Razz is the 7th game in the mixed game rotation that will soon start to run at Portomaso Casino, Malta. This is very different to No Limit Texas Hold Em (NLHE) but one quickly becomes a favourite with many that start to learn the game. A friend of mine, Caner Yurtsever, once said about the game that is is the one where players can “get away with the most bullshit!” What he meant was that it is possible to get away with many bluffs when it looks like your hand is better than that of your opponent.
Here are some key differences between Razz and NLHE:
Fixed Limit betting. For example, and the amounts depend on the size of game you are playing, if there is 100 euro in the pot, you can only bet 8 euros… and if someone already bet 8 euros, you can make it exactly 16 if you want to raise!
A hand starts with players all posting an ante, and then the player with the lowest card showing makes a small forced bet known as a bring-in. No blinds are posted in this game!
No community cards. All the cards you can play will be dealt directly to you. And some are open, for everyone to see… they come two face down (only you can see them) and one open, then bet… one more open, then bet again… one more open, then bet again… one more open, then bet again… and one more face down and a last bet.
Hand rankings are very different. The best possible hand is 5432A: you are looking for unpaired low cards. Flushes do not work against your hand in Razz.
There are some good resources on the Internet for learning how to play the game and pick up some skills. Here are a few examples:
Daniel Negreanu’s YouTube video on the game.
The Cardplayer Lifestyle website has 3 useful tips for beginner players.