Razzing up your game!

Get to know the game of Razz Poker with this Razz Poker strategy guide, featuring starting hand tips, live and dead cards, and much more all for the taking

Razz Poker is a hard game to master, and doing so can require lots of patience. The main idea behind succeeding is to always play tight and when the opportunities arise, to steal the antes.

- Starting hands in Razz Poker The best possible starting hand in Razz Poker is A, 2, 3, but in general, anything between Ace and 5 that is unpaired is well worth betting on. This can be stretched out to 6 so long as there are no other players with lower cards than you. A hand with cards between Ace and 7 will most probably take you far after 4th Street, although it is likely that you will also have to call a few bets on the way. Playing up to 8 will cost you chips over the long haul but technically can work – be cautious with them.

- Live and Dead Cards: Razz Poker is a game where dead cards serve you better than live ones, since this eliminates the possibility of having pairs, which are unwanted in good starting hands. In general, the more the better your hand!

- How to play: it is recommended that in Razz Poker, you don’t take your time but do what professional poker players call "jamming" – playing aggressive. This is because the pot will probably be larger then by 3rd Street and thus easier to call on 4th Street.

- Stealing Antes: the higher the limit of the game, the more important it is to steal antes. You can steal the ante when:
a. The bring in player is seated to your left and has folded. It may not always work but in most cases you will benefit from this situation.
b. You have the lowest up-card in the game, or the second lowest.
Remember that an ante steal shouldn’t be pursued if another player tries to beat you to it – it's just too risky!

- When to fold: do not pursue hands that are not a safe bet. Save your aggressive play for hands that you know are winners, because as already mentioned, Razz is a game of patience and it is not worth to pay off hands just because you're already there!