If you have been a member of Bet365 Poker for a little while and you have tried your hands at all the many variants of Texas Hold’em and played on the Cash Tables, Sit n Go’s and Tournaments then you may be looking for a fresh challenge. So, if you like your game with a little ‘razzle dazzle’, then why not take a closer look at Razz poker.
If you are not familiar with the game, then take a look at our beginners guide to Razz on Bet365 below. If you want to skip right to the games, be sure to have a Bet365 Poker bonus code first.
Object of the Game
Unlike Texas Hold’em where the object of the game is to make the highest possible hand, the object of Razz is to make the lowest possible five-card hand from any of the seven cards dealt to the player. To help players achieve that, Razz does have some specific rule adjustments from other forms of poker, namely:
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The ace is the lowest card in the pack.
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Straights and flushes do not count negatively against the player trying to score a low hand.
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Therefore, the best possible hand in a game of Razz is 5-4-3-2-A, or 5 high.
How you play Razz on Bet365 Poker
The actual mechanics of playing Razz on Bet365 Poker are very similar to playing Seven-Card Stud, with the difference being that the lowest hand wins in Razz. In total, a player receives seven cards in total, but can only use the best possible selection of five of those cards to make a hand.
A typical game of Razz when played on Bet365 Poker follows this general procedure:
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All players at the table place an ante into the pot before the cards are dealt.
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Each player receives two pocket cards face down and a third card face-up. The player that has the highest face-up card must then start the first round of betting by making a bet.
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If two players are dealt the same value card face up, then the person betting is decided by suit ranking. In Bet365 Poker Razz, the suits are ranked (from highest to lowest) as Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and lastly Clubs.
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The betting round continues around the table in a clockwise direction until the betting round is completed and players either remain in the hand, or have folded.
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Each player still in the hand now received a fourth card face up (this is called Fourth Street). Players can now see two exposed cards each and the player with the strongest two cards exposed then starts the betting as happened previously.
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The same process is followed as shown above for the next two cards, Fifth Street and Sixth Street with players dealt a card face up and then a round of betting following.
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The seventh and final card is dealt face down to the player and the final round of betting starts with the player who has the best hand showing on their four exposed cards.
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Once the final betting round is complete, if two or more players remain in the hand, they all show their three hidden cards and the winner with the best hand claims the pot.
On Bet365 Poker, Razz games are usually contested on tables of eight players or fewer and with a stated pot limit, which means that players can only bet up to a stated amount on each round of betting.
The winner is the player with the best hand, which in Razz is the best ‘low’ hand. If several players have two hands of the same value, then the pot is shared equally between them. It is important to note at this point, that suit ranking, as outlined above for the first bet, does NOT come into play, just the card rankings.
To play at the Razz tables on Bet365, click on the Cash Tables tab and then scroll down the list of games available to find all the available Razz tables. You can play for a range of stakes, from initial bets of 0.10/0.20, through to $5/$10 games.
So if you are a little tired of Hold’em and fancy a new game of poker to try, why not give the Razz tables a blast on Bet365 Poker and remember to go low to win the dough.
Want to try even more variations? Check out our guide to playing Omaha at Bet365 Poker.
