H.O.R.S.E. and Other Mixed Games
Most players are familiar to some extent of the rules of most poker variants. However when it comes to certain mixed games, some players find themselves lost. One of the games that players get confused about is H.O.R.S.E. Many times, a player may see this offered but are not quite sure what they are getting into. This article will give a player a quick introduction to the games involved in H.O.R.S.E.
H.O.R.S.E. is a 5 poker variant rotation game. By rotation, this means that the game changes either after a specified amount of time or a certain number of hands. Also, H.O.R.S.E is played in fixed limit format, with the betting pre-flop and on the flop occurring in the amount of the big blind and the betting on the turn and river occurring in increments equal to twice the big blind.
The H stands for Limit Holdem. The O is for Omaha 8 or Better, also known as Omaha Hi-Lo split. The R is for Razz. Razz is Seven Card Stud played for low. There is no qualifier in Razz so the worst hand wins. Aces are always low. The S stands for Seven Card Stud. The E in H.O.R.S.E. stands for Stud Eight or Better, also known as Stud Hi-Lo.
A variation of H.O.R.S.E that can be found at Full Tilt Poker is H.E.R.O.S. The games are the same but the order is different so that you don’t have three straight stud variants in a row.
There are several mixed game variants that one may find either in live or online tournament play. The most common is H.O.S.E., which is H.O.R.S.E. without Razz. There is also H.O.E., O.E., and H.O. On occasion you will find an H.O.R.S.E.N. game in cash games. H.O.R.S.E.N. is essentially H.O.R.S.E. with No Limit Holdem added.
Hopefully now you have a brief understanding of some of the mixed game variants available. They can be a lot of fun and if you become proficient at them, they can be highly profitable.