HORSE Rules

HORSE poker started as something of an elitist pleasure among seasoned players at the high stakes tables. It represents something of a skill gauntlet in the world of poker, with each game cycling through at least five different rounds and each round representing a different poker variation. Those variations are: Hold ‘em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Eights or Better Hi-Lo. The first initial of each of those games represents a letter and a round in HORSE. As proof of the game’s popularity, it got its own WSOP event in 2004, and with its $50,000 buy-in it offers one of the highest World Series purses every year.

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HORSE Poker Acronyms

  • H- Limit Hold’em
  • O - Limit Omaha Eight or Better (Hi/Lo)
  • R - Razz Poker
  • S - Limit Seven Card Stud
  • E - Limit Stud Eight or Better (Hi/Lo)

Make sure you have a good understanding of each poker game before playing Horse.  See more poker rules here.

HORSE poker cash games and tournaments are becoming a regular sight at online poker rooms. If you want to learn how to play HORSE poker, then maybe this little introduction can offer you a valuable start.

HORSE Rules - Starting a Horse Poker Game

Each game begins with the Hold ‘em round. This tends to be the game that most modern players are familiar with. Texas Hold ‘em has four different dealing rounds punctuated by four betting rounds. Players are first dealt two cards face down then an additional five cards are dealt face up to the center of the table over three rounds.

Hold ‘em is immediately followed by the Omaha (eights or better) round which is similar enough to make for a smooth transition. Omaha players get four hole cards instead of Hold ‘em’s two and players must make the best using two of those four plus three of the five community cards. The next game round is Razz. It should be noted that the last three rounds are Stud-style. In these games, each player is dealt a unique hand of face up and face down cards. Razz features a seven-card hand played for low combinations. Razz is followed by traditional Seven Card Stud. The final round of HORSE is Eights or Better Seven Card Stud. This final stud game is played Hi-Lo, which means the pot is split between the lowest and highest hands.

Players sitting at a HORSE table should expect to play all five rounds. That means to fully enjoy the game (and to play it well) you should come to the table with a good understanding of all five variations included in HORSE. Many players are thrown off by the switch from community card to stud-style games, while others have a hard time adjusting from high to low to hi-lo playing formats. On the other hand, if you’re a jack of all trades when it comes to poker, then HORSE cash games and tournaments could turn out to be quite profitable.