Razz - Where can I learn about it and play

Where is a good site to learn how to play good razz? and what books or article would you recomend for beginners?


THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP.!!!!!!!!

i play on full tilt
idk if any one site is better than the other at teaching u how to play razz
but its a very simple game that can get u really frustrated
for me its much easier to master that than holdem
i would recommend full tilt

Fulltilt has the most razz play money tables and such. They also have a 9:40 Razz freeroll. PokerStars also has a daily one as well. I would start there and various strategy articles you can find on the web. I have researched and as far as I know there is no book dedicated to razz, buit it is mentioned in some. So try to learn as you go in freerolls and play money.

I love Razz, would love to play Razz ring games, but i need a much fatter BR. as the antes can kill you, and a great pot commited hand can quickly go bad.

Hope this helps and goodluck

Absolute, Pitbull and even Doyles now have razz. I learnt at AP in the FR in few games, cause it's also one of the easiest poker to learn. Try it and you'll have fun soon i sware.
Go for the wheel...

I consider the best sight would be full tilt poker. It has a separate section for razz and people are playing in big stakes or small stakes at all times. Well about the articules, just search some up on the net. Most of them are very reasonable and you'll catch onto the game before you know it. Good luck at the tables .

I highly recommend the free roll on full tilt that they have every night. Registration opens at 9:00. The best thing about it is that some guy cant donk you out of it in 1 hand. Hand rankings are 5,4,3,2,A would be the nutz( straights dont count in razz.) then 6,4,3,2,A then 6,5,3,2,A 7,4,3,2,A 7,5,3,2,A and so on. Just remember the most important aspect of your hands strength is your lowest high card. I think that is the aspect of it that messes up a lot of people. Ive played in the titl fr a lot and cashed in it 3 times. It takes until about 2 am because its a limit game so be prepared to sit for a long time if you decide to do it and start to do well. Good Luck at the tables.

Full tilt the Poker is a great site to play and learn a little
More on the razz.
I'm going to play only if you have 3 cards and various low
that 8, and by chance the fourth letter fits less than 8 and not repeated
start to increase the betting. In a book that speaks specifically
on the razz me know and I would also like to obtain that information.

I would suggest Full tilt and stars, they both have small MTT's, depends when you want to play obv. But Play money also if you don't want to pay to learn. I love razz, but it can BE SO DAMN FRUSTRATING lol

full tilt has the most razz players playing at any given time. the freeroll there is a great way to start. i have won that one twice. once you learn the basics you can take advantage of the 1800 out of 2400 that can't play very well. i try not to play a hand unless all 3 of my first cards are under an 9 and no pairs. try not to chase often and punish those that do. never use the fold to any bet button as it will get folded to you many times when you can take the blinds. once you get some money, the sit&goes are very good ways to learn. sometimes it can take 30 -40 minutes to get enough players though. and they have a 5.50 buy in somewhere around 8pm est that is a great test to see where you are at in your skill level. you have to fold allot of hands as in most of the poker games. thats where i get in trouble. i can be a call station at times. patience is key. good luck at the razz.

Two to an 8 should garner a call. And follow up with calls on each street as long as you're under 8. (depending on the board) Start raising as soon as you feel ahead. Many, many times you'll find that an early better who hit a low card on 5th. or 6th. st. has actually paired a hole card. Watch for this. If they slow down, you speed up.

Three to an 8 is a premium hand in Razz should garner a raise with follow up raises on each street that stays under 8. (depending on the board)

Razz is an extremely aggressive game and should be played that way, if you BELIEVE you're ahead.


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I'm surprised nobody put cardschat down as an answer for sites to go to...isn't that what this place is about? i'm sure if you go to the search feature you might be able to find a few posts that could give you insight into the game. on top of that i hope this helps.

Tracking cards:

Are your cards dead? This is another important thing to know when playing Razz. What do I mean by 'dead card'? A dead card is a card that is no longer in the deck. You know this because you have seen it in someone else's hand. Keeping track of the dead cards allows you to know how many of the remaining cards can hurt you, and how many will improve your hand. For example: your first three cards are 2-5-8. There are seven other players in the game, and their upcards are: 2, 5, 8, 8, 2, 7, J. Remember that pairs are bad in Razz. Fortunately, many of the cards that will pair you are in other players' hands, or 'dead'. Now suppose your opponent is holding 7-3-A. He needs a lot of the cards that are on the board (dead) to make his hand. The cards you need to make your hand are still available. In this situation, you are a little more than a 56% favorite. By tracking cards, you can more accurately make decisions based on your real equity at any given time.
Razz is an ante game. Everyone is required to put in their ante before the cards are dealt. After the cards are dealt, Razz plays very much like 7 Card Stud with a few important differences.
In Razz, the highest up card on third street has to make the forced bring in bet. This starts the action. On all subsequent rounds, the lowest hand showing acts first. If there is a tie for low hand showing, the first active player clockwise from the dealer begins the round's action. Another difference is the fact that if a player pairs his door card, there is no double bet option like there would be in standard 7 card stud.
The lowest hand wins the pot at showdown. Aces count as low and flushes and straights are ignored. This means the best five card hand in Razz is Ace,2,3,4,5. Figuring out the best low hand is simple enough. Start with the top card and work down. An eight low beats a nine low for example. If the top card is the same rank, then you move to the second card. 86543 beats 87543. One player has an eight-six low and the losing player has eight-seven.
Razz Poker Strategy and Tips

Razz is a game of patience. It is important to play tight, yet attempt well timed ante steals when the chance presents itself.
Razz starting hands are easy to remember. If you have three cards between Ace and five, you have a great starting hand. A23 is the best starting hand, but any three cards between Ace and five (no pairs of course!) is a hand to bet and raise with on third street. Three card starting hands between Ace and six are good starting hands and should be played aggressively as well, but with a little more caution if several other players with lower door cards are ramping up the action. Three cards of seven or lower is a good starting hand that you'll want to see 4th street with, even if you have to call a bet or two to do so. A three card eight is becoming marginal. If you can limp in or steal the antes with it, do so. Playing three card eights routinely will cost you chips in the long run.
The other players' up cards. This is a very important aspect to razz strategy. Observant Razz players will view the upcards and tend to have a much better idea of their relative hand strength. Sometimes the up cards will tell you exactly what to do. If you have three cards to a nine low and there are no other up cards lower than a nine, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have the best hand on third street and can bet and raise, even though a "nine low" isn't typically a hand that you would play. You should continue to keep an eye on the other players' porches as the hand progresses. Even if you catch low cards that pair your hole cards, if the other players are catching bad high cards, you can still usually win the pot by betting aggressively.
Live and Dead Cards. This is an important aspect of 7 card stud. While in that game, you are wanting your cards to be "live", in Razz you prefer them to be "dead." For example, if you hold Ace, 3, 6 to start and you see two other threes, a six and an ace, you can feel even better about your hand because it means there is less of a chance that you will make pairs! Catching pairs can kill a great starting Razz hand, so the more dead cards you see the better.
Jamming vs. Slow Playing: Razz is not really a slow playing game. There are exceptions of course, but generally speaking if you have a good hand, you want to jam it. One reason is that by jamming it, you generally create a big enough pot on third street that it allows you to call on fourth street even if you catch a bad card, based on the size of the overall pot. You can get right back on track with another good low card on fifth street. By all means, do your best to use overly loose and aggressive players weaknesses against them, but you won't go wrong by just betting and raising when you have the best of it.
Best Draw vs. Made 9 Low after five cards. A interesting feature of Razz is the little known fact that after five cards are dealt, the best drawing hand is a favorite over any made nine low. In most forms of poker the made hand usually leads the betting to make the draw hands pay, but in Razz, the opposite is true on fifth street. Things are back to normal on 6th street however. With one card to come, the made nine low is now a favorite over the best draw and should definitely lead the betting.
Knowing when to fold 'em. If you make a habit of starting with sub par hands or drawing with weak hands vs. powerful boards and stronger draws, then you will just be leaking chips and blowing your bankroll. As with other poker variations, if it looks like you are beat, you probably are. Save your money for when you have the best hand and then play aggressively. Especially in low limit games, players tend to have the hands they represent, so don't pay off three or four more bets to "keep them honest"! When good hands turn bad, release them. Patience!
Stealing the Antes. Ante stealing is important, especially the higher up you go in limits. Several situations are great for ante stealing attempts. First, if the bring in player is immediately to your left and it is folded up to you, you should always complete the bet to steal the bring and antes. You do not have to be successful every time for this to be a profitable play. Another good stealing shot to take is when you are the lowest up card. You'd prefer to have reasonable cards in the hole, but this steal attempt is not unlike completing with an Ace door card in 7 card stud, representing aces. You can also attempt to steal with second highest up card if it is folded up to you in late position. Don't get carried away here. Stealing becomes less effective and less profitable the lower the limits you are playing. Always be willing to let go of a steal attempt if another player plays back at you!

I disagree - once you come to see the funny side of getting dealt (A4)5K5Q, Razz is a fantastic game

OP: check out this page, Listening's advice is fantastic for beginners at Razz: listening's Razz blog: Introduction to RAZZ: the Complete Newbie's Guide

Thanks for posting that link. I reviewed it closely for an answer for what to do when you you have A-2-3-4 that rolls up.

First level of betting You raise the hell outta it, as you should.

4th comes 4, you raise again. 5th is J you have to check/ call here (pot committed due to you raises) 6th is J , so you run it to 7th- K. Now with 1/4 of your chips into the pot you must fold

This situation happened far too often to me recently. Once a Razz enthusiast, I am now agreeing with Cowboy here. Razz is pure frustration.

NAh, I'm just venting Razz is still a great game....

Good advice from Lewis and many others. Fulltilt and Pokerstars are my favorite as well. But like the others said, play anywhere u can find it and have fun. It is an easy game to play and learn how to and when to make moves
Have fun and good luck
ps. I play fakies alot on fulltilt, so look for me if u like
Tc

ooofff.... some bad advice in this thread. Some good, too, though. I'm not in the habit of cross-promoting other forums, but if you search on cardschat for keyword "razz", you can read several threads and learn a fair amount. I've tried to get some razz threads going on here before, but they have often failed. I have come to the conclusion that people in general just don't want to learn about the game. Prove me wrong by posting some hands to get some discussion going here.

There's also a $1 Ferguson MTT @ FT. Apparently there are a lot of donks in that one.

I would recommend, for starters, that you go to this thread [http://www.cardschat.com/f13/razz-128114/]. There is some excellent information in there (as well as some really, really bad ). And, not meaning offense to anyone else, I would pay particular attention to posts by skolpadda and SGSpecial.

As for books, my recommendation (and seemingly a general consensus) would be Sklansky On Poker by David Sklansky. Brunson's Super System II has some good informtion as well, although not worth buying just for the RAZZ info, IMNSHO. DON'T buy Super System I AND II, as they are very similar, but II has been updated to a certain extent.

FYP


Anyway, we have a few Razz discussions going on. This one is not only older than the other main discussion, but it's also much shorter in length as well as short on content with some exceptions. Having said that, I'm making a command decision. We don't have enough Razz discussion to have things spread out too far. I'm closing this thread with a redirect to the the other primary Razz thread we have going. That's not to say other more relevant Razz threads can't be started for specific topics, but I'd like to see those have some real meaning not just OMG I luv/hate razz it's a simple/complex game that is only luck blah blah blah.

So for general Razz discussion and everyday posting of anything go to RAZZ????????. Oh and yes, that thread title will be changing too.


EDIT: Either link works, but the other thread's name is now: Razz Poker: The who, what, why, when, where, and how of it all