A Game Called H.O.R.S.E.

A recent poster to the BARGE mailing list wanted advice on how best to play all the games of H.O.R.S.E. This seems of general interest. BARGE member Alan Jaffray provided wonderful capsule strategies that would enable beginners to hold their own in all the variants.



H.O.R.S.E is a game or tournament format in which five forms of poker are played in rotation, usually for either half an hour of each or one round of each. The games are limit hold'em, Omaha eight-or-better, razz, seven-card stud (high), and seven-card stud eight-or-better (the e standing for eight-or-better).



What follows applies to limit games.



Any New Game

In any game with which you're not familiar and are playing for the first time, folding more than you think you should could possibly be correct. If you fold your first 10 hands in an unfamiliar game, it's tempting to think you're misunderstanding the guidelines and that folding that often can't possibly be right. Thus, you may be tempted to play a hand that seems close to the guidelines that follow, but is actually substandard. But this is not the case; all it means is that you got 10 unplayable hands in a row, and that happens all the time.



High-Low Games in General

The best advice for any high-low game is: Play to scoop the pot. Taking half a pot is a consolation prize that keeps you going until the next scoop. If all you have is a draw for half the pot, unless it's really cheap and there are lots of players in, get out. In Omaha eight-or-better, the right four high cards can often constitute a draw for the whole pot.



Omaha Eight-or-Better
The mantra for Omaha eight-or-better ought to be: The nuts are out there. If you don't have them, and you're not drawing to them, get out – or at least proceed with extreme caution.



Play A-2 and A-3-4. Play A-3 and A-4-5 with the ace suited. Play A-A and any four cards 10 or higher, but ditch them quickly on a mostly low flop.



If you have the nut low and nothing else, you can stay in, but don't raise with it. Oftentimes someone else will also have it, and you'll end up getting quartered (losing high and tying for low). If there are cards to come, a low can be counterfeited, and you can end up with nothing.



Of course, a scoop can occur when no low is possible, and many flops make a low either impossible or difficult, so you can play good coordinated high cards. A hand like K-K-X-X is rarely playable, and A-A-X-X should be played extremely cautiously. The best hands in Omaha eight-or-better are A-A single- or double-suited with a deuce and one other low card. Four high cards, particularly single- or-double-suited, are good, but proceed only if you hit the flop solidly. Be particularly cautious when two or three low cards flop. Unless a three-low-card flop gives you the nut flush or an inexpensive draw to it, you probably should abandon your high cards. The high half of a multiway pot usually needs to be a complete (five-card) hand. Three of a kind rarely wins a whole pot and often loses a lot trying to win half the pot. Contrariwise, realize that more players try to make low hands in this game, so your coordinated high starting cards often have a good chance to scoop. For there to be a low hand, the board must contain at least three low cards. Even with three and sometimes four low cards on the board, low hands can be counterfeited, so your high hand still might scoop. Not taking players' cards into account, no low is possible approximately 40 percent of the time. Even if you have four high cards, the final board will not permit a low approximately a third of the time.



Pay attention to that mantra and also know that coordinated cards in your hand – cards that all work together – are what you want to start with.



Stud High
You want to start with the biggest pair. If you play a smaller pair, you at least want your cards to be live and your kicker to be higher than your opponent's pair. It's also helpful if your pair is buried, concealing your hand if you catch trips.



Play big flush draws and high straight draws if you can get in cheaply on third street, but muck them quickly if you don't catch a match on fourth street. (Pairing a small card does not count as "catching.")



Play big pairs fast; that is, raise and reraise until you know you're beat.



Two small pair is a trap hand, and usually a candidate for the muck on fifth street if your opponent has a higher pair. If he doesn't already have you beat, it's still easy for him to improve and hard for you to do so. If you follow the preceding advice, you'll rarely have two small pair, of course.



If your opponent pairs his doorcard, generally get out. Maybe he doesn't really have trips, and if he does have trips, maybe you can outdraw his hand if he doesn't improve to a full house, but do you want to pay to find out?



Razz

In razz, you're rarely a big favorite on third or fourth street against those who show an inclination to play. If you play, and it's still multiway, raise or reraise to get people out and improve your chances of winning.



The board is important. A hand with your worst card buried is far better than a hand with it exposed. For example, if you have (8-4)3-2-6, your opponents don't know if you have a made 6 or are just drawing. If you have (4-2)8-6-3, you clearly can't have a made 6, and the best you can have at the moment is an 8-6.



Ante stealing is common. If you're showing a deuce and there's nothing but paint showing behind you, the pot is rightfully yours regardless of your holecards, so raise and take it.



Three cards topped by an 8 is generally the delimiter for playable starting hands. Three cards topped by a 7 is definitely playable, while an 8 can be playable depending on position, how smooth it is, and how live your cards are. A 9 probably isn't playable.



If you brick on fourth street and your opponent catches a good card, forget about how pretty your first three cards were. In most cases, get out. You don't want to be in the situation of having to catch two perfect cards out of the next three when your opponent may need only one. You'll modify this approach as you become familiar with the game. For example, if what looks like a good card pairs one of your holecards, but your board looks scary, you might want to continue.



Pay attention to other boards and folded cards to figure out what other players have and whether your needed cards are live.



Stud Eight-or-Better

In general, start with low cards. A low hand can develop high potential, but a high hand rarely generates a low. Except for aces, pairs are usually not good in this game. A wired set is tricky, because all it can win is the high half. A wired set of small cards can be nice, because your opponents may think you are going low and you might drive out some mediocre hands, thus leaving you in contention for the whole pot if no one qualifies for low. High trips should be played fast, and you should be aware that you might lose a lot on the hand.



Don't ignore the high potential of a low hand. A starting 2-3-7 is a lovely razz hand but a lousy stud eight-or-better hand, since it has little high potential. But A-3-7 is playable, since you might pair the ace for high. Hands like 3-4-6 and 6-7-8 are playable because of the straight possibilities, and 2-3-7 of the same suit is playable.



High pairs are playable if no one seems to have a low, or against a single low player, although you usually have to muck if he catches a low card on fourth street. A pair of aces with a low kicker is always playable, having low potential to go with the high. Most of the time, a hand like (K-K)7 is unplayable, and you probably shouldn't come in to begin with.



A good summary for stud eight-or-better is that you are trying to make a low straight or flush or a pair of aces with a low, and you should consider mucking the rest of the time.



Where to Practice

At least one online site has H.O.R.S.E. tournaments that you could try for practice.

Michael Wiesenberg's The Ultimate Casino Guide, published by Sourcebooks, is available at fine bookstores and at Amazon.com and other online book purveyors. Send responses, recommendations, and ratiocinations to [email protected].