HORSE Poker Rules

H.O.R.S.E. Poker

HORSE is a game of poker which consists of several different poker variations:

H: Texas Hold'em
O: Omaha Hi-Lo
R: Razz
S: Seven Card Stud
E: Seven Card Stud Eight or Better

In regular HORSE games the type of poker variation changes every time the dealer button makes a full circle around the table. Whereas in poker tournaments the type of the game changes at the end of every round or after a predetermined amount of time.

Playing HORSE

When it come to choosing the HORSE poker table, it might take some time to find the one that would offer stakes which would suite the player's style. All of the poker variations played in HORSE are limit games. Therefore a $5/$10 HORSE game would be fixed to the limits of $5 being the small bet and $10 - the big bet. At the regular HORSE games the type of poker is changed once the dealer button had made one turn around the table. The first game is always Texas Hold'em and as soon as the button makes a circle and returns to the player who started the Hold'em play, the game is changed to Omaha Hi-Lo. The rotation continues until the end of the game.

HORSE tournaments are a little bit different. Instead of changing the game after the dealer button completes the circle around the table, they're changed along with the increase of the blinds.

The Game of HORSE

The most important thing to know before starting to play HORSE poker is that one must know the rules and at least the basic strategy points of every poker variation that is being played. Otherwise they would risk loosing a lot of funds although the game might look quite easy at first.

Playing HORSE does not feel much different from each of the games that it includes being played on their own. However, it is very important to be able to switch between the games fast. It is likely for one to start observing and analyzing their opponents' game, however, as the games switch rather fast the other players might start using different tactics and strategies which would make it difficult to make the right decisions in different situations and keep up with the game.

HORSE Poker Tips

For a beginning HORSE poker player it is better to start with the low limit games. It is much easier to try out a less expensive tournament if one just wants to feel the game of HORSE.

An amateur should also spend a couple of hours on each of the HORSE games individually before playing all of them at the same table. It is much more difficult to learn all of the important features of the game by playing it at the HORSE table as all of the variations are played for only one round and then switch to a completely different game of poker.

HORSE at the WSOP

In 2006 World Series of Poker a $50.000 H.O.R.S.E. event was introduced with the game variations changing after each hour-long round until the final table, which was played as a No-Limit Texas Hold'em game. The game had caught on and had been played as a separate WSOP event ever since. The winner of the $50.000 H.O.R.S.E. event holds an unofficial title of being the best poker player in the world as they appear to be the best in several poker games at a time.