Three Tips to Help You Master HORSE Poker

The rise of No Limit Holdem has been so quick and drastic, that it has become almost the only game spread at casinos. Holdem is also the game that the vast majority of newer and seasoned online players flock to in droves. As a consequence, pros and grinders are forced to spend countless hours feeding off of the Holdem fish. It can get repetitive, and even boring.

Players who spend inordinate amounts of time grinding one game often want to play something just for fun. As such, HORSE poker is becoming immensely popular among both pros looking for a new challenge, and fish looking to gamble with the pros. To play it well requires not only lots of skill in all of the games involved, but also a great amount of player and hand reading ability. Here are three tips to help you crush HORSE games with ease.

1. Downplay your weak games, and let your strong ones shine.

Too many HORSE newbies make the mistake of trying to play all the component games exactly like they play their most familiar game. This is especially true of No Limit Holdem players. The nature of Holdem is extremely aggressive, and many players try to translate that aggression in all rounds of HORSE. This is a recipe for disaster, as you will see by watching any donk play. All of the variants of poker are fundamentally different, and in order to win in any given game, you need to be familiar with the nuances of each.

Before you play a game of HORSE, step back and ask yourself which of the five games you can truly play well, and which ones you truly suck at. Be honest with yourself- playing in denial will only lose you money. Once you realize your strengths and your weaknesses, translate them to your game. If you suck at Omaha 8, try to play very basic, ABC Omaha 8 strategy when the time comes. Don’t get fancy, and focus on avoiding mistakes rather than playing an elegant game. If you’re great at Razz, play up your skill- be a bit crazy if you know you have an edge. Push your good games, and step back during your bad games, and you’ll certainly have an edge over most overzealous amateurs.

2. Notice your opponents’ best and worst games, and exploit their play accordingly.

This follows from the first principle. Most players are not honest with themselves about which games they can play well, and actually believe they are superstars at all of them. You will come to realize very quickly over a game of HORSE which players overvalue their skill in certain games. Take advantage of these players- exploit their bad play, especially if the games they do not play well are games you excel in.

For example, say there is a player at your table who obviously does not know the rules of Razz. He keeps drawing at high hands, and even when players remind him of the objectives of the game, never adjusts. In this situation, you would want to raise the hell out of him with any sort of low hand at all. Punish him for being horrible. Exploiting the egotism of others is where much of your HORSE profit will be made.

3. Know the rules and structure of each game BEFORE you sit down!

Don’t be that guy who doesn’t know the rules of Stud 8. There’s always one of them at every table, and he always loses. Learn the rules of each of the five games in HORSE before you sit down at the table. After all, trying to play a game when you don’t know how is both useless and frustrating- why do it?

You also don’t want to be the guy who forgets that the blind levels are turbo in your HORSE tournament. Pay attention to the details of whatever event you’re playing- cash or tournament, especially in HORSE, where the structure varies widely. Your winrate will depend on it.