HORSE Poker and Where To Play Online. HORSE Poker is a combination of five different variations of poker; Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo also known as Eight or Better. Over recent years it has become what many players consider to be the true test of a poker player.
- For horse poker to be mastered, you need to hone each playing strategy according to the various variations of the game. Plus, you also have to make the most of your timed interval changes with each.
- An ever-present feature at big money tables, and now a fixture event of the World Series of Poker, HORSE combines different poker variants in sequence. As such, you need to be familiar with the rules of each component game to stay in contention.
- HORSE is the ultimate test of one’s poker skills. It requires a working knowledge of five different poker variations and the skills to overcome the competition in every single game. HORSE is not for the feint of heart, but it presents excellent opportunities for the well-versed player.
If you haven’t heard of HORSE Poker, then you are in for a surprise. HORSE Poker is really hard to master since it involves a series of poker variations. HORSE Poker has been now introduced to the World Series Of Poker tour for a $50,000 buy-in. This game is now recognized all over the world. HORSE Poker is most often played in a limit format but can be played with other betting structures also.
HORSE Poker is not a single Poker Game. It is a combination of Texas Holdem Poker, Omaha Hold’em, Razz Poker, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi-Low split-Eight or better. The format consists of rounds of play cycling around these variations of Poker.
HORSE Poker is now potentially called the Masters Game Of Poker. The reason for this is because you end up mastering not one variant, but five in total. So, only those who are dedicated to succeeding in all five of the variations can win this tournament.
In order to achieve success in HORSE Poker, You must do the following.
- You must understand the rules of each of the variations and memorize them.
- Since the rules for each of the variant are different, you need to learn and master different strategies for different games.
Learning the rules for the different variations is the easy part. But, each game has its own strategies and mastering each one of them is the difficult part. It takes years mastering one variant. But, to master in 5 different versions is a whole different Ball-Game. This is the reason why HORSE Poker is called the Masters Game of Poker.
Different Variations involved in HORSE Poker
So, the five different variations in HORSE POKER are as follows:
- H: Texas Hold’em Poker
- O:Omaha Hi-Low split-Eight or better
- R: Razz
- S:Seven Card Stud
- E: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low split-Eight or better
1. Texas Hold’em Poker
Texas Hold’em is the first poker variant in the HORSE poker. This is the poker variation that everyone knows about. This is the game that everyone learns when they want to learn poker in the first place. I am assuming that everyone knows the rules. But for those who don’t know the rules, can just look at the summary below. For those who are looking for the complete guide, they may do sofrom here.
- Texas Hold’em is played between 2-9 players and each player is dealt with 2 cards facing down.
- To deal with the cards a dealer will be present. If there is no dealer then a dealer button is placed in front of one player and the cards are dealt from him and in the clockwise direction. After each hand, the dealer button moves one step in the clockwise direction.
- The two players left of the dealer has to pay the small and the big blind respectively. These are the minimum bets that every player must pay in order to play the hand. The small and the big blind has to be placed without even seeing their cards.
- The person sitting to the left of Big blind starts the game and he can bet the minimum amount or fold his hand. After he has played the same is repeated for the remaining players in the clockwise direction.
- After each one of them bets then three cards are dealt on the table facing up and is known as the flop. After seeing the flop each player can bet, check or fold.
- Similarly, a fourth card is dealt on the table facing up after each one of the players bet and is known as the turn card. Again each player can check, bet or fold his hand.
- After the betting is finished, a fifth card is dealt on the table facing up and is known as the River. Again each player can check, bet or fold his hand.
- After the betting, the winner is decided and the player that betted last has to show his card if he has the better hand than the other players, he wins everything that is present on the table.
These are the rules for Texas Hold’em poker which is the first version game of HORSE poker. If anyone’s interested in looking at the tips for mastering the Texas Holdem, they can learn from here.
Horse Poker Tourney
2. Omaha Hi-Low split-Eight or better
Omaha Hi-Low is the second variant of the game HORSE Poker. This is the extended version of the gameOmaha Hold’em. I suggest people to learn the rules of Omaha Hold’em first before they learn Omaha Hi-Low. I won’t be mentioning the Omaha Hold’em rules in this article. You can take a look at the link I have given if you don’t know the rules for the game yet.
Rules for Omaha Hi-Low Split-Eight or better are as follows:
- Each player makes a separate five-card high hand and five-card ace-to-five low hand (eight-high or lower to qualify).
- The pot is split between the high and low hand. If the same player has the best of both high hand as well as a low hand, he takes the entire pot.
- To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower (this is why it is called “eight or better”).
- Each player can play any two of his four hole cards to make his high hand, and any two of his four hole cards to make his low hand.
- If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins (scoops) the whole pot.
These were the rules for the Omaha which is the second version of HORSE poker. If you haven’t understood this fully, you can take a look at some of the examples from here. Remember this is just the extended rules from the Omaha Hold’em. The only difference between the two is how the pot is split in the end. So, learn the rules of Omaha Hold’em poker first before learning this game mode.
3. Razz
Razz is the third version of the game HORSE poker. Razz is a lowball poker game which means the card and hand rankings are flipped upside down. Aces are of low value in Razz and Flushes and Straights doesn’t count. This is a really fun game to learn and to play with your friends.
Rules for the game are as follows:
- The game is played between 2-8 players and each player is dealt with 7 cards, 3 facing down and 4 facing up.
- Before the cards are distributed, each player must pay an ante which is usually 1/10th of the minimum betting size.
- After the ante is paid, each player receives 3 cards, 2 facing down and 1 facing up.
- The player with the highest (value) face-up card will start the game and must pay the minimum bet which is called the “Bring it in“. He can even bet double of the bring-in amount. But, the player to start cannot fold.
- The betting continues in the clockwise direction with each player having the option to fold or pay the bring-in amount. They can also bet the double of the bring-in amount similar to the player that starts the game.
- After everyone has played their turn, a 4th card is dealt with all the players face-up called the Fourth Street.
- The player with the lowest value hand with their face-up cards has to start the bet now. After him, the remaining players will play in the clockwise direction similar to the last round.
- After everyone has played their turn a 5th card is dealt facing up to all the players. This card is called Fifth Street. Similarly, after each one has bet similar to the previous round a 6th card is dealt with all the players facing up known as the Sixth Street.
- Now after everyone plays after the sixth card, the seventh street is dealt with all the remaining players face-down.
- Anyone still in the hand after the final betting ( Betting after the seventh street is dealt) must show their hands and the person with the lowest value five-card (The best lowball hand) wins the hand and takes all the money from the table. After that, the next hand starts.
These are the rules for the razz poker which is the third version game of HORSE poker.
4. Seven Card Stud
Seven Card Stud is the fourth variant of poker in HORSE Poker. It is the exact reverse of Razz. Here instead of low cards, we focus on the high cards.
Rules for the Seven Card Stud are as Follows:
- The game is played between 2-8 players and each player is dealt with 7 cards, 3 facing down and 4 facing up.
- Before the cards are distributed, each player must pay an ante which is usually 1/10th of the minimum betting size.
- After the ante is paid, each player receives 3 cards, 2 facing down and 1 facing up.
- The player with the lowest (value) face-up card will start the game and must pay the minimum bet which is called the “Bring it in“. He can even bet double of the bring-in amount. But, the player to start cannot fold.
- The betting continues in the clockwise direction with each player having the option to fold or pay the bring-in amount. They can also bet the double of the bring-in amount similar to the player that starts the game.
- After everyone has played their turn, a 4th card is dealt with all the players face-up called the Fourth Street.
- The player with the highest value hand with their face-up cards has to start the bet now. After him, the remaining players will play in the clockwise direction similar to the last round.
- After everyone has played their turn a 5th card is dealt facing up to all the players. This card is called Fifth Street. Similarly, after each one has bet similar to the previous round a 6th card is dealt with all the players facing up known as the Sixth Street.
- Now after everyone plays after the sixth card, the seventh street is dealt with all the remaining players face-down.
- Anyone still in the hand after the final betting ( Betting after the seventh street is dealt) must show their hands and the person with the best five-card wins the hand and takes all the money from the table. After that, the next hand starts.
These are the rules for the Seven Card Stud poker which is the fourth version game of HORSE poker. If you are looking for a detailed guide, then you can learnSeven Card Stud from here.
5. Seven Card Stud Hi-Low split-Eight or better
Seven Card Stud Hi-Low split-Eight or better is the fifth version of the game HORSE Poker. This is the extended version of the game Seven Card Stud. This is pretty much similar to Omaha Hi-Low split-Eight or better. Where the pot is split between the player with the highest hand and the player with the lowest hand.
Rules for the Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-Eight or better are as follows:
- Each player makes a separate five-card high hand and five-card ace-to-five low hand (eight-high or lower to qualify).
- The pot is split between the high and low hand. If the same player has the best of both high hand as well as a low hand, he takes the entire pot.
- To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower (this is why it is called “eight or better”).
- Each player can play any two of his four hole cards to make his high hand, and any two of his four hole cards to make his low hand.
- If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins (scoops) the whole pot.
These are the rules for the Seven Card Stud split-Eight or better which is the fifth version game of HORSE poker. Remember this is just the extended rules from the seven-card Stud. The only difference between the two is how the pot is split in the end.
These were the rules for the HORSE Poker variants. Hope you learned something new today. Thanks for reading. ?
Popular FAQ’s
What is HORSE Poker?
HORSE Poker is not a poker version by itself. It is a combination of 5 other poker variations. Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi-Low, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud split-Eight or Better. All these variations are played in cycles for certain time durations.
Is HORSE Poker difficult to master?
Yes. HORSE Poker is extremely difficult to master. Because you're playing 5 different versions of poker in it. So, you have to master in 5 games, not just 1. This requires extreme skill and determination to do so.
Is HORSE Poker Popular?
Yes, in recent times HORSE Poker has really shown its progress. It even has its own tournament in WSOP tournament for a $50k buy-in.
Which is the most difficult poker variant in HORSE poker?
Each of the variants has its own ups and downs. All of the variations are equally challenging. Texas Holdem might be known to all, but it still requires a lot of strategies to win the game. So, none of the games are easy. You have to learn each one of them and master them one by one.
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HORSE is called a “Mixed” poker game because it is a combination of five of the most popular poker variations that are played in a rotation. It is considered the ultimate game of skill as to be good players must demonstrate skill in multiple different poker variants.
The game of HORSE is quite popular in many land-based and online poker rooms, and is a staple event in the World Series of Poker, as well as other live poker tournaments. Because of its presence in the most prestigious events, it has become increasingly popular for recreational players as well and is well regarded as a chance to showcase a wide range of poker skills throughout all the poker variants.
There is no doubt that HORSE is a very advanced game, as players must be familiar with the rules of all 5 poker variants used in this mixed game. It is highly recommended to learn the rules and get some practice time in each poker game variant individually before attempting to play HORSE.
How is HORSE Played?
HORSE includes 5 poker variants which are rotated in order:
- H = Texas Holdem
- O = Omaha
- R = Razz
- S = 7 Card Stud High
- E = 7 Card Stud Eight or Better
Each variant will be played for a set amount of time before switching to the next. The amount of time will vary, but commonly will be one orbit of the table (dealer button passes round each player once).
In a tournament, then every time the blind levels change, the game type rotates as well.
For example, in a tournament you may play 4 or 5 hands of Texas Holdem at blinds of $1/$2, then switch to Omaha with blinds of $2/$4. The next blind increase would switch the game to Razz, and so on. When the blinds in 7 Card Stud 8 or Better increase, play switches back to Texas Holdem.
Fixed Limit Poker – How to Bet
HORSE is usually played in a fixed limit format which means that a player must place all Bets or Raises in a pre-determined increment which is related to the stakes of the table
For example at a $1 / $2 table, you would either use the lower stake of $1 or the upper stake of $2 depending on the game variant you were playing, or stage of the hand you are in.
If using the lower stake, then a bet must be equal to $1 in this example. A raise to that bet would be further increment of $1 to a total of $2, and a third raise would be a further $1 increment to $3 and so on.
There are a maximum of 4 raises permitted on each betting round.
H = Texas Holdem
Texas Holdem is the first game played in HORSE and is the one players will be most familiar with, although the slight twist is that it is played in Fixed Limit format, when most players will be used to playing Holdem in No Limit format.
In Texas Holdem, each player is dealt 2 cards face down and then must combine these with the 5 community cards dealt face up in the center of the table to make the best 5 card poker hand using any 5 of the 7 cards available to them.
To learn how to play Texas Holdem, then review our complete guide to the Texas Holdem Rules.
O = Omaha Poker
Omaha Poker is based on similar rules to Texas Holdem, but each player receives 4 hole cards and must combine these with the 5 community cards dealt in the center of the table for all players to use.
Players must use exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards to create the best 5 card poker hand they can.
Again this is played in Fixed Limit format, when most regular Omaha players will be more used to playing in Pot Limit or No Limit format.
To learn how to play Omaha in more detail, then review our complete guide to the Omaha Poker Rules.
R = Razz Poker
Razz is a different game to play as the aim is not to get the highest ranking poker hand, but to get the lowest ranking poker hand.
It is played in a similar format to 7 card Stud poker, and each player will receive 7 cards throughout the hand and must use 5 of those cards to form the lowest ranking poker hand.
Ace counts as low (number 1) and low hands are read from the highest card down so the best hand you can get in Razz is A-2-3-4-5.
To learn how to play Razz Poker, then review our complete guide to the Razz Poker Rules.
S = Seven Card Stud
Similarly to Razz poker, each player will receive 7 cards throughout a seven card stud hand.
The objective is the reverse of Razz and is to get the highest ranking poker hand.
In Stud based games there are no share or “community” cards like there are in Holdem and Omaha, and players can only use the cards that are dealt to them.
To learn how to play 7 Card Stud, then review our complete guide to the 7 Card Stud Rules.
E = 7 Card Stud Eight or Better
7 Card Stud 8 or Better is sometimes called Hi Lo or High Low and is a sight variant to the regular 7 card stud.
Again each player is dealt 7 cards throughout a hand, but this time they have a mixed objective and two different hands to make from those 7 cards.
The first is to make the highest ranking 5 card hand just as is regular 7 Card Stud. The player who achieves this will receive half of the winning pot.
The second is to make to lowest ranking 5 card hand, similar to Razz, however there the difference is the hand must qualify by having no card higher than an 8. The player with the lowest ranking qualifying hand will receive the other half of the winning pot. If no player has a qualifying low hand then the entire pot is awarded to the high hand winner.
How To Play Poker For Beginners
To learn how to play 7 Card Stud Eight or Better, then review our complete guide to the 7 Card Stud Rules.
Where to Play HORSE Poker?
We recommend Pokerstars for a great place to play HORSE Poker. To find out more about them see our Pokerstars Review or to see alternate rooms to play HORSE Poker then see the Professor's reviews in our Poker Reviews section.