A Razz hand is read from its highest card downward, and the hand with the lower top card wins.
How to Compare:
• 8-6-4-3-A beats 8-7-2-A-K, because the second card 6 beats 7
• Any five unpaired cards beat any pair
• The nut low is A-2-3-4-5, known as "the wheel"
Pairs Are Poison:
Pairing up is the main way a promising Razz hand falls apart. A pair of deuces is worse than any unpaired holding, no matter how low the other cards are.