HORSE on Stars: Hold'em Unusually Weak?

[AlanBostick]

I've moved some money onto Stars and have plunged into low-limit HORSE. Man alive, it's like the Bike in 1987!


I've noticed something interesting: that I'm making more money than I would expect during the hold'em rounds. People are easily pushed around, and I'm taking down way more pots on sheer gumption than I think I "should" be taking. The other rounds are wonderful too, but hold'em is the one game I would expect people to know how to play at least a little bit.

I wonder why? Is HORSE attracting stud players who aren't any good at hold'em? Is HORSE where the bad hold'em players are taking shelter from the TAGs and donks who steal the blinds from each other and dribble their winnings down the slot in the form of rake? Has my hold'em game gotten better while my back was turned? Or is one day's results simply not a large enough sample simply not enough from which to draw conclusions?

Has anyone else noticed this?

[DeathDonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
Is HORSE attracting stud players who aren't any good at hold'em?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's this one fwiw. I have noticed the same thing.

-DeathDonkey

[goofball]

I found those games to be pretty nitty.

[wheatrich]

for me it's been holdem guys who cap top pair any kicker and then catching against my overpair/two pair or making the dumbest calls I've ever seen in a holdem game and still winning. Man I hate limit.

[Aces McGee]

I've played a little of the Stars 1/2 HORSE the last couple nights, trying to get comfortable playing Omaha, Razz, and the Stud games (I haven't played much of any of those games and am -- as anyone who has been fortunate enough to have me that their table can attest -- pretty terrible at them).

I've found the hold 'em rounds to be extremely tight, as well as a bit weak. The tightness surprises me, too, because all the other games are incredibly loose. So at the minimum level, at least, I don't think it's that stud players are switching over -- there's a lot of terrible play on the stud rounds, too (and not all of it by me!)

My hunch, at 1/2, anyway, was that it was a lot of players who have something of a clue when it comes to hold 'em, but who have no idea how to play one or more of the other games, and are trying to learn them, or are playing HORSE just for some variation. That would explain the discrepancy in why the hold em rounds are tight and the other rounds are much looser preflop/on third street.

-McGee

[Bill King]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Is HORSE attracting stud players who aren't any good at hold'em?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's this one fwiw. I have noticed the same thing.

-DeathDonkey

[/ QUOTE ]

its basically a bunch of players who are moderate at best at a few of the games, some who are good at one maybe two.. but nobody who really plays them all well..

you can always find a weak spot at the table no matter who you're playing at the 10/20 and lower levels as of right now.

even in the higher games when they spread.

and no, i dont think they'll get tougher any time soon just because of how many games the rotation has (advantage) and the mere fact that it takes hours and hours to practice even one of them, not to mention taking time out of playing the game they're good at!

[Pokerlicious]

I've noticed the same thing re LHE at 10-20. I was wondering if it may have something to do with the fact that more people now play NLHE than LHE. Also, because the table is 8-handed and there's usually one or two open seats or people sitting out or people waiting to their blind, you get a fair number of shorthanded hands and my guess is again a lot of people have not played much short LHE.

[john kane]

i just 4 tabled 2-4 horse and didnt find it that weak. my problem i think was i was 4 tabling so didnt really notice any bad players except vs me, and also i was learning stud, stud h/l and razz (all ive played quite a lot but wouldnt say i was a world beater)

i had the feeling most were solid players though, no real bad plays, just people making pretty solid decisions bar a few.

still came down to the cards rather than it being an atm.

[SteelWheel]

This is the key issue, as far as I can see. 8-handed vs 9-handed, plus players sitting out/waiting to post blinds makes a big difference. Also, you occasionally see players opting to post blinds in the flop games, so as to get in action immediately. This creates "bonus" pots where it becomes correct to attempt more blind steals, especially against your more ignorant opponents. Some of my larger profits in HORSE on 'Stars have also (somewhat surprisingly) come from the holdem round, and I believe this is the reason.

I've observed a similar situation at those loose LHE games in LA. The nine-handed table (vs 10 in most other places), plus those funny rules about blind posting PLUS a couple of players away from the table, means that a loose rammer jammer style (seemingly emulating that of some of your opponents) is probably a correct style--given those exact game conditions.