H.O.R.S.E is mixed game which is becoming increasingly popular in card rooms around the world. There are other so called mixed games but H.O.R.S.E is the most popular one. Playing a mixed poker game requires more than usual from the players who now must master a number of different forms of poker. You must be able to switch tempo and choose the right starting hands. H.O.R.S.E is a fixed limit game.

We believe that the H.O.R.S.E competion at WSOP will increase in popularity over the next few years. Buy in to this tournament is a staggering $50.000. This is five times higher than the main (poker) event. To win this tournament is considered to be one of the greatest feats in the world. All the best players are playing and one must master most poker variations to succeed. In the first years famous poker players like Chip Reese and Scotty N have won the prestigious title.

In a mixed game like H.O.R.S.E the different forms of poker are played one after the other. Normally each poker variation is played a certain amount of time or certain amount of hands before continuing to the next.

The most important poker variation in H.O.R.S.E is 7 Card Stud. The reason for this is that 3 of the five poker variations are based on 7 Card Stud. Below we describe what form of poker hides behind each letter (H.O.R.S.E).

Hold'em

H stands for Holdém. Two hole cards plus five community cards are combined to make the best hand. If you want to learn how to play Holdem study our poker school.

Omaha

O stands for Omaha. Four cards in the hole and five community cards on the table. One must use 2 of the cards in the hole and three on the table to combine the best hand. Omaha is often played as a split variant where the best hand and the hand with five lowest cards split the pot. The low hand should not contain a card over 8. Learn the game by reading the Omaha poker school.

Razz

R stands for Razz. In Razz the objective is to have the worst hand. It follows the same rules as for 7 Card Stud so you will have 7 cards in your hand of which 4 are face up (shown to the other players). The worst hand is A,2,3,4,5. Straight or flush hands don´t count in Razz. Razz poker school teaches what you need to know to play Razz.

Seven Card Stud

S stands 7 Card Stud. In this game the best hand wins. Each player get 7 cards from which to combine the best hand (3 hidden hole cards and 4 visible cards)

Eight or better

E stands for eight or better and is split pot game with two players splitting each pot. The rules are the same as in 7 Card Stud. As in 7 cards stud each player receives 7 cards. The worst and the best hand split the pot.

In a game with split pots many pots will be devided which in turn means that not as many chips will switch owners. These split games will often be slower since many players will be involved in each hand. This means that if your thinking of playing H.O.R.S.E it is not so important to play well at Omaha as it is to master 7 Card Stud and Holdém.

To play well at H.O.R.S.E you should try to reach a reasonable level in each form of poker. You probably will have a talent for one or more of the different poker variations. We tend to believe that 7 Card Stud is the most important game to master since three of the five poker forms are different variations of 7 Card Stud. If you are going to play a H.O.R.S.E tournament it can be a good idea to practise all different poker forms first.

Practise makes perfect.....