To make poker games more fun and interesting and so that anyone can have a chance at winning, mixed games have been created. They are combining several poker variants, both popular and unpopular ones. Some people may be great at Texas Hold’em, but may suck at another version. So in a mixed game, things are more balanced and all players have equal chances of winning.
The HORSE name is actually an acronym based on the five games that it includes. These are:
- (Texas) Hold’em
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Razz
- Seven Card Stud
- Split Eight or better (Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)
The switch between games is based on the number of players at the table. So in a full ring table there would be 9 hands of Texas Hold’em before switching to Omaha Hi-Lo. After 9 hands of this game, Razz will be played and so on. A six-max table would have 6 hands of each of the poker variants.
You need to be very careful and fully awake the entire time and to quickly adjust for each game. They are quite different having various rules and strategies, and if you don’t adapt you will end up losing. For example, at Razz you want to have the lowest hand possible, while in Stud you need the highest hand. Many players end up confusing the games and making totally wrong moves for that particular poker variation.
Mastering just one of the 5 games included in HORSE is not profitable. You need to know all of them and to be able to adapt very quickly. Being a good player in each of them will be more profitable than being an expert at one or two, while sucking at the others.
The rules and strategies of each individual games are vast and complex, so we won’t get into details here. But you can find plenty of articles and tutorials out there, on each of the five games.
When it comes to aggression (especially in the limit games) it is important to bet your strong hands. Slowplaying is usually not that profitable and bluffing is rare in limit games. You will end up better by strong betting your good hands, because the final pot will consist of all the bets and raises put in.
The game is fun for both beginners and advanced players and it will really put your knowledge to the test. Have you ever played HORSE Poker? At which of the games are you best and at which do you suck? Maybe this is the time to find out how you can play different poker games and expand your knowledge in new areas.
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