Horse in Poker

Breaking Down HORSE Poker

In a HORSE game, each round switches to the next poker variant in the rotation. Here’s what each letter in HORSE represents:

• H: Hold’em – Texas Hold’em is the most well-known poker variant and is the starting point in HORSE. It’s played with two hole cards and five community cards, with players aiming to make the best five-card hand.
• O: Omaha Hi-Lo – In Omaha Hi-Lo, players are dealt four hole cards, and the pot is split between the highest and lowest qualifying hands. This game adds complexity because players must think about both winning the high and low pots.
• R: Razz – is a form of lowball stud where the goal is to make the lowest possible five-card hand. Straights and flushes don’t count against you in Razz, and the best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5.
• S: Seven-Card Stud – In Seven-Card Stud, players are dealt seven cards throughout the hand, and the goal is to make the best five-card hand. There are no community cards, and this game is often slower-paced compared to Hold’em and Omaha.
• E: Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo – This is a split-pot version of Seven-Card Stud where the pot is divided between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand (using the “8 or better” rule). Players must strategize for both ends of the pot, making it more complex.

Alternative Meanings – Horse

In poker, a “HORSE” can also refer to a player who is staked by another individual. This arrangement involves another person, known as the backer, providing all or part of the player’s buy-in for a tournament or game. In return, the backer expects to receive a share of any profits the horse earns. This relationship can be quite lucrative for both parties involved, particularly when the player is successful. Some backers manage entire stables of horses, which means they have multiple players competing on their behalf, diversifying their investment across different tournaments and games.