H.O.R.S.E.

Garnering attention from the poker community is the introduction of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. It's addition to the 2006 World Series of Poker schedule is a direct result of the Players Advisory Council urging organizers to preserve a 37-year tradition, preventing further eliminations of poker variations from the roster. The high profile H.O.R.S.E. tournament will help to reverse this trend, as it becomes one of the most anticipated events of the year.


What is H.O.R.S.E?
The acronym H.O.R.S.E. stands for Texas Hold'em, Omaha high-low, razz, stud, and stud eight-or-better. As yet, H.O.R.S.E. isn't widely recognized. It was first featured at the 2002 World Series of poker, and ran through 2004. H.O.R.S.E. is rarely spread in card rooms, except for those with hard-core action.


Breaking It Down -No-Limit Texas Hold'em (The H)

We could explain the rules and strategies of no-limit Texas hold'em, but let's face it – it's the most widely televised variation of poker. The no-limit format was initially designed to hasten the tournament player elimination process, and until the boom, the format was used solely for that purpose. But new enthusiasts flocked to card rooms, requesting the 'all-in' style they'd witnessed on television, and in 2002, the consumer's call was answered. No-limit hold'em and its pop-culture supporters are responsible for resurrecting the industry.


Omaha High-Low (The O)

Omaha is actually gaining in popularity. The betting structure consisting of a flop, turn and river format are the same as hold'em, except that Omaha players are dealt four cards, and may use any combination of two from their hand, but match them with exactly three from the board. The object is to make a high hand (as in hold'em) and/or a low of eight or better. The best possible low is a wheel, or a straight of ace-to-five.


Not long ago, one could enter a casino and quickly identify an Omaha game by the league of patriarchs gathered around a corner table. Today, young bucks are acquiring fame and fortune by competing and winning Omaha (as opposed to hold'em) events. Their fast-paced, no-fear approach is pumping fresh blood through Omaha's tired veins.


Razz (The R)
Doyle Brunson's Super System opens the razz chapter with, "The first lowball game was almost certainly played as a joke. Some guy was probably losing real bad and said, 'It's a shame there ain't a game where the worst hand wins.'


"Razz can really test one's patience," says mild mannered Howard "The Professor" Lederer? "Because, after a long session, you feel like beating up your grandmother."


Razz is the first of the three draw card games in H.O.R.S.E. It's dealt like seven card stud, but the similarities end there. On the first round, the high card starts the betting. After that, the low card determines who will act first in each of the following rounds. The goal is to complete a hand with the worst possible value, on an ace-to-five scale, aces always being low. The cards count like numbers, the suits have no affect, so flushes have no value.


Some say that razz is on the verge of extinction, yet it still draws players and their fans. Maybe it's being able to watch the best players in the world scratch their heads, and lose their wits, while planning a backwards strategy.


Seven-Card Stud (The S) and Stud Eight or Better (The E)
Stud was the most popular version of poker in homes and casinos across America, long before the Texas hold'em craze. It first appeared during the Civil War, and the original Las Vegas poker rooms were called stud houses. It's said that a group of Texan gamblers, including Crandell Addingon, Amarillo Slim and Doyle Brunson, broke the Las Vegas poker mold when they introduced Texas hold'em to Sin City in the early 70s.


In seven-card stud, players are dealt two cards down, called hole cards, and one card up, called the door card. The player with the lowest door card initiates the betting. In sequential rounds, the high hand acts first. Players are non-positional, which means starting action may change from round to round and hand-to-hand. In the end, the best five cards determine the winner.


Stud eight or better, is played the same as seven-card stud, but the pot is split between the player with the highest valued hand, and the other with the lowest. The qualifier in this game is eight, so a low must include five cards with a value of eight or less. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand scoops the entire pot.


H.O.R.S.E at the 2006 World Series of Poker
The qualifier for the high-low portions will be eight or better. Every 40 minutes, the games will switch in order from hold'em to Omaha to razz to stud to stud eight-or-better. The community card games (hold'em and Omaha) share the same blinds and antes. Draw variations (razz, stud and stud eight-or-better) share antes, bring-ins and limits. After a full round of H.O.R.S.E. (200 minutes), the stakes will increase.


When the tournament is down to nine players, the H.O.R.S.E portion of the $50,000 event will end and no-limit hold'em will be the only game in play. The levels will increase in length to ninety minutes, and regardless as to the amount of the previous blinds and antes, they'll reset to 10,000-20,000, with a 3,000 ante. The blinds and antes will increase normally, just like any other event.


The Elite Roster
Without a doubt, the most skill oriented and prestigious players in the world will be participating in the H.O.R.S.E. event, along with tournament dragons, hopeful satellite qualifiers, and virtually every player seeking high honors and acclamations.