HORSE Poker Strategy

HORSE is an acronym that is leading to the initial letter of 5 different poker variations. This way you will have the opportunity to play all the 5 types of online poker game in just one tournament or game. In order to be a good player at HORSE poker, you must be a good player at all 5 online poker variations. This is why in this article we are going to present you the strategies of all 5 games that you must always take into consideration before you actually start playing the game.

The strategy that must be used in order to win at HORSE poker, must be a set of combined strategies that you will use for each and every of the five games. Anyway most online poker players are finding this online poker game to be very difficult, since they will have to adjust to the new type of game very fast. The stakes at HORSE poker are raised very often and in case you are looking to try something new this is certainly going to be more challenging, HORSE is definitely the game that you should go for.

HORSE is an online poker game that is very popular among professional online poker players. This game is rarely played by beginners since they will find it very difficult to switch from one game to another and to switch from the no limit game to the pot limit game. The moment you will want to go ahead and play HORSE poker you will need to know all the rules from the games, including the less popular Razz and 7 Card Stud Eights or Better. For many players out there, this is one of the most difficult games of poker that is currently available online.

Most players that are currently playing poker online have a good idea on what the rules of Texas Hold'em, Omaha and 7 Card Stud are. But when it comes or Razz and 7 Card Stud Eights or Better, things are a little bit different. These games are not as popular as the first 3 mentioned, so many of the players might not be very familiar with the rules and the strategies, this is why we suggest that you take a little bit more time to check them out. The moment you will be able to master these two games better, your chances of winning will increase drastically.

Texas Hold'em

Most players will be very familiar with the Texas Hold'em game since it's the most popular online poker game in the world, which is currently played in online and offline poker rooms. The no limit games are the most popular when it comes to online tournaments. And the moment you will start playing the pot limit you must understand exactly the role of draws, pots and bluffs.

Omaha Hi-Lo

The Omaha H/L is an online poker game that is similar to Texas Hold'em. The difference is that you must play only 2 of the community cards that are dealt. This means that you will have to employ just two different cards for the high and the low since usually a good high hand will have to split the best low. This way the best low hand that you can get will be A 2 3 4 and 5. A good strategy for the Omaha H/L will be to hold a hand like A A 2 3 or A K 2 3, that are both suited for Aces.

Razz Poker

Razz is very similar to the 7 Card Stud online poker variation where the difference is that it's going to be played for the low. You will need to use a strategy that will get you a hand like A 2 3 4 5, which can assure you to win. Also the strategy that you must use for Razz should have a lot of discretion and caution from your part. In order to qualify to the next round, you will need to have 5 low cards. Since this online poker game is not as popular as the others, make sure that you understand exactly what you have to do and the rules of Razz, since this is one of the weakest points for many online HORSE poker players.

7 Card Stud Strategy

The strategy that you need to use in order to play HORSE poker must endorse the strategies of high card stud poker games. This means that you will have to hold the highest cards and a hand like A A A will certainly help you win. The strategy that you will use is similar to the one used at Texas Hold'em. One of the safest hands that you can get is 2 pair, which is currently one of the average winning hands in the 7 Card Stud games. You should always keep an eye on what the other opponents are doing, and watch for the cards that are already exposed.

7 Card Stud Eights or Better

For this game the HORSE poker strategy must be concentrated on playing for the lows. This online poker is also known as the 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo. A basic hand that you must have at this online poker game should be a low hand with 5 - 8 cards or less so that you will be able to qualify to the next level. A good starting hand at 7 Card Stud Eights or Better is holding A 2 3 or A A 2. You must try to reach a straight flush with the lowest cards possible, this will certainly going to help you win.

For more information on HORSE Poker please read our article on the HORSE poker rules.

How to Play HORSE Poker

HORSE Poker is one of the most challenging variations of the game that can be played, earning it the nickname "The Hated Game" among professional players. Hated or not, HORSE is quickly making a big splash on the professional poker scene, in large part because it is a game that separates the true professionals from the amateurs.

HORSE Poker is actually a mixed game tournament that consists of five different forms of poker combined in a single game. The poker games that are combined to make HORSE Poker are:

(H) Holdem

(O) Omaha

(R) Razz

(S) Seven Card Stud

(E) Eight or Better (also known as Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo)

When playing HORSE Poker, the form of poker being played switches after a set increment. This is usually when the blinds increase after each timed round, but is sometimes changed each time the dealer button moves once around the table.

This unique combination makes HORSE Poker a particularly difficult form of poker to make, especially since most people are not on a professional level of play at one of more of these games. This makes it important to play strong during the rounds that feature a game you are good at playing, so that other rounds do not hurt you as much. For example, if you are great at Holdem and Omaha, you want to play strong during those rounds, not passive, so that your chip stack won't be hurt as bad if you perform poorly during the Razz round.

Another important aspect of playing HORSE Poker is that it is absolutely imperative to pay close attention to when games are switched. If you aren't careful, you could find yourself playing a different game than everyone else at the table, which will certainly come with disastrous results. This is especially true when the game switches from Seven Card Stud to the Hi/Lo version of the game.

HORSE Poker is a classic poker game, but one that had disappeared into obscurity in an age of televised Holdem Tournaments. HORSE Poker regained some of it's popularity during the 2006 World Series of Poker. In 2006 the WSOP introduced a professional HORSE Poker event that carried a buy-in of $50,000.

The WSOP HORSE Tournament came as a result of complaints from the professional poker player community, who felt that the WSOP had been downgraded into an internet lottery for amateur players who won random seats at internet better sites. These players sometimes played based on blind luck, which was somewhat insulting to those who actually paid the $10,000 entry fee to be part of the tournament.

Due to complaints about professional vs. amateur players, the WSOP implemented the high stakes HORSE Poker Tournament, with incredible success. Because HORSE Poker can be a difficult game for even the top professional poker players to master, the event was one of the most interesting games the poker world has seen in a long time.

During that first WSOP HORSE Poker tournament, Chip Reese went on to beat out other high stakes poker players, including Phil Ivey and the legendary Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson, to be the first professional player to put HORSE Poker on the WSOP map.

In the end, HORSE Poker is a game that continues to gain momentum and popularity on a consistent basis. Must of the market has grown tired of playing strictly no limit Holdem, and the limit rounds of the HORSE Poker tournament, leading up to the familiar no limit Holdem final table, makes HORSE a version of poker that waters the mouth of modern poker players.

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HORSE Poker Game Play and Strategy

If you are a poker fan, you might have heard of a poker variation known as H.O.R.S.E. poker. This is a variation played at the World Series of Poker. You may be wondering what is H.O.R.S.E. poker. In this variation of poker, there are five rounds played and each round has a different kind of poker. So, the first round is Hold'em followed by Omaha, Razz, Seven Card Stud High and Seven Card Stud High-Low Eight or Better, or Hi-Lo.

Basically, every time one full round is over, the game changes in H.O.R.S.E. poker. Usually in tournaments, the game can change either after each round is over, or after a set amount of time.

In order to player H.O.R.S.E. poker, you have to be an outstanding poker player. Otherwise, you will not last very long on the table. But then, this is true for any kind of poker.

When you look at it, H.O.R.S.E. poker is not really a poker game. It is a format of poker that requires a player to use different strategies for each round. It goes without saying that observation is a vital part of playing this format of poker. You have to observe how your opponents play, look for their weaknesses and then make use of those weaknesses.

There are many online casinos that offer H.O.R.S.E. poker as it is fast becoming popular. When it comes to learning strategies for playing this format, it goes without saying that you first have to learn the strategies for individual games used in H.O.R.S.E. poker. While Hold'em is one of the most popular formats of poker, not many poker players, especially beginners could have played Razz poker. So, if you are one of those, then it is time to learn some strategies of Razz before you try your hand at H.O.R.S.E. poker.

In case you did not know, Razz is a seven card stud. It is played just for its low hand. For beginners, this version of poker can be confusing, but if you are serious about H.O.R.S.E. poker, then you should learn the nuances of this game first before attempting to play H.O.R.S.E. poker.

Omaha hi-low and Seven Card Stud hi-low are poker variations where half the ante goes to the high hand and half the ante to the low hand. If you do not know these formats, then you first need to get familiar with them.

Usually it has been seen that many H.O.R.S.E. poker players come to play this format after mastering Hold'em. This means that this round would be a strong round for all the other players too. So, do not attempt to play high stake games at the very beginning. It is advisable to go for middle stakes initially. Just make sure that you have the same limits that you had while playing Hold'em. This way you will not lose that much while playing H.O.R.S.E. poker initially. But bear in mind that there might be players who are good in all the variations used in this format of poker.

The first strategy for playing H.O.R.S.E. poker is to ensure that you can hold your end in each round of the game. If you are unable to do so, then you can be sure that you will lose money. That is it is important to first master the techniques and strategies of playing the individual games before coming in a H.O.R.S.E. poker room.

In the beginning, you have to be rather selective with the hands you are playing. However, if you decide to enter the pot with the hand you have, you immediately need to adopt an aggressive style. In order to do this, you need to know which good hands for each type of poker game.

If you are playing low stakes H.O.R.S.E. poker, you will find that some players are good at one format, but cannot handle other games. Usually this will be seen for the Razz and Omaha hi-low rounds. If you are good at these to games, then you can easily win in these rounds of H.O.R.S.E. poker.

If you have hands that are good, then it is time to bet and raise. This is especially true for blind games. This helps to weed out players who may be prone to call you and go for long shot draws. This is the only way in which you can achieve this.

As mentioned several times, the only way to learn strategies for H.O.R.S.E. poker is by first mastering the strategies for the different variations of poker used in the game play. If you learn to master these variations, you will definitely enjoy H.O.R.S.E. poker. It is a very challenging game that requires you to think and observe other players. So, hone these skills before attempting to play H.O.R.S.E. poker.

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