H.O.R.S.E
No, this isn’t horse betting. We’re talking about poker. H.O.R.S.E is a type of poker that’s usually played in tournaments or in high stake casinos. It’s a compilation of poker games. Basically, the players will be playing games of Texas Hold’em, Omaha Eight or Better, Razz, Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud Eight or Better. This article will discuss some general information about these five poker games.
Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is a community card game that makes use of 5 community cards and the players are dealt a couple of cards each face down. The players share the community cards and use the best 5-card combination they can. As of today, it is one of the most popular forms of poker. It is the most commonly played card game in land based casinos.
Omaha Eight or Better
In Omaha Eight or Better, also known as Omaha Hi/Lo, the pot is split equally between the player with the high hand and the player with the low hand. There are similarities to the Texas Hold’em variation. The players make use of two face-down cards and also there’s the set of community cards on the board as well.
Razz
Razz is somewhat similar to Seven Card Stud games. The difference though is that the objective of the game is to get the lowest possible value for your hand in order to win the pot. The ace in Razz is the lowest ranking card, so that makes the supposed to be straight from A to 5 a simple high card 5. Also, in this variation, there’s a bet limit.
Seven Card Stud
In Seven Card Stud, the players are dealt three cards each, two of which are face down cards and the third one exposed. The players will be dealt a total of seven cards and the player with the highest 5-card combination wins the pot.
Seven Card Stud Eight or Better
This is also known as the ‘Seven Eight’ or the ‘Stud Eight’. This is another high-low split stud, and probably the most popular one of its variation of poker. The pot is split between the player with the high hand and the low hand equally. In this variation, the declaration of the high or low cards is decided by the players themselves. If however, there is no qualifying low hand, the player with the high hand wins the whole pot money.
To cycle through H.O.R.S.E., you should be prepared with strategies. A general horse strategy is to observe your opponents behavior and action while concealing yours. If you’ve got a good poker face, you have a better chance of bluffing. You should also keep in mind to observe any revealed cards in stud variations, so that you’ll get a hint on your status in the game. Also, it is always advisable to keep your cool. Learn when to fold, when call or bet and when to raise. Keeping your head cool is probably the most important aim for you in any type of poker game.
