People often like to argue about which poker game proves to be the best measure of how good a player really is. Some say that it has to be No-Limit Hold’em because it’s the most populated game and only the greatest players can come out on top here. Others argue that Pot-Limit Hold’em is the only true measure of a great player because it combines the elements of both Limit and No-Limit Hold’em into one game where players from both games meet.
However, it’s hard to say that H.O.R.S.E. wouldn’t figure into the equation somewhere since it combines several games into one. Texas Hold’em, Omaha HiLo, RAZZ, 7 Card Stud, and 7 Card Stud HiLo are all a part of H.O.R.S.E. which means that players have to be a master of several disciplines in order to come out on top.
Many of the best pros in the world consider H.O.R.S.E. to be the true measure of skill, and that’s why you’ll commonly see many of the world’s top professionals in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament. Sure the high buy-in keeps some players out, but the fact that you have to be a master of several games is also a scary consideration for those who don’t want to have their weaknesses exposed.
Even those who play in the regular, low buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tourneys find the game to be extremely challenging and something where one can lose a ton of money if they’re not prepared. I’ve tried H.O.R.S.E. before in the past and also find it to be really tough since it feels like I’m learning all of the time on games which I don’t play very often. In my opinion, I’d have to consider H.O.R.S.E. to be the toughest game and the best measure of anyone’s poker skill.