Poker Articles

HORSE - I used to think of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird when I heard that word. More recently, names like Chip Reese, Andy Bloch, Phil Ivey, and Doyle Brunson come to mind. The HORSE I find myself talking about more recently involves five different poker games--not basketball.

HORSE consists of Holdem, Omaha H/L, Razz, Stud High, and Stud H/L. All the games are limit, and the final table does NOT play like the WSOP did; no-limit holdem is not a part of the game. So what does it take to learn how to play HORSE?

I believe it's a great idea to learn as many poker games as you can. Even if you are mediocre at Stud or Stud H/L, you may be better than the majority and be able to make money at it. Let's take a look now at why this is. Let's say, for example, that I just play no-limit holdem, and that my only ability is to make money in that game. It would be greatly -EV for me to play Stud while not knowing how to play, especially if my sole purpose is to make money. I suggest playing lower stakes in the games you are unfamiliar with; play with amounts you are willing to lose.  For example, Pokerstars runs $6.50 turbo games of HORSE, I believe, and this is a great way to see all the games and get some practice at them. But how long does it truly take to learn all the games?

The answer to that question is: a lifetime. But don't worry, you can learn all these games in a very short period of time if you put your mind to it. And although none of us will ever play perfectly at any of the poker games, we can develop an edge that will help us succeed. During the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (not the recent one, the one back in August), I had no idea how to play HORSE. But with a lot of practice and many hours, I finally started to grasp the game. I had no idea how to play Razz or any variation of Stud, which makes it kind of tough to succeed at HORSE, but after a little practice and showers daily with axe snake peel, I began to pick up the games. My main interest in poker being multi table tournaments, those are what I'm focusing on, not cash games.

All multi table tournaments involve strategy. If you are just playing the cards, you will be unable to have enough of an edge to consistently win at MTTS. This is true in NL holdem, and also in HORSE.

Lets take, for example, a hand I had in a recent $200 HORSE tournament on Pokerstars. The rotation game was Omaha H/L, the blinds were 75/150, and the betting limits were 150/300. I had about 5k in chips, and my opponent had 4k. I picked up A256, which is a pretty good hand in Omaha H/L. I was on the button, and my opponent was in mid-position and came in for a raise in an unopened pot. I just called with my hand, unsure exactly of what he had. The flop came 4 5 Q, rainbow. Which gave me a pair, the nut low draw, and a straight draw (a 3 would give me the wheel and the straight to the 6, which would likely scoop me the pot). He bet out 150, and I raised to 300, which he flat called.

At this point, there was 1425 in the pot. The turn came another Q, making the board 45QQ, and he checked. Now I could do 2 things here, check or bet. I have a monster draw for the low, but no high draw unless I hit my straight. However, I thought he was weak after the flop and probably had the same A2 draw as I did. If he had a high hand, he probably would have bet it on the turn to protect his hand, so I just put him on a naked A2. I bet the turn, and he reluctantly called. The pot was at 2025.

The river came a J. There were no flush draws on board and no qualifying low. He checked again, and I bet. He then folded, and I raked in the pot. Obviously I was unable to see his cards, and my cards may have even been the best high hand, but it's doubtful. Playing my opponent's hand based on my read, though, I was able to take the pot down, and that pot actually gave me leverage to keep building my stack in a tournament in which I eventually finished 4th.

With every game in HORSE, you are able to learn about what your opponent might have more easily than in no-limit games. In the Stud games especially, you usually need to play your opponent's hand more so than your own. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting comfortable with the game at lower stakes before you move up in stakes. Many of the websites run daily multi table HORSE tournaments for as little as $1 now. If you learn your opponents' tendencies and play based on what they can and cannot call, you will succeed in HORSE.

One last thing I want to mention about HORSE is patience. I cannot stress patience enough. All the games are fixed limits, and therefore you will not need to commit a large portion of your stack to see all streets (unless it's very late). So take your time, and just take it hand by hand.

I urge all of you to try HORSE, or at least try out stud and/or razz. I can tell you that if you are well-versed in all games of poker, you really have a good shot at being a winning player. I hope you all enjoyed my article. Good luck, and I'll see you at the tables.