H.O.R.S.E gives us perspective
Early on in my development as a poker player I was pretty much like everyone else. The game was new to me and I was still learning about what would and would not work for me based on my style as a poker player. The game was no limit Texas Hold’em. Yes, it does take a lifetime to master but you can still make a nice profit along the way. Eventually my game grew enough for me to compete and win both live and online poker tournaments. The rest is kinda history from there. However, along the way I noticed that there were other poker games that allowed me to improve my hold’em game by providing a different perspective.
Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi/Lo has been around for some time and used to be popular primarily on the West Coast and Europe. Now, with the internet, the game is one of the most popular forms of poker and is played in just about every card room around. Omaha is also played in tournament format as well. The cash game action is also very good in Omaha as well. I think of all the forms of poker available to play Omaha probably has the weakest group of players because people are still trying to catch up to the game and it’s variations. There are more misreads and bad plays in Omaha because it requires quite a bit of thought and analysis to understand the game thoroughly. Those that put the time in will reap the yhas to change in order to take advantage of as well as avoid that fact.
RAZZ
Razz took me a while to understand too. The most common mistake made in Razz is misreading hands. In Razz you must read your hand from back to front which is contrary to the other forms of poker and not very natural to those that have never played the game. The most common form of Razz is 2-7 Lowball. The bottom line is that you are attempting to make the worst hand possible. No pairs, flushes, straights or anything of that nature.
7 Card Stud
Stud is a more popular game on the East Coast than anywhere else. The game is pretty much dead tournament wise but still a great game to play and can still be found in poker rooms spread as a cash game. Many of us grew up on some variant of stud playing five card draw or whatever the game of choice was at the time. Stud requires an understanding of your opponent more so than your own hand as your ability to put them on a hand is extremely important. Stud has several variations from Limit to Pot Limit and the like. It is an easy game to learn as there are no community cards as in no limit Hold’em but you do get 2 hole cards and 1 door card which is dealt face up.
Stud 8 OB
Stud eight or better is a variation of the same 7 cards stud game. As with any split pot game it can be a little frustrating to win a pot and then realize that you are only going to see half of it. However, a good 8OB player understands this as the nature of the game and is prepared to continue grinding it out towards the goal at hand. You will rarely see this form of poker in tournament format but it does happen from time to time. Again, stud is more of a East Coast game. So don’t expect it to be spread in your local card room if you are not in that area.
The Benefits
We just talked about all of the games aside from Hold’em that poker players play on a regular basis. The idea in presenting these games and urging that you learn them is to make you a well rounded poker player. By becoming a well rounded player you open your mind to new possibilities and thinking. That in turn allows you to be even more creative as your continue growing as a No Limit player. As much as we all enjoy the thrill of playing No Limit we can improve our game considerably by learning other forms of poker and thus different ways of thinking through a hand or scenario that No Limit does not present. So don’t be afraid to jump in and give another game a shot. It is well worth your time and effort to do so.