I wanted to give you guys an update on the latest mixed poker game news. First off, H.O.R.S.E poker is no longer the #1 mixed poker variant played online. It is still quite popular and receives plenty of traffic but two new up and comers have stolen many of the loyal HORSE players. Each of these new games was developed at competing poker rooms. The first to come out was 8-Game Mix, which is exclusively available at Poker Stars. Since it first became available it has been a blockbuster and due to the skill level it takes to play it proficiently it is one of the softest (easiest to win money at) poker games in the history of online poker. The other game which is still only a few months old is 7-Game Mix, also known as 7 Game Poker. Full Tilt Poker came out with this popular game in answer to Polestars’ 8-Game Mix and has been very successful.
8 Game Mix Poker
8 Game Poker includes 7 separate poker games and all three betting formats (FL, PL, and NL). A round starts with 6 hands of fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, 8-Game Poker’s “ugly duckling” game. Then comes 6 hands (every game is played for 6 hands/rotation) of FL Hold’em, FL Omaha HL, Razz, Stud, Stud HL, NL Hold’em and pot limit Omaha. The beauty of this game is it’s softness. H.O.R.S.E poker players that have limited pot and no limit experience are getting dominated during the PLO and NLH rotations. They don’t really have much of a choice though as the “fish” they used to feed on at the HORSE tables have fled to the 8 Game Poker tables. When the herd moves on the wise hunter follows, but sometimes the hunter becomes the hunted which is clearly the case for many mixed game players at the 8 Game tables.
7 Game Mix Poker
7-Game Mix poker is a somewhat easier game to master since it does not include 27 Triple Draw, a game most players have never even heard of. Apart from that the only other difference is:
- Each game is played for 10 hands
- The rotation is different, 8-Game Mix = THORSEHA and 7-Game Mix = HEROSHA
8 Game Poker Vs 7 Game Poker
It is hard to say which mixed game I enjoy more. I guess I would choose 8-Game because I have learned how to play 2-7 Triple Draw quite well, giving me an advantage, and Pokerstars seems to have many more “fish” at the tables compared to Pokerstars.
