H.O.R.S.E. and Mixed Games Explanation

Mixed poker games are becoming more popular every day and are a true test of your poker skills. Players who excel in mixed cash games and tournaments are well respected within the poker community, and for good reason.

As some top pros might tell you, it’s not easy to become an expert at every poker game, but it’s well worth trying because you will become a more well-rounded player. If you typically play only one game such as Hold’em, you might find that learning other games will not only broaden your horizons, but also help improve your Hold’em game.

What is HORSE Poker?

HORSE is one of the most popular mixes of poker games and is played in both cash games and tournaments. The name is an acronym for all of the games that HORSE consists of. These games are:

Hold’em (Limit)
Omaha Hi/Lo (also known as Omaha Eight or Better)
Razz (Stud Low)
Stud (High Only)
Eight or Better Stud (Stud High Low)

HORSE Poker Rotation

At PokerStars, HORSE games are played by rotating one game per ‘round’. The game will begin with a round of Hold’em, then move on to Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Stud and Stud Hi/Lo. Once the Stud Hi/Lo round is over, Hold’em begins again and this continues throughout the duration of the game.

To prevent confusion about what game is being played, the current game is always displayed on the border at the top of the PokerStars game window. Be sure to check the hand rankings to understand high and low games.

Because a dealer button and blinds are used in the Flop games (Hold’em and Omaha) while antes are used in Stud games, the button freezes after the Omaha round is complete and remains in that position until the Stud games are over. The button begins to rotate again when the round of Hold’em begins. This way, no person has to pay extra blinds and nobody gets to skip blinds.

HORSE Poker Betting

All of the games in HORSE are played as limit games. This means that there is structured betting; players can only bet and raise in increments that are predetermined, which will depend on the betting limits of the game you are playing.

In limit games, there are only so many bets that can be made during each betting round before the pot is ‘capped’, meaning that there are no more bets permitted. At PokerStars, the maximum amount of bets on each street is four. So, if there is one bet and three raises, the pot is capped and there will be no more bets allowed on that street.

Poker Mixed Game Variations

In addition to HORSE, some other mixed games available to play on PokerStars are:

HOSE - A mix of Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud, and Eight or Better Stud. (Same games as HORSE, but leaving out Razz.)
Eight Game Mix - The ultimate test for a poker player, this mix consists of 2-7 Triple Draw, Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, Stud Hi/Lo, No Limit Hold’em, and Pot Limit Omaha (PLO).
Mixed Hold’em - For the Texas Hold’em enthusiast, this game switches between No Limit Hold’em and Limit Hold’em.
Mixed Omaha Hi/Lo - This mix alternates between Pot Limit and Limit Omaha Hi/Lo games. To make sure the stakes stay consistent, the blinds increase when Limit is played.
Hold’em/Omaha – The game switches between Pot Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha
Triple Stud – In this Stud mix, the game consists of Stud High, Razz, and Stud Eight or Better.

Play HORSE Poker Games Online

Once you have a firm grasp on the basics of each game that make up HORSE, you can practice in the free online poker games on PokerStars. There are also HORSE real money poker tournaments and cash games running online daily. Download the free PokerStars software and start playing HORSE.