With all the hype surrounding the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at this year's
World Series of Poker, it quickly became the most highly anticipated tournament of the season. Every professional poker player was chomping at the bit to compete in the record buy-in five-game event. H.O.R.S.E. was added to the
WSOP roster only a few years ago, and its sudden, dramatic return left most fans and players pondering the question, "When and where did H.O.R.S.E. originate?" We did our research, asked veteran players, and surveyed cardrooms across the country. Here is what we found:
There are literally hundreds of cardrooms in America, but most of them spread only one type of game. Fewer than a dozen offer abbreviated versions of H.O.R.S.E., such as S.H.O.E., H.O.E., or even H.O. H.O.R.S.E. is most often played in Las Vegas and at Foxwoods, with a few scattered cardrooms in Arizona.
This supports one famous player's claim that H.O.R.S.E. originated in Las Vegas more than 15 years ago. He had noticed poker amateurs playing several games at a single table at The Mirage in Las Vegas. "Back then, practically all pros - myself included - were specialists at one game or another," said
World Series of Poker bracelet winner Todd Brunson. "Very few of us played more than one or two games, and certainly not five."
Poker Specialist or Jack-of-All-Trades
Most professional poker players honed their skills in one game, achieving optimal results. Better results meant more monetary gains. These specialists believed that playing several games might weaken their development, inevitably costing them money at the tables. Therefore, stud players played other stud players, hold'em players played other hold'em players, and so on. But in the late '80s, the poker population was declining, and even the most popular games were left shorthanded. High-stakes players bounced from one cardroom to the next, searching for a full game.
"We played a regular shorthanded $50-$100 hold'em game at The Mirage that was on again, off again," stated Brunson. "When it was off, I'd go down to the Horseshoe and play $50-$100 Omaha eight-or-better."Brunson noticed a game that was steadily gaining in popularity among locals. While hopeful players added their names to the list and anxiously awaited an open seat, the railbirds followed the action from the sidelines. Ralph Levine and a Frenchman they called "Renee-Renee" were the best two players, but Brunson knew they could be beat. Yet, by playing so many games at one table, the amateurs prevented unwanted competition from the specialists. "I was sick about being shut out of that game," said Brunson. He watched in envy as the chips flew and the pots grew at this action-packed table, and it was then that he thought seriously about branching out and learning every variation of poker.Brunson practiced each game, knowing it would give him an advantage when facing a new lineup of players and games. After careful preparation, he decided it was time to pitch the idea to his friend and fellow specialist Russ Hamilton.
Hamilton, who would go on to win the WSOP championship event in 1994, was an unofficial host at Binion's Horseshoe. His high-stakes Omaha eight-or-better game was to Downtown what Brunson's high-stakes hold'em game was to The Mirage.
Brunson and Hamilton agreed to combine the two shorthanded high-stakes games into one full mixed game. "The idea went over well," said Brunson, "and we finally had a full table that ran on a regular basis."
They started by switching each of the two games every 30 minutes, creating a time structure never before implemented. Mixed games were not uncommon, but using a clock, or any standard measure, was a relatively new concept in ring games. Hamilton soon discovered that the timed sessions created a hold'em monopoly. There were fewer hands of Omaha eight-or-better being dealt because each hand took more time. Hamilton suggested that they play a specific number of hands per game, and that the dealers could keep track by shifting buttons within the racks. The button method was fair, and dealers quickly grasped the concept of counting down hands and switching games.
H.O.R.S.E. Finds Its Home With "The Big Game"
Las Vegas hold'em and Omaha eight-or-better players traveled to tournaments and other casinos. They introduced their structured button method of the mixed game in order to create a market for it among new players. Stud was added to the mix to lure more specialists and to keep the table full. "Back then," said Brunson, "Las Vegas offered mostly stud, so it was a natural fit." It was Ken "Skyhawk" Flaton who suggested adding stud eight-or-better, making it the first four-game mix called H.O.S.E.
Razz was the last game to be added. Mike "Magic" Epstein, Bobby Butler, and Tommy Fischer were responsible for turning H.O.S.E. into H.O.R.S.E., adding their specialty to the mix. Razz is known for putting any player on tilt, but most specialists believed that it helped players develop disciplinary skills. It also added an element of humor.
It didn't take long for the structured mixed game to become a staple of "The Big Game" at The Mirage, which eventually moved to Bellagio. High-stakes players like Todd Brunson, Doyle Brunson, and Chip Reese literally wrote the rulebook on H.O.R.S.E. procedures.
These former specialists were so convinced that H.O.R.S.E. was the best way to determine a true champion that they persuaded
World Series of Poker organizers to add it to the tournament schedule in 2001. Since razz was known to frustrate players, it was voted out of the initial mix, and H.O.S.E. made its
WSOP debut. From 2002 to 2004, razz was put back into the mix, and the H.O.R.S.E. event became a favorite among professional poker players.
As the least popular game, razz is the one that often drops out of the mix. But, it never stays away for long. "Just like a lost dog," said Todd Brunson, "razz somehow finds its way home."
