2026 by Bala Kumar

Razz looks strange the first time you see it. Players groan when they catch a king, celebrate a deuce, and the “worst” hand on the table wins the pot. Once you understand one idea, though, everything else falls into place: in Razz, the lowest hand wins.

This guide walks through the rules one step at a time, from the ante to the showdown. It includes a full example hand with real betting amounts, so you can follow every decision.

Razz Rules in 30 Seconds

•           Razz is seven-card stud played for low.

•           Every player gets seven cards in this order: 2 face down + 1 face up, then 3 more face up (one per round), then 1 final card face down. By the end, each player has three cards down and four up.

•           You make the best five-card low hand. The other two cards don’t play.

•           Aces are always low. Straights and flushes don’t count. Pairs are bad.

•           The best hand is A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel).

•           There are five betting rounds, usually in a fixed-limit format.

What You Need to Play

Eight is the maximum because seven cards for eight players uses 56 cards, which is more than the deck holds. There’s a rule for that, covered below.

Step 1: Everyone Posts an Ante

Before any cards are dealt, every player puts a small ante into the pot. The ante gives everyone a reason to fight for the pot from the start.

Example: In a 10/20 game, the ante might be $1 or $2 per player. The exact amount depends on the room, so check the table details.

Step 2: Third Street (the Deal)

Each player receives two cards face down and one card face up. The face-up card is called the door card.

This round is called Third Street because each player now holds three cards.

Step 3: The Bring-In

In Razz, the player with the highest door card must start the betting with a forced bet called the bring-in. High cards are bad in Razz, so the worst-looking hand pays to open.

•           Card order for the bring-in (highest to lowest): K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A.

•           The ace is the lowest card, so a player showing an ace never brings in because of the ace.

•           Ties: If two players show the same highest rank, suit breaks the tie. Under standard stud rules the higher suit brings in, with suits ranked spades > hearts > diamonds > clubs. Rules can vary by room, so check before you play.

The bring-in player has two choices:

1.         Post the minimum bring-in (smaller than a full bet).

2.         Complete the bet to a full small bet.

Action then moves clockwise. Each player can fold, call the current amount, or raise. If only the bring-in has been posted, raising to a full small bet is called completing.

Step 4: Fourth Street

Each remaining player gets one more card face up.

From this round on, the player showing the lowest hand acts first, not the player to the left of the dealer. Because the face-up cards change every round, the betting order can change too.

How to judge the “lowest showing hand”: Use all of a player’s face-up cards and compare them from the highest exposed card downward. Start with each board’s highest card. Only if those match do you move to the next card.

•           6-3 vs 7-2: 6-3 is lower. The highest cards are compared first (6 vs 7), and the 6 wins. The fact that 2 is lower than 3 doesn’t matter, because the comparison was already decided at the top card.

•           7-3 vs 7-2: The top cards match (7 vs 7), so compare the next card. 2 is lower than 3, so 7-2 is lower.

•           A pair showing (like 4-4) is worse than any unpaired board.

Bets on Fourth Street are still the small bet.

Razz vs Stud difference: In seven-card stud, a player with an open pair on Fourth Street may bet the big bet. Razz has no such option, because a pair is a weakness in Razz.

Step 5: Fifth Street

Each player gets another card face up. The lowest showing board acts first.

Bets double here. From Fifth Street onwards, all bets and raises use the big bet. This is the most expensive point to make a mistake, so many players fold marginal hands here instead of chasing.

Step 6: Sixth Street

Each player gets another card face up, the fourth and last upcard. Betting again starts with the lowest board and uses the big bet.

At this point each player shows four cards and has two hidden.

Step 7: Seventh Street (the River)

Each player gets their final card face down. Each player now has seven cards: three down and four up.

A final round of big bets follows, starting with the lowest showing board.

Step 8: If the Deck Runs Out

With eight players who all stay until the river, the deck doesn’t have enough cards. In that case the dealer places one community card face up in the middle of the table, and every player uses it as their seventh card. In practice this is rare, because most players fold well before Seventh Street.

Step 9: Showdown — How the Winner Is Decided

If two or more players are left after the final bet, they show their cards. Each player makes their best five-card low from seven cards.

How to read your hand:

1.         You can use only one card of any duplicated rank. If you have two 6s, only one 6 can play.

2.         From the different ranks you have left, select the five lowest cards.

3.         Read the hand from the top down: 8-6-4-2-A is “an eight-six low”.

Example: 6-6-4-3-2-2-A. Use one 6 and one 2, leaving the five different ranks 6, 4, 3, 2 and A. Your hand is 6-4-3-2-A.

If you have fewer than five different ranks among your seven cards, you must use a pair, and that hand loses to any hand with five different ranks.

How to compare hands: Compare the highest card first, and the lower one wins. If those are equal, compare the next highest, and so on.

Remember: A hand like 5-4-3-2-A of the same suit is still a perfect low. Straights and flushes are ignored.

Real Example: Reading a WSOP Championship Hand

Hands and results below are taken from PokerNews’ official live-reporting results pages for 2026 WSOP Events #40 and #48.

At the 2026 World Series of Poker, Calvin Anderson won the $10,000 Razz Championship (155 entries, $1,441,500 prize pool) and $357,026. His seven cards at the end were:

Q – 9 – 8 – 7 – 5 – 4 – A

Using the steps above: no pairs to remove, then drop the two highest cards (Q and 9). His hand was 8-7-5-4-A, an “eight-seven low”.

In the $1,500 Razz event at the same WSOP (519 entries, $688,972 prize pool), the winning seven cards were 6-6-4-3-2-2-A. Only one 6 and one 2 can play, so the hand reads 6-4-3-2-A: the second-best 6-low possible.

These are good examples of how Razz hands are read. You’ll often have seven cards with pairs or high cards, and your job is to find the five lowest different ranks.

Full Example Hand, Step by Step

Game: 10/20 fixed-limit Razz, $2 ante, $3 bring-in, four players.

1.         Antes: Each player posts $2, so the pot is $8.

2.         Bring-in: Player A shows the king, the highest card, and posts the $3 bring-in.

3.         Action: Player B folds. Player C calls $3. You hold (A-2) 3, a premium start, and complete to $10. Player A folds. Player C calls $7 more. The pot is now $31.

4.         Fourth Street: Player C catches a 7 (board 6-7). You catch an 8 (board 3-8). Player C’s board (7-6) is lower than yours (8-3), so Player C acts first. Player C bets $10, you call, and the pot is $51.

5.         Fifth Street: Player C catches a K (board 6-7-K). You catch a 4 (board 3-8-4). Your board (8-4-3) is now lower, so you act first. Bets are now $20. You bet $20, Player C calls, and the pot is $91.

6.         Sixth Street: Player C catches a 2 (board K-7-6-2). You catch a J (board J-8-4-3). All four upcards count when deciding who acts first. Your highest upcard (J) is lower than Player C’s (K), so you act first. You check, Player C bets $20, you call, and the pot is $131.

7.         Seventh Street: Both players receive a final card face down. Player C bets $20, you call, and the final pot is $171.

8.         Showdown: Your seven cards are A-2-3-8-4-J-5, which makes 5-4-3-2-A, the wheel. Player C shows 7-6-4-2-A. You win the $171 pot.

Pot check, contribution by contribution:

Player A’s $3 bring-in and $2 ante stay in the pot even though Player A folded.

What this hand teaches:

•           The bring-in went to the king, the highest card.

•           The first player to act changed from street to street.

•           Bets doubled from $10 to $20 on Fifth Street.

•           The jack you caught on Sixth Street didn’t hurt you, because only your best five cards count.

Razz Betting Rules Summary

How Razz Rules Work in Tournaments

Tournament Razz uses the same rules, but the antes and limits rise at the end of each level. For example, the 2026 WSOP $10,000 Razz Championship started players with 60,000 chips, ran hour-long levels, and kept late registration open for 11 levels. The field grew from 118 entries on Day 1 to a final 155 once late registration closed.

Online, PokerStars included a $1,050 Razz World Championship in WCOOP 2026 on September 10. Live festivals feature Razz too: OlyBet’s Kings of Tallinn Autumn 2026 schedule has a €250 Pot-Limit Razz Progressive Bounty on October 11.

Note: That Kings of Tallinn event is pot-limit, not fixed-limit. Some modern events experiment with formats, so always read the event description before you register.

7 Rules Beginners Get Wrong

1.         Thinking the ace is high. In Razz, the ace is always the lowest card.

2.         Thinking a straight or flush hurts you. They’re ignored.

3.         Making the lowest card bring in. That’s Seven Card Stud. In Razz, the highest card brings in.

4.         Expecting the same player to act first every round. From Fourth Street, the lowest board acts first, and that can change every street.

5.         Using all seven cards. Only five cards play.

6.         Forgetting pairs. A pair counts against you. Only one card of each rank can play.

7.         Betting the small bet on Fifth Street. Bets double on Fifth Street.

Keep Learning Razz

Now that you know the rules, go further with our main guide:

•           Razz poker: the complete guide

•           Razz hand rankings: every low from the wheel down

•           Razz starting hands: which three-card starts to play

•           Razz strategy: how to win more pots, street by street

FAQs

Bala Kumar

Founder of PokerClubGames.com and a Poker Researcher with 10+ years of experience in SEO, WordPress development, and gaming content strategy. Specializes in researching online poker sites, poker apps, tournaments, bonuses, and poker strategies. Experienced in poker platform reviews, affiliate marketing, and creating SEO-focused poker content for global audiences.

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