[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I think that NL Hold'em is the one game where skill heavily outweighs the luck, and it's not even part of the HORSE until the final table.

That was only in last year's WSOP, and IMO was stupid.

The different games vary in complexity. In the play of your starting cards, Hold'em (NL, PL or limit) is a much simpler game than stud because you only get two cards, they are hidden and specific hand rankings based upon position can be assigned. The simple fact that in flop games position remains relatively constant makes that aspect stategically simpler.

Now, big bet poker gets more complex because bet sizing adds another strategic variable, but along with that you get more information from which to read your opponent as well.

Stud games also have an extra betting round, and hand values can change from round to round much more than in flop games. The extra betting round creates bigger pots relative to bet size and thus often makes chasing correct *if* you read you opponents correctly.

Which brings us around to the real reason HORSE is the ultimate test of poker skill even if it does not contain any big bet games. The most important skill in poker (and the hardest to learn) is hand reading, and since different actions can mean radically different things in the 5 HORSE games, the ability to utilize that skill is the key element to success in HORSE.