Mixed poker games are all the rage these days as players look for more ways to add variety to their poker experience and to increase their skills at the various games. With this in mind however, some of the various names and acronyms for the games can be quite confusing. We have created a guide that should help you keep all of the different games straight. This guide contains a list of every mixed poker game played online. New mixed games seem to be popping up quite often these days (e.g. 8-game mix). Once you learn what the letters in the name of a mixed game means its pretty easy to connect the dots with other mixed games.
HORSE Poker
The most popular of the mixed game formats; HORSE poker is a combination of Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi Lo, Razz Poker, Seven Card stud and Seven Card stud Hi Lo. In most popular ring game situations the games change each time the button has done a complete rotation on the table. We have a full list of HORSE articles ranging from low stakes strategies to high stakes as well as tournament strategies. H.O.R.S.E is available at Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. Ring game traffic and tournament action is the best at Pokerstars but Full Tilt isn't very far behind. Full Tilt offers much better bonuses and promotions plus I like the software better. Absolute Poker may be a distant third but they have a lot to offer as well including more 6-7 reload bonuses a month and the best loyalty program in the industry. We offer exclusive bonuses at all three rooms to players that enter our special bonus codes. Read the reviews for more information.
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8 Game Mixed
Eight game mixed poker is basically a combination of every popular form of poker available today! This is a new mixed poker game offered by Pokerstars. It has been less than a year since it was first offered and it has grown into the #2-3 most played mixed poker variant. Pokerstars host huge 8-game poker tournaments including a $5,000 GTD every Sunday. 8-Game Mix is the toughest mixed game to master, or even play for that matter, in the world. The one game that really stands out is 27 Triple Draw. Not too many people know how to play it and not many of those who do know how to play it properly. It has an extensive history at the WSOP but is only offered at one other poker room. The blinds in the no limit and pot limit games are adjusted to make sure the games remain consistent. The games that are in 8-game poker can be found below.
T - Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
H- Limit Hold’em
O - Limit Omaha Eight or Better (Hi/Lo)
R - Razz
S - Limit Seven Card Stud
E - Limit Stud Eight or Better (Hi/Lo)
H - No Limit Hold’em
A - Pot Limit Omaha
H.E.R.O.S Poker
H.E.R.O.S Poker is a newer mixed poker game offered only at Full Tilt. This is just a slight variation from HORSE. Maybe players prefer HEROS over HORSE because the two stud games are separated. This originally was only available at Full Tilt's numerous and busy high stakes mixed game tables. At the small to medium stakes level players will mostly be playing HORSE but at all the $2,000/$4,000 tables have been switched to HEROS.
HA Poker
This is a mixed game format combining the games of pot limit Texas Hold’em and pot limit Omaha hi. Note the in HA poker most of the games have a capped pot limit. HA poker is one of the most commonly played mixed poker games. HORSE is obviously #1 but between HA poker and Pokerstars's 8-game mix its a tough call. You won't have any trouble finding active HA poker tables or tournaments at Full Tilt. HA poker sit and go's are also quite common. On May 13th, 2009 Full Tilt is going to host the largest H.A. poker tournament in history. There will be a $200,000 prize pool and it will be hosted by professional player Johan Storakers.
HOSE Poker
HOSE poker brings together Hold’em, Omaha Hi Lo, Seven Card stud and Seven Cardstud Hi Lo into one unique format. It is similar to HORSE in all respects except for the omission of razz. H.O.S.E has lost a lot of its luster for some reason so its not very common online or offline these days. Its still offered at plenty of rooms but players tend to play other mixed poker games. I believe that since Razz has become a main stream poker game H.O.S.E has become obsolete since it was created by HORSE players that didn't like razz in the rotation. You can play it at all 3 of the big mixed game rooms. Full Tilt offers a $5,000 GTD H.O.S.E tournament every Friday.
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Holdem Mixed
In Hold’em Mixed the games rotate between limit Hold’em and no limit Hold’em. The blinds are adjusted when the game goes to no limit to make sure that the two levels are consistent with the bankrolls the players bring to the table. Holdem Mixed seems to be popular as a tournament game than a cash game. Every Sunday Pokerstars hosts a $10,000 guaranteed Holdem Mixed tournament and a full lineup of regular HM MTT's.
Omaha Hi Lo Mixed
Omaha Hi-Lo Mixed is a mixed game that alternates between limit and pot limit Omaha Hi Lo. This is a very challenging game for most people. Winning strategy is just so much different between the fixed and pot limit formats. Omaha Hi-Lo Mixed hasn't received the amount of popularity Holdem Mixed has. there are currently no scheduled tournaments running for this game at Pokerstars.
HO Poker
H.O. poker is a simple mixed game variation where the game switches between limit Texas Hold’em and limit Omaha Hi Lo. It is available at Full Tilt Poker but in all honestly its not very popular. You might find 1 or 2 active tables at any given time. Full Tilt does not offer any HO poker tournaments.
HOE Poker
H.O.E poker is a great mixed game that switches between limit Texas Hold’em and limit Omaha Hi Lo and 7 card stud eight or better. Its a mix of the 3 major poker games. H.O.E is slightly more common at Full Tilt than the H.O. variation but overall its not as popular as it used to be.
OE Poker
O.E poker is a one of the easier mixed game variations to figure out. OE poker is a combination of Omaha Hi-Lo and 7 card Stud Hi-Lo. This game is played in fixed limit an is only available at Full Tilt Poker. You won't find much action at the tables. I just checked and it looks like Full Tilt only offers one OE tournament a day.
Mixed Poker games - Looking Forward
I believe mixed poker games will continue to grow in popularity in the comming years. More online poker rooms will add them to their game line-ups and will likely invent new mixed games to attract more players. Five years ago the only poker games that were common at poker rooms were Holdem, Omaha and Stud. The game selection has been growing steadily and I expect it to keep growing. Most players had never heard of games like 27 Triple Draw, Razz or Badugi until they say it offered at an online poker room. I'm sure in the next few years even more game will be added and that will inturn create new mixed poker games.