H.O.R.S.E Poker Rules

If you're like many poker players, you're beginning to grow tired after many years of playing Texas Hold'em and perhaps the occasional Omaha session. Or maybe you just want to put yourself to the ultimate test of poker prowess and tackle what most pros consider the pinnacle of poker, HORSE. For the purposes of this article we will assume that you understand hand rankings and the game of Hold'em as a foundation.

HORSE Games

HORSE is a series of games that changes after each full button rotation. The name HORSE is actually an acronym that stands for the following games:

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

If you're just joining a game of HORSE poker, you'll need to understand the basic flow of the game. In Hold'em there is a dealer button that is passed clockwise around the table after the completion of each hand. To the left of the dealer button is a forced bet called the Small Blind, to the left of the small blind is another forced bet called the Big Blind.

OMAHA Poker

The next round is Omaha, which is very similar to Hold'em with the exception of each player being dealt four hole cards. The goal is to make the best five card hand and you MUST use two of your hole cards. Unlike Hold'em where you can "play the board" you must use two of your hold cards to make a winning hand in Omaha. Otherwise the blind structure and use of the button are identical to Hold'em.

RAZZ Poker

When moving to Razz, the button remains frozen (as it's not needed in Razz or the Stud games) so that when action returns to Hold'em, the blinds start where they were left off. In the Razz round, each player antes up a pre-set amount and then they're dealt two down cards and one up card (called the door card). A round of betting follows with three more face up cards dealt to each player with a round of betting in between. One more card is dealt face down and a final betting round then takes place, the player with the worst low hand then wins the pot.

Stud Poker

The next rounds are Stud and Stud Eight or Better and these rounds are played identical to the Razz round with the exception being that during the Stud rounds, the best high hand wins, just like Hold'em. During the Stud Eight or Better rounds, the best low hand will take down half the pot and the best high hand will take down the pot.If no low hand is made (for example if the board runs out with cards all higher than 8), then the winner of the high hand will take down the entire pot.

Basic strategy in HORSE is no different than the same strategy you would use during a Hold'em game or Omaha round. You just have to be able to mentally shift gears often as the game changes. The sooner you learn these games and the nuances of each, the better you will find yourself playing. Good Luck at the tables!