Super Stud · ace-to-five lowball
Super Razz rules and beginner guide.
Super Razz is ace-to-five Razz with the Super Stud opening. Players start with four downcards and one upcard, bet, discard two downcards, and continue through the remaining stud streets for the best five-card low.
How to play
The objective, deal, and showdown
Winning objective
Make the lowest five-card ace-to-five hand. Aces are low, straights and flushes are ignored, and A-2-3-4-5 is the best possible hand with no qualifying requirement.
Deal and drawing
Players ante and receive four cards down plus one up. The highest door card normally brings in; after third-street betting, every remaining player discards two downcards. Fourth through sixth streets are dealt up and seventh street down.
Key comparison
The expanded opening improves average starting quality, so relative hand strength rises. Keep the smoothest three-card low core while accounting for the ranks already exposed around the table.
Strategy foundation
What to notice before playing
Smoothness wins the opening choice
Prefer three different wheel or low ranks over rough, paired combinations. Starting with a selected core means opponents are also more likely to hold strong lows.
Visible low cards are still dead
The extra private cards do not reduce the importance of board reading. Exposed and folded low ranks directly change the chance of completing your hand.
Use the fixed door card
The upcard cannot be discarded, so build the two kept downcards around it when possible. A high or paired door card can sharply reduce the value of an otherwise attractive start.
Common mistakes
Avoid these beginner leaks
- Trying to discard the exposed door card.
- Keeping paired or rough cards when a smoother three-card low is available.
- Assuming ordinary Razz starting standards remain equally strong against selected Super Razz cores.
- Forgetting your two discarded cards in later live-card calculations.
FAQ
Quick answers
Does Super Razz use an eight-or-better qualifier?
No. Like ordinary Razz, the best available ace-to-five low wins the whole pot.
What happens after the opening discard?
Each player has the normal two downcards and one upcard, and the deal continues with three upcards followed by a final downcard.