HORSE Cash Game Considerations

Learning how to play a HORSE poker cash game is quite a bit harder than learning how to play the cash game form of any other poker variant. There are a number of things that you need to keep in mind if you want to be successful as a HORSE cash game player and indeed some of those things are discussed below.

Changes in forced bets: This is one of the biggest things that you need to constantly be aware of when it comes to HORSE poker. The ‘HO’ part of the HORSE poker rotation requires the use of big blinds and small blinds and of course the ‘RSE’ part of the rotation requires the use of antes and a forced bring-in bet after the cards have already been dealt. In other words, you need to constantly be aware of when the changes in poker variants are going to take place and what those changes mean for you specifically in terms of forced bets.

Changes in position: Just as there are changes in forced bets in HORSE, there are also changes in position. In the ‘HO’ part of the HORSE poker rotation, position is a gigantic deal. This is because there is a button that rotates around the table like clockwork and therefore you know when and where you are going to be in terms of position at all times. However, with the ‘RSE’ part of the rotation, position is not fixed. It can change from game to game and even within the same game on different betting rounds it can be different. Therefore, while position is still important, it plays a diminished role. Understanding the differences between poker variants in terms of position and being aware of where you are at all times is part of being a good HORSE poker player.

Changes in tells: Physical tells from the players might be different in different parts of the HORSE poker rotation if for no other reason than because of their different proficiencies with different games. While it is advisable that you are at least at an intermediate level in all five poker variants, there are going to be people that do not follow that rule. Therefore, a person might be very polished in two or three variants and completely out to lunch on the others. Noticing this, extrapolating it to make judgments on their physical tells and then using those judgments to your advantage is another part of being an excellent HORSE poker cash game player.