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Texas Hold 'Em is a fine game, but more and more the folks at ESPN are starting to showcase different kinds of games, and it's making the mass population realize there is more to poker than just Hold 'em.
About time.
My particular favorite to watch (over and over again, thanks to the network's ad nauseum airing of the thing) is the H.O.R.S.E. tournament, which was a $50,000 buy-in that rotated through each of five poker games. You have to be good at each game to do well.
The H is, of course, for Hold 'Em. Everyone is familiar with that game. I bet that most of you in your home games play Hold 'Em: two cards down, five community cards face up and the best five-card hand wins.
The O is for Omaha. This game is similar to Hold 'Em save for the number of cards you get to start things off. Players are each dealt four down cards, instead of two. There are again five community cards turned over, but the catch is, you can only use two of the cards in your hand to make the best five-card hand.
The R is for Razz, a variation on Seven-Card Stud. In Razz, though, your best hand is the lowest hand. The best hand in Razz, for example, is A-2-3-4-5. Flushes and straights have no standing. A players starts with two down cards and one face-up, like in 7-card stud. There is betting after each subsequent face-up card is turned, and finally, after the final down card.
The S stands for a more traditional take on Seven-Card Stud. The rules are the same as above, but you are looking for the highest hand in the more traditional sense. An aces-full-of-twos full house, for example, would win over a A-2-3-4-5 straight.
The E is a bit more contrived, standing for Seven-Card Stud, eight or better. This means it's a high-low game, and a chance to have a split pot. The person with the best high hand wins, and if there is a low hand possible, with the highest card in that hand eight or lower, the low hand will split the pot with the high hand. This is the most demanding of the games, and requires the most concentration.
So if you're looking to spice up your home game a bit, try any or all of these games in rotation.
Variety is, after all, the spice of life.
One-Eyed Jack is the Sun Journal's resident poker junkie. If you have burning questions for him, e-mail him at pokerjunkie@sunjournal.com. This column is for entertainment purposes only. It is not to be relied on for advice on how to win at poker, nor as a recommendation that the reader should gamble.
Source: Sunjournal.com