Seven-card stud · deuce-to-seven lowball
2-7 Razz rules and beginner guide.
2-7 Razz is seven-card stud played for the best deuce-to-seven low. It follows the familiar Razz street structure, but aces are high and straights and flushes count against the final five-card hand.
How to play
The objective, deal, and showdown
Winning objective
Make 7-5-4-3-2 without a flush, the best possible 2-7 low. The lowest valid five-card hand selected from the seven cards wins the entire pot.
Deal and drawing
Players ante, receive two cards down and one up, then collect three more upcards and a final downcard with betting after every street. The high door card brings in and the lowest visible hand acts first on later streets.
Key comparison
Low-looking cards do not always form a strong hand. A non-flush A-2-3-4-5 is an ace-high hand, not a straight, because aces never play low in 2-7. By contrast, 3-4-5-6-7 is a straight and loses to every unpaired non-flush hand.
Strategy foundation
What to notice before playing
Avoid straight traps
Connected cards such as 3-4-5-6 may look low but can force the final hand into a straight. Gapped structures built around deuces and sevens are safer.
Aces are visible bricks
An ace is the highest rank in deuce-to-seven and damages the hand. It also changes how opponents interpret the strength of an exposed board.
Flushes matter, but can be escaped
A flush counts against the low, yet seven cards often provide an offsuit alternative. Track exposed suits before deciding that a low draw is clean.
Common mistakes
Avoid these beginner leaks
- Treating an ace as low out of habit from standard Razz.
- Treating A-2-3-4-5 as a low straight, or calling 3-4-5-6-7 a premium low.
- Ignoring suit concentration when choosing the best five cards.
- Reading exposed boards with A-5 Razz assumptions instead of 2-7 rankings.
FAQ
Quick answers
How is 2-7 Razz different from ordinary Razz?
The deal is similar, but 2-7 uses aces high and counts straights and flushes against the hand. Ordinary Razz uses ace-to-five ranking and ignores both.
Is there a low qualifier?
No. The best available deuce-to-seven low wins, even when every remaining player finishes with a relatively rough hand.