Shortly after scoring a Triple Crown here on PocketFives.com, Dylan Pokerl)evil Hortin brought home a win in the Ultimate Bet Online Championship (UBOC) $215 HORSE tournament for nearly $17,000. At the final table of the UB.com tournament was industry veteran Cliff JohnnyBax Josephy, who ultimately took third place and earned $7,000. All told, Hortin’s Triple Crown charge coupled with his UBOC win has meant that his bankroll has seen a sizable $163,000 boost over the first 26 days of January.

Hortin’s Triple Crown run was quite impressive. He took down three tournaments for at least $15,000 each, winning the PokerStars Nightly Hundred Grand for $21,000, UB.com $50,000 Guaranteed for $15,000, and Full Tilt Poker $100 Cubed for $17,000. As a result, his associated 864 PLB Points are the most of any Triple Crown winner of 2010. PocketFives.com sat down with Hortin to talk some HORSE.
PocketFives.com: Congratulations on your recent success in UBOC 4. Tell us about your HORSE experience.

Dylan Hortin: I picked up Mixed Games about six months ago by playing Eight-Game cash on PokerStars. I guess I just got sick of playing thousands of No Limit Hold’em hands every day and enjoyed the challenge of learning new games.

PocketFives.com: Were there any hiccups that you could share with us?

Dylan Hortin: I learned pretty quickly that pairs aren't as good as I thought they were in Stud. In addition, you need to be very selective about your raises in Omaha Eight or Better. Very often, you'll have a very good high hand and a very good low hand and raise, but oftentimes you’ll raise into the nut high or the nut low and get quartered or even scooped out of the pot. It was a tough adjustment for me to play pot control in Omaha Eight or Better.

PocketFives.com: What is your strongest HORSE game? What about your not-so-strongest HORSE game?

Dylan Hortin: I think my best HORSE game is Razz and my worst is easily Stud High. Not playing No Limit Hold’em is a little odd, but it's a good change of pace to play Limit games every now and then.

PocketFives.com: What’s been propelling you on your recent tear?

Dylan Hortin: I think I've just made a lot of positive adjustments to my game recently and I've been putting in a lot of volume because of the UBOC series and Full Tilt Poker's double guarantees promotion. My confidence has come a long way from where it was just a couple of months ago too.

PocketFives.com: If someone reading this wants to learn HORSE, what route do you recommended they take?

Dylan Hortin: I can only speak from my own personal experience, but I would recommend playing some low-stakes cash games, paying attention to your weaknesses, and trying to get better at each game.

PocketFives.com: What’s next on the horizon in your poker career?

Dylan Hortin: I would love to get a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, but I won't have the opportunity to do so for a couple of years. A Sunday major has been on my to do list for a couple of years now, but I'm also looking forward to playing some more live tournaments later this year, possibly a European Poker Tour (EPT) or World Poker Tour (WPT) event.

PocketFives.com: Finally, talk a little bit about playing alongside Cliff JohnnyBax Josephy (pictured at left) at the final table of the UBOC HORSE tournament.

Dylan Hortin: I have a ton of respect for JohnnyBax. He is a WSOP bracelet winner in Stud and it was fun to be on the same level with him even though it was only for a few hours.