HORSE Strategy for the 5 Game Player

Horse is actually 5 seperate games as folks know. A
commonly used strategy for newer players is to not play
the games you are new to or feel you are weak in. In
otherwards sitting out. I believe this is absolutely the
wrong strategy for any player at any level. You should
in fact learn the basics on preflop/flop hand evaluation
and play tighter in the games your weaker in and looser
in the games your more comfortable. This thread is my perspective on playing HORSE strategically to minimize weaknesses without sitting out entire games in the rotation.Lets take each of
the 5 in order and discuss some fundamentals.

First up is limit holdem. The key is the word limit! You
cannot attack a limit game the same as pot or no limit
in any game and holdems no exception. We are discussing
preflop/ flop hand selection for each game, but post
flop play has alot to do with preflop/flop decisions.
Unlike non limit you need to adjust decision making for
limit holdem. It is cheaper to chase, thus mid
connectors/suited cards are much more often played by
skilled limit holdem players. I actually change
valuation slightly at an aggressive table. Working hands
like 7 8 suited and 10 J suited into my top 10 hands to
see a flop with. The key is the number of players seeing
flops. Controlled cost on the small bets; to the flop
and to see the turn and more players calling justify
playing drawing cards more frequaintly. Thus a weak
player should actually consider suited connectors and
big aces as having more value potentially post flop than
mid pocket pairs. Your decisions on folding are
generally much easier with drawing hands postflop than
the pocket pair and 2 overs on the board on the flop. A
call does not mean your beat as in a call of a multi BB
raise postflop almost always suggests. Instead it could
be a chaser or 3rd pair your dealing with. You very
rarely get priced out on pot odds on seeing the turn or
river because of the single bet in limit. Be it small
bet(postflop) or big bet(post turn). Weaker players
don't want to play small connectors like 4 5 suited
because of the expertise involved. I mention 8 7 in
particular earlier because it hits from the bottom and
top on straight draws and is the best hand to draw to to
bust an over pair like AA. A weak player should try this
10 hand selection preflop rather than top 10 premium
hands. Stick with AA, KK, QQ, AKs, J10s, 87s,AK, AQs,
AQ, JJ. This mix is different than the normal top 10
hands but does play much more controlled in limit for
drawing. The "s" denotes suited cards.

Omaha Hi/Lo is my favorite of the 5 and I play limit
tournies on the cash side. Rule number 1, play the high
first. This is based on the fact that there is not
always a low hand that qualifies. If your weak play
hands that contain a pair of Q's or better and atleast 1
suited. Any hand consisting of an ace and 2 of the
following 3 low cards; 2,3 and/or 4 and preferably your
ace being suited for potential Hi help. We are talking
preflop hand selection for weaker players. This game is
not one to fold and sit out. You have to get your feet
wet here as this game tends to have the largest change
in chip stacks of the 5 games. Less bets than the stud
games that follow, but generally more raises and more
players splashing in pots. A hand like A K Q 2 or A K 2
3 double suited are terrific preflop hands, but if this
is a weak game for you never raise preflop. Give up the
potential added bet for the safety of seeing a flop and
then deciding how good you hit. This is absolutely the
sort of game where postflop chasing even with raises is
very common. Raise only with the absolute nuts after 5th
street. Or to punish the unmade low draw after the turn.
Preflop you like a combo of high and low cards for the
Hi/Lo play. But look for big suited pairs and the 4 high
cards over 8 as potentail full pot winners. That 4 high
unpaired is generally refered to as a wrap and can be
very powerful for straight draws. An example is Q J 10
9. This is a powerful wrap for drawing and if double
suited can be very strong against multiple opponents.

RAZZ is a 7 card "stud" game where the lowest five card
hand wins. Ace being considered low. You are dealt 3
cards and then have a decision to fold or play. The
general rule of thumb is 3 cards 8 and under unpaired of
course to call. For weak players this is a good rule to
stick to. Don't get fancy with completing/raising on the
flop but rather use chip management as we have been
talking about through out to control the action when
combined with hand selection on your weaker games. A key
to pick up with RAZZ and both Stud games is card
counting. Card counting is basically remembering folded
and noted present board cards held by opponents.
Developing this skill will allow you to become very good
quickly in all 3 "stud" variations. Because all five
cards must be different for the low and we can see some
of our opponents cards we can sometimes figure out the
likelyhood more fully of whether we have the best hand
or not after 5th street and beyond. You do not want to
play hands like A 2 K post flop. Even though you have 2
"quality cards" figuring out odds if you miss an eight
or lower on subsequaint turns can get very complicated.
Your just minimizing the number of bets you utilize on
weaker games. Having a 4 low under 8 after 4th street
and a painted card on 5th street wouldn't be a folding
barring the other players hands. Board reading is a key
skill you'll need to develop for RAZZ. But folding the
non 3 low under 8 on the flop is necessary for weak RAZZ
players.

Stud will employ the same chip management principals,
but with a different evaluation technique. Here again
your given 3 cards on the flop. Look for 3 suited and/or
connected cards over 9, a pair over 10 or better or low
cards for all or most of your opponents on thier boards.
These "stud" games are great for developing your card
counting skills when your not in the hand.Watch and try
and remember what everybody folded. This skill is the
reason you should never multi table in any of the "stud"
related games. Postflop we want to never raise without
top pair. By that we have a pair that none of the up
cards from our opponents if paired could beat us. We
know with 2 down cards that we could still be beat. But
you can't find that out without betting. And aggression
with a strong hand usually gets rewarded. Remember in
any game your weak your going to fold alot. So being
aggressive on the hands you play in the stud games is
invaluable in getting eventual folds. After the flop we
still have 4 more cards and 5 total rounds of betting.
Slow playing and min raising monsters is ok as you get
more skilled. But reraising probable temporary nut hands
inducing folds and taking down small pots is a good
strategy for newer players.

8ball, also known as Stud Hi/Lo combines stud and RAZZ.
The low hand 5 under 8 gets 1/2 the pot. Here we
remember my rule about playing the High first as in
omaha. But slightly different. 3 cards under 5 on the
flop should always see 4th street. Here we are not
sharing board cards. Thus as more of our opponents cards
are revealed we can better judge the likelyhood of
holding the nut low. In multiway pots there is less low
splitiing in Stud 8ball than Omaha Hi/Lo. Board reading
and card counting are so key in 8Ball. Seeing two fours
folded, you holding 1 and a six high leaves your
opponent needing the last 4 to beat your made low after
5th street for example. This is when you raise/reraise
every opportunity you get. Always remember when you make
a nut low that the players playing the high may be on
pure draws. Flushes and straights. Making them pay for
streets is a must on a nut low. They'll often fold the
unmade draw or you'll hit a single pair to make the high
and low both. We are cautious til we have a made hand
5th street and beyond and still are always looking for
reasons to fold on the flop but are aggressive with the
nuts to make up for playing fewer hands.
The whole concept for playing weaker games is multi
pronged. First you don't want to just "sit out" giving
up blinds and antes. Playing hands helps you develop a
better understanding of the fundamentals and get better
at the game in question. By limiting the number of hands
you play you employ a chip management strategy as well
as giving yourself a better chance of playing a winning
hand through pre/post flop hand selection. And finally
an important further point. You keep your mind in the
game. Your watching for reads. Betting paterns, preflop
hand selection of your opponents even when your not in
the hand. That will strengthen all your poker skills in
all games over time by working on your weak ones you
help them all.

[X] OP forgot to press the enter key on the 8th line

Actually a very good post for a 6th time poster. That will probably be very handy for people looking to just play the games seperately. Although there is no need to manually press enter when you are replying. New lines are automatically started. But all in all a very good post i thought

Thanks for the great post. Like you, O8 is my favorite and strongest of the 5 games. I also feel pretty comfortable with HE, Razz & 8-ball, but typically have the most trouble good old Stud. Not sure why, but I just never seem confident enough to call too far into the process. Of course, a few times I pulled starting hands like AAQ or 3 high suited cards, and played them successfully, but generally, I tend to get out quick if it doesnt look promissing. Seems like you can lose a lot of your chips too quickly, and unlike 8-ball, you don't even have a shot to split it you don't take high hand. Anyway, I really like playing HORSE tourneys on PS (just the low stakes variety). It's a nice change up to the typical HE & O8.