HORSE tournament poker is not an area I regularly play in but it is a form of poker I really want to learn.This is my beginners strategy and it's done fairly well for me so far. I went to the middle/late stages in the first HORSE freeroll i've played in months. General beginners strategy is the basis of this plan
LIMIT HOLDEM
Premium hands, in all positions widening your range very slightly in better position. It's harder to outplay your opponents after the flop because the bets are limited so I like to get it in with the good hands when I'm ahead. I will rarely open the pot with a limp so either raise or fold. Post-flop I will never slow-play, I just want to build a big pot with a strong hand by value betting and not making any smart maneouvre that could easily backfire. If I'm playing a big stack I will look to protect my stack rather then my hand.
LIMIT OMAHA 8
I have a pre-flop hand selection process. I need to have either an A2/A3 or 23 in my hand before I look at anything else. Then i look at the two remaining cards and see whether they have a good chance of winning the high split. If not I muck them. e.g. i will muck A274 but will play 23JK. I again come into the pot aggressively with no limps whatsoever. I create a big pot with big draws, but try to play more low hands more passively with the chance of being quartered. If my hand has 4 flush cards then i muck as well no matter what. The only exception to the rule is having for connected cards double suited.
LIMIT RAZZ
My best game of the 5. I will not play any hand without 3 cards of 8 or less. I have a special 20 outs system. When I get my 3 low cards then I automatically know I have 20 outs. e.g. if i have A23 thats 4 fours, 4 fives, 4 sixes, 4 sevens and 4 eights. Thats 20 total, so from their on I will count down all of my dead outs, being sure not to count dead threes, twos or aces. Then I will have some idea of drawing to a decent low. I will look to steal blinds and antes with a good door card, and after 4th street I will look to bluff depeneding on me and my opponents board.
LIMIT STUD
My worst game of the 5. I play uber tight in this round because I am so poor. I will only play a hand with split/hidden jacks+ and with three cards of ten and above. An exception would be three straight flush cards. I play very passively and generally only raise with premium hands. However I will fire on all streets with a rolled up hand or a straight+ I try to minimize my losses in this round.
LIMIT STUD 8
I basically try and wait out for 3 low cards that can draw to a straight and/or flush. Then I come out all guns blazing. I like hands like AK2s because they can win multiple ways. I try and take advantage of opponents that seem to be completing and limping with queens and kings because they may only be playing for the high split.
Throughtout a HORSE tournament I try and maximize my gains in the HOR rounds and minimize my losses in the SE games. Obviously I need to learn all 5 games properly to become a good HORSE player and my stud/stud8 game really needs some work.
This is MY BEGINNERS strategy and nothing else
Frog
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9 comments
It hard to concetrate and play that tight at 1 in the morning though
Frog
I dont know much about HORSE, but I could read more.
Not quite that tight. I agree you ain't bluffing, at least early, in limit hold'em and playing good hands is a must but I like to play hi hands in stud 8 as well as low with high possibilities. I will ditch em though after 5 cards or in case a bingo game breaks out.
One thing about Razz that maybe worthy of mention is to recognize if you have a lock over your opponent on 5th or 6th street. If you have a made 7 high and the third highest card showing on opponents board is an 8 you have a lock since the opponents best hand will be an 8 high. A lot of players will stick around and call raises when they are dead in the water if they fail to realize their best possible hand is exposed. So when you are reading the opponents board take away the two highest cards above 5 and the remaining high card is the opponents best low. (If it is 6 or below watch out)
On stud 8 I would always stay in with a good high, especially if you see two lows on board aggressive in the hand. They have a good chance of quartering and you will pick up 1/2 of all the raises when you split the pot. Drawing for a low straight or flush is a good policy, but those two opportunities don't always present themselves. Also don't draw to an 8 high, it is going to cost you a lot of money in the long run. Also the board lock theory is in play in stud 8. If you have a made qualifying low and you see a player with 3 or 4 cards up and the third highest is above 8 it is impossible for him to have a qualifying low or if his third card is higher than your high card you have his ass in a bag and he may not know it. . Good post Frog.