Razz guide?

I'm starting to get more and more interested in mixed games, but, quite frankly, my Razz sucks big time. Any pointers to good books, posts, articles that can hlep me improve my game, especially the betting aspect (how to go about betting on 4th street, I never now when to raise or call).

simple when your low hand or your draw beats him, by 4th street you shold know what he is drawing to.


for instance he is showing 78xx in this case he is drawing to a 87 low and say you have A268, in this case you raise because your 8-6 draw is better then his 8-7 draw you actully have him pretty crushed so raise as much as you can. If he is holding something like a A-2 underneath you could make alot of money in hand. If on 4th someone is showing a 8-5 and you peeled off a bad card then just fold, so if you started with A-3-8 and then a K comes and guy bets just fold its not worth it in long run to chase this. Game is simple just as long as you can read the hands.

Couple quick pointers. Good starting hands are 3 to an 8, or 3 to a 7, ie. A38, or 247.

It's good if your low cards are duplicated on the board. If you have A2 in the hole, and there are 2 aces and 2 2's showing elsewhere, thats very good for you.

Just like in STUD, pay attention to what outs are gone. If you have a rough 8 but the aces and 2's are all gone, you're probably not going to get the cards you need.

Don't ever chase the perfect card, let alone the perfect 2 cards.

Just like Storm said, you know exactly where you stand on 4th street.

Reading the board and keeping track of the available outs is crucial, and by 4th street, you should have a pretty good idea where everybody stands. As Effexor said, chasing is not good strategy, and as storm said, hitting a bad card on 4th street is usually a time to fold. Razz IS a great game for running a succesful bluff, but processing the available info yyou get from everybodys up cards is a must; it's a card counters nightmare actually.

Here is probably the quickest easiest solution to most peoples razz misunderstandings. It was originally called, 7 stud low. The name has changed, the game remains the same.

This seems simplistic, I know. But it is amazing to me that when playing HORSE, and a quizzical newbie first encounters razz, and blows a whole hand or two, or three, cause he drew a boat, and lost, he then asks, typically '?????'. Several will make attempts at describing the game, but when I say 7 stud low, the lights usually come on.

Dave is right, razz is a bluffers paradise. The story is right there in front of your eyes, never mind that the bluffer has trips underneath. The game is simple in that the story is right there before your eyes, but the hidden cards are where the game begins.

Rule of thumb, tread cautiously with any starting hand with a face. You should be mucking any hand with a face in the first 3 cards. On occasion you will start A2 K or something else close to that. I sometimes take 4th street there, especially with a cheap card. I figure 1 out of the first 4 cards can be trash. BUT, do not get into a pissing contest with a face showing. A2 K-3, great deceptive possibilities, but what to do against xx 4-5, and the loose player who is betting aggressively? You know at that particular moment, he can not have a made hand, and you are looking good with great draw capabilities. Many would have folded at the K, I do at least half the time.

As for betting on 4th street. No one has a made hand at that point. To a savvy table, the up cards will make the decision for most of the players, and only good hole cards should continue. To a gamy table, you should wait till you have a way better than just good holding.

There are good primers in both Super System books.

To me it's important to know when to release a hand. Chasing is never good and going too far in hands you should release will kill you.