A thread to talk about poker

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Ah.  Fatal flaw.

[Father Demon]

So, H.O.R.S.E. is all the rage now, getting the acolades from the pros, and the press is eating it up.  Has anyone played it yet?  I'm probably hosting a tourney for it in a couple weeks, because I'm so cutting edge.

For the less informed:

So, what does H.O.R.S.E. stand for?

Hold'em
Omaha
Razz
Seven Card Stud
Seven Card Stud, Eight or better.

How are HORSE tournaments played?  What are the rules?

Player's buyin to the tournament in the usual way, and the game begins as Hold'em.  At set intervals, the game changes to the next poker variation.  The intervals can be done each time the blinds increase, with each rotation of the dealer chip, or something entirely different.  The timing is completely up to the tournament director who creates the rules.  The game continues to change throughout the tournament, following the progressions until we are left with one man standing...or sitting...with all the chips and wads of cash in front of him.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Rotating games in tournament format?

Meh.  I guess it's supposed to be a better test of overall poker skills or something, but it seems kind of stupid to me.

[Father Demon]

The big thing with the pros is that it will keep the nobodies from winning all the TNLHE tourneys on ESPN.  I imagine if I was one of the best in the world, but the only thing that mattered was a bracelet that can only be won in a single game once a year, and it was won by losers like rjs, I'd be pissed too.

A couple of the pros are already spouting how this will be the game that means the most, considering a) the $50,000 buy-in, and the fact that a nobody has less chance to dominate 5 separate games.  But it really sounds like whining to me.

[rjs246]

I think its kind of brilliant. So few people really understand all five of those forms of poker (the chapter on 7-card hi-lo in Supersystem is some of the most confusing crap I've ever read, in spite of the assertion by Sklansky and several other professionals that hi-lo is the easiest game on earth to make money at). I think this is a pretty fascinating way to see who the best all-around poker players are.

[Wingspan]

sounds stupid to me.

even poker pros are whiney now? jeez.

this is basically a really expensive dealers choice game.

btw...i placed 4th in an online tourny monday night with 1000 entrants ($2 buy in, with re-buys and ad ons for 30 minutes, which i only did the add on) and won $600

biggest online payout for me personally.

[reese125]

 but now the problem lies that you will constantly play now until you can hit that $600 again because you proved you can get there, but you most likely lose alot more in the process

I think evrybody gets a nice taste or more of that kind of green, when you play long enough. If you cant see the person in front of you and their playing style, your not playing real poker. Its majority luck on those sites

[Wingspan]

but now the problem lies that you will constantly play now until you can hit that $600 again because you proved you can get there, but you most likely lose alot more in the process

I think evrybody gets a nice taste or more of that kind of green, when you play long enough. If you cant see the person in front of you and their playing style, your not playing real poker. Its majority luck on those sites

not really, playing poker on like is one of the easiest ways to steal money from idiots.

this was a 1000 person tourny with a $2 entry. i would have to play the same tourny 300 times to lose it all the same way.

agreed that online and in person are two entirely different games. but online is a different skill. and over the last year on line i know i have won more than lost by a considerable 80/20 split. the same cant be said for me in person.

online poker is not all luck. it's easy to pick out the idiots within 5 hands of any tournament style table. online ring games are as close as you can get to real live poker.

i guarantee you that i will win $600 more before I lose $600 (not at one shot mind you, these grand tourneys take a long time) while playing online, since i have not deposited into my online account since february, and i have played at least 2 small (10 person) tourny's a week.  i have constantly withdrawn every few weeks, leaving some in there for more buy ins.

[ice grillin you]

what site do you play on

[Wingspan]

pokerroom.com

[ice grillin you]

those $2 games sound nice...do they offer them all the time?

[Wingspan]

they have about a dozen, maybe more price points. they have freerolls with payout, Lucky $1 ($1 entry, but it's 2500 people and it's not worth it unless you really have nothing to do for a while)

i normally play the $5.00+.50 10 person table, or the $10+1 table.

[reese125]

those same "idiots" are the ones that stay when  they have junk, and are nothing but river rats who wind up taking your money because another flush came on the river. same old story with majority of the websites.

when I see an Ace and King  come out on the flop 95+ percent of the time...we have a problem. Not to mention a flush hovering around 85+ percent. Please dont tell me its the website too because Ive seen em all. They all collect off whats calles the rake--when everyone stays with that ace low kicker and keep tossing in dollars--the sites collect.

Keep telling yourself you'll win more...god bless ya and i wish ya luck

[Wingspan]

playing tourny poker online is simple. and playing online is really not that much different than playing in person. people just forget once then get on line. granted you can see a physical tell, but you can read a player.

1) never do more than call when you are way out of position.

2) fold 90% of the hands you think may amount to something. so many people online get a K-6 and start raising it 4 hands into the tourney. they may get luck and draw K-K on the flop, or even 2 pair. However, 9 times out of 10 your K-6 is shtein, and will stay that way, especially when there are 9 other people sitting with you. these people that orgasm over the 1st face card they see will lose eventually.

3) again...fold, fold, fold. the only exception to the K-6 rule is if you are the small or big blind, and there has yet to be a raise. check, or call the big blind, and then hope to catch something. that's it, no other exceptions.

4.1) agressive play. on the 10% or less of the hands you do play. bet big. do NOT minimum raise it, EVER. it's a weak Hoyda move. match the pot, or double the blind. the exeption is when you want to trap or slow play. last night, i was dealt K-K on the button, i called the blinds. thats it. K-10-3 came up, someone hit the pair of tens, i KNEW i had that won. i never raised, i let mr 10's eventually push his chips all in. with me nothing but calling him. i won, easily.

4.2) going all in is actually a sign of weakness in online play about 75% of the time on a table more than half full. never push all in off the deal. it's always a coin flip. when you bet big, make it big enough to get your opponent to think about it without going all in.

5) if 2 people are already "all in", fold. i don't care what you have. the lone exception is if you have a 4:1 chip lead on both players.

6) it's very easy to bluff online, if you follow the "fold, fold, fold, fold" way of playing. simply by folding so much, everyone else will assume you have a strong hand when you do play all the time. if you play 90% of your hands, you can not bluff.

7) patience.

[Wingspan]

those same "idiots" are the ones that stay when  they have junk, and are nothing but river rats who wind up taking your money because another flush came on the river. same old story with majority of the websites.

when I see an Ace and King  come out on the flop 95+ percent of the time...we have a problem. Not to mention a flush hovering around 85+ percent. Please dont tell me its the website too because Ive seen em all. They all collect off whats calles the rake--when everyone stays with that ace low kicker and keep tossing in dollars--the sites collect.

Keep telling yourself you'll win more...god bless ya and i wish ya luck

i don't play the ring games because of the constant rake. tournament is the only way to go online.