Obviously, with such a high price tag on the buy-in, most of you won't be playing in this very prestigious event. However, just because you aren't willing to pony up $50,000, that doesn't mean you should pass up a chance to be part of such an awesome and historical event.
There will be more tables at the
World Series of Poker this year, and that means more satellites for the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. Unless you are a high roller, this is likely to be the best way for you to win your way into the tournament, and you should check with a floorperson for a complete schedule of both one-table and multitable satellites.
Once you have your $50,000 buy-in, you should start to think about how you want to start out the tournament. This year, players will be starting with $100,000 in chips, and with the limits starting out relatively low, there is virtually no chance that you can go broke in the first few levels. So, knowing this, the idea of this being a tournament shouldn't even cross your mind. Your thought process should simply be to play fundamentally sound and approach the tournament as though it were a cash game.
If anything, though, I'd say that you should lean toward being conservative in the early going, because while you can burn up a lot of chips early on by playing loose and recklessly, you simply won't win enough chips for it to make much of a difference for the later stages. The risk simply isn't worth the reward. You shouldn't be concerned with doubling up early; instead, think in terms of playing nice and steady poker.
There are other things to think about when it comes to playing H.O.R.S.E. First of all, many of you will likely be rather inexperienced in one or two of the forms of poker. If that's the case, the best thing you can do during those rounds is play a very tight, straightforward, ABC type of game. That way, you'll avoid having to make too many difficult, marginal decisions, whereby you could make major errors. For example, if you don't think you are a very good stud player, wait for premium high pairs and then play them aggressively on third street. If you get any resistance, proceed cautiously and think in terms of minimizing your losses rather than trying to get in an extra value-bet.
In a nutshell, if you have a weak game, don't let that be the game that destroys you. Play it very tight, and look to break even.
With a H.O.R.S.E. format, one thing holds true: It favors players who prefer board games (razz, stud, and stud eight-or-better) rather than flop games (hold'em and Omaha eight-or-better). If all you know how to play are hold'em and Omaha, you'll be at a huge disadvantage in a H.O.R.S.E. tournament, since 60 percent of the games are going to have a board. You'll therefore need to spend some time working on your stud games. It was no coincidence that Chip Reese, considered one of the best stud players in the world, was victorious last year.
One of the other things you'll need to be conscious of regarding the differences between flop games and board games is that the pressure that the blinds and antes put on you is vastly different. In stud games, the ante is relatively small and is paid every hand, while in hold'em, you'll get a number of free hands, but when the dreaded blinds come around, they're a significant hit to your stack, especially if you are a short stack.
Not only that, but the nature of, for example, stud play versus hold'em play is different; you are often priced into calling from the blinds in hold'em, whereas in stud games, you aren't. For instance, let's say a player raises from late position in hold'em and you are in the big blind with 10-9. Not only are you putting up the blind, but you also should be defending your blind. When you are short on chips and miss the flop, that can cripple you.
Compare that to a game like razz. You are the bring-in with (Q
4
) K
and an ace raises. Here, you wouldn't be putting in another penny.
With a short stack, you can be very patient in the stud games, even anteing yourself all the way down to just one ante, whereas in hold'em, your decision as to when it's "now or never" is heavily affected by how soon the blinds are coming around. So, with a short stack, you are much better off being on a stud round. You always should be aware of what the next game is, and use that information to help you decide if you should gamble now or wait.
Also, when thinking in terms of survival, going all in during a high-low round will give you a much better chance of staying alive, since you don't have to win the whole pot to stay alive. Ideally, stud eight-or-better is the absolute best of both worlds for a short stack.
Until you find yourself on a short stack, forget about the fact that you are in a tournament altogether. It doesn't have much effect on you, outside of recognizing when your opponents are short on chips and may be making desperation plays.
OK, now you are ready to play some H.O.R.S.E. It's really that easy!
