5 Tips to Better Your HORSE Poker Game

We could cover something from each of the five games that make up the HORSE poker roster, but instead we’re going to offer eager players a chance to improve their overall strategy with helpful hints to get you through every single round.

Find Your Opponents’ Weaknesses

Moreso than in any other game, HORSE gives savvy players a good chance to profit off their unskilled opponents. There are many fish at the HORSE tables. Generally these players are moderately good at Hold ‘em and maybe Omaha, but are hopeless at the Studs and Razz. They’re looking for something new, and think they can grind out some easy money by dominating the community card rounds. Identifying their off games early can create an easy route toward small and even middling pots.

Hide Your Own Weaknesses

Other smart HORSE players have already clued in to our first tip. They’re watching their opponents closely to determine when and how they can steal their chips. Betting consistently is a good way to fake confidence, but betting too consistently can give away your hands. If you’re ahead and you’ve established yourself as a steady player, then now and then it can’t hurt to push with a moderate hand.

Master the Semi-Bluff

Our last two HORSE tips are the perfect lead-in to this one. Once you know which games each of your fellow players dread and have set a serious tone for your own playing style, you can start using that information to your advantage. When you sense a weak player is trying to limp into a better hand, go ahead and bully them. If you’ve been playing your cards right, then they’ll recognize the threat and fold.

Get Good at the Bad Games

With free versions of virtually ever poker variation available at almost all the major poker rooms, there’s no reason why you can’t spare a little time to get good at all five games in HORSE. Being a seasoned Seven Card Stud player can really pay off as these two rounds are often a weakness to strong Hold ‘em-based players. In a tournament, you will be pleasantly surprised by how many pots you can sweep just by dominating the Seven Card rounds.

Tight Is Always Right

With some special tournament exceptions, a tight-aggressive strategy is ideal in virtually all HORSE games. It saves you from diminishing your bankroll in less important rounds and gives you the appearance of being a serious player (while avoiding a calling station designation). Because the game is constantly changing, often your opponents’ playing strategies are too; trying to bully your way through all five rounds is a good way to get yourself trapped by players that have been waiting to make their big bets.