The rotation game of H.O.R.S.E. has always been popular among high-stakes professional players, but it has now caught on among the plebeians, as well.
In Part I of this two-part series, I looked at some of the traps players might fall into in limit hold'em and Omaha eight-or-better. I believe that anyone who knows enough not to make basic mistakes in any of the five games will do well at a low- or middle-limit H.O.R.S.E. table. In this column, I'll look at some of the common mistakes in seven-card razz, seven-card stud, and seven-card stud eight-or-better.
I give the same disclaimer as last time: The following is not meant to make the reader an expert in these games. Instead, I'm hoping the reader will learn to avoid common mistakes so that he can take on a typical low- or middle-limit H.O.R.S.E. game and be successful.
Seven-Card Razz
Pitfall No. 1: Cold-calling an opener with a big doorcard. Much of razz is common sense, yet I often see players making the basic mistake of calling on third street with a high doorcard. If an opponent opens with a 7 showing, new players would be well-advised to fold everything other than three cards 7 or lower. If you suspect a steal and have enough trust in your judgment on later streets, fine, go ahead and add some more hands. But if a 7 opens, fold your A-2/10, or your 6-4/8, or even your A-9/3. It's better to fold on early streets than to get tied to a pot in which you were behind from the beginning.
Pitfall No. 2: Falling in love with the "best hand" on fifth street. Inexperienced players mess this up all the time. If you have A-4/7-9-Q and your opponent has 3-2/5-6-6, who do you think is the favorite? The queen is the best five-card razz hand at this point, but the draw to the 6 is a big favorite in the hand - by more than 2-1. Many players don't realize how much trouble they're in when faced with this scenario. After all, their opponent just paired up! Here's a simple razz rule: The best four-card draw is usually the favorite on fifth street. This is especially true with a bad made hand against a pair with a good draw.
Pitfall No. 3: Folding on the river. Just as in limit hold'em, it's hard to fold a hand with any showdown value at all on the river in razz. There are so many bets in the pot at that point, thanks to the antes and the five streets of action, that you're usually getting an enormous price to see your opponent's hand. If there's even a slim chance that your opponent is bluffing, you have to call him down, assuming you can beat a bluff yourself. In limit games, fold on early streets, call on late streets.
Seven-Card Stud
Pitfall No. 1: Cold-calling an opener on third street. In razz, it's important not to cold-call on third street with mediocre hands, but you can get away with cold-calling with some of your good hands. In straight stud, it's important not to cold-call on third street with anything, at least not when it's heads up. Between the antes and bring-ins, there is a ton of dead money, and by cold-calling an opener, you will be offering a fantastic price to the players behind you. This statement is also true in razz, but the difference in razz is that even if you raise the opener, most of the players behind you who had the right price will still have the right price. In straight stud, your raise will have a profound effect on how the players behind you value their hands. Don't let the field go after the dead money that rightfully should be yours.
Pitfall No. 2: Getting married to underpairs on third street. If you have a pair of tens in the hole, and a queen opens, you should probably fold. This concept applies in a similar fashion to most limit games, and especially to games in which only the best hand wins the pot. If you can't beat the opener heads up at the time he opens, you probably shouldn't be playing the pot. Again, against more aggressive or tricky opponents, you might have a difficult decision, but your usual stud play should be to fold on third street if you can't beat the hand that your opponent is representing.
Pitfall No. 3: Hopeless bluffs on the river. It's amazing how often, in low-limit stud games, you'll see a player with a pair of eights on board bet the river, get called, and announce, "Just a pair of eights." In low-stakes games, it's very rare that an opponent will fold on the river if he can beat what you have on board. You might get the occasional opponent who will fold a weak two pair, or a higher pair, when facing a bet from a paired board, but chances are, if your opponent called on sixth street, he's going to call again on seventh street if he can beat your open pair. I've even heard stories of low-limit stud players calling on the river when they can't beat the bettor's board. Bluffs in low- and middle-limit games should be rare, and they usually should be saved for when you and your opponent both have nothing (but your "nothing" is worse than you're opponent's "nothing").
Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better
Pitfall No. 1: Getting married to high pairs on third street. Pairs between nines and kings can be death in this game. A suited A-2-3 is actually a favorite over wired queens, and regardless of that fact, an ace with low cards is much easier to play than a high pair. When you hold a high pair, you'll never know for sure where you stand if your opponent catches any low cards at all. He could make two small pair, a low, or just a pair of aces, all of which will likely beat you out of the entire pot. And even if your opponent doesn't catch one of those hands, he can still make a low for half the pot and freeroll you for the rest. If your doorcard is the highest on board (meaning there are absolutely no aces in sight), and no one has opened in front of you, go ahead and open with your split queens, kings, or jacks. Otherwise, throw those enormous trap hands away.
Pitfall No. 2: Playing the "razz hands." While 8-6/2 can have quite a bit of value in a razz game, it's mostly worthless in a stud eight-or-better game. You're drawing to one of the worst lows possible, so you'll never be able to bet it with confidence unless you're up against a bunch of high-only hands. Three cards to an 8 that have no straight or flush potential should almost always be folded on third street.
Pitfall No. 3: Drawing to half the pot. This is a common theme throughout all high-low games. When you enter a pot, and when you continue on later streets, you almost always should have a chance to scoop the entire thing. As I said when I discussed the pitfalls of Omaha eight-or-better, the pot usually will not be big enough to justify competing for only half. If you have a high-only hand and the low has almost certainly been made, you should give strong consideration to folding. It might be tempting to play on in a multiway pot, because your price is that much better. But ask yourself, what two hands might my opponents have? Look at the following matchup:
Q
Q
/ K
10
9
A
3
/ 4
5
7
5
4
/ 6
7
J
Here, the queens are the current best high hand, and they have a gutshot-straight draw and a three-flush to go with them. But the queens have only 16.4 percent equity in the pot (they will win the high 32.8 percent of the time, but the high is worth only half the pot!), and should fold to a bet.
I hope this two-part look at H.O.R.S.E. has helped some people gain confidence in their mixed-game abilities, and has corrected some leaks. Next time, I'll return readers to their usual no-limit hold'em programming.
Matt Matros is the author of The Making of a Poker Player, which is available online at www.CardPlayer.com.
