PokerStars 8-Game Mix is played with six players, with the game changing every six hands (or every level in a tournament). The first six hands are Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, with Limit Hold’em next, and so on. When the last hand of Pot Limit Omaha is complete, the rotation goes back to Limit 2. In this week’s article on 8-Game strategy, we cover a game that is probably the most misunderstood among the 8-game mix and that is Stud 8 or Better. It is played exactly like regular Stud except for the fact that there is a split pot when a qualifying low exists. Out of all the games in 8-Game, this tends to be the one players make the most mistakes with.

1. 8 Game Poker Pkv
2. 8 Game Poker Regeln
3. 8 Game Poker Rules

The action is getting tougher in no-limit hold'em. The 'dead money' or easy pickings are largely leaving the game as they get pounded by those of you who play better than they do. Pot-limit Omaha is gaining in popularity, of course, but many grinders are reluctant to take on PLO because of all of the swings. What is a competitive poker player to do?

The bigger rooms often spread 'rotation games,' also known as mixed games. Sometimes the games are limited to just switching back and forth between NLHE and PLO. But increasingly other variants are added in as well, including seven-card stud, seven-card stud hi-lo, razz, Omaha hi-lo, fixed-limit hold'em, and 2-7 triple draw — that is, games that along with NLHE and PLO comprise the '8-game mix.' Badugi and other less common variants like Super-Razzdugi also sometimes turn up as well.

Must you be an expert in every game offered in the rotation for you to have a sufficient edge to make money? Fortunately, for now at least, the answer is no. But having even a small advantage in these games can be especially profitable.

Here are eight tips for gaining an edge in these other 'rotation games,' even if you're not an expert at every one of them.

1. For all of the games, learn at least the basic strategy on every street.

You don't have to become an expert. But you do need to learn at least the basic strategy of each game. There's plenty of material available, including right here on PokerNews. Do a Google search, read up, and at least become aware of the broad guidelines for profitable play on every street of play for every game.

2. Take notes on what you learn about each game, and regularly add to those notes from your own experience as you learn more.

It's not enough to just read through something once or watch a couple of training videos. You need to study up on these games in a serious and systematic way.

This is no substitute for playing the game, of course — you want to do that, too. But you want at least to master the basic instruction that you will give yourself. Doing this requires at least some note-taking and review to make sure you retain and build on what you learn.

3. Know your relative strengths and weaknesses in each game.

You will come to mixed games with certain strengths and weaknesses. What's important is where you stack up against your opponents. Don't assume that because you fancy yourself really good at limit hold'em that this means you can dominate other players whenever the LHE placard gets turned up. Other players may, in fact, be better than you at this game.

Similarly, even if you're not yet an expert at Badugi, if you're the only player who understands even basic strategy, you'll certainly have an edge against opponents who are entirely clueless.

4. Be willing to avoid confrontations with better opponents.

Poker players often have big egos. They like to embrace the adage 'Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit.' This is a terrible slogan for a successful poker player. Be willing to quit when you are behind and avoid confrontations when you view yourself as less skilled than your opponent.

If there's a game where you know you're at a disadvantage, be more selective than you tend to be in your best game. Similarly, take whatever breaks you need during your worst games relative to your opponents. There's no award for valiantly losing against a better player.

5. Be aware of your image in each game.

It's important to recognize how others view you in the particular game that is being dealt. If you're viewed as the expert, they may be less likely to call you, eager to concede to you in a game that is not their best. On the other hand, if they view themselves as dominant in a certain game, they may think they can bully you out of a pot with aggression.

Factor this changing image from game to game into your decisions about whether and how to play.

6. Don't assume you'll be a winner at your best game.

You are not destined to win just because you are the best player in a certain variant.

Though you should generally be willing to enter more pots initially in a game where your skills dominate others, do not take this to an extreme. The cards are still the cards. Your hand is still your hand. One of your skills in your best game should be knowing when you are clearly dominated, and maintaining the self-control to make skillful folds.

7. Resist 'Fancy Play Syndrome' in your best game.

It's tempting to get really clever in the game in which you think you are best, using the occasion to show off your skills. If you are indeed possessed of superior skills, acknowledge that less-skilled opponents may not be clever enough to be fooled by your brilliant plays, and rely on solid poker more than trickery.

8. Keep careful track of what game you're playing.

That seems so obvious as to be unnecessary to state. But I've seen expert players err in this regard.

To avoid this mistake, before every single hand confirm the game you're in by looking at the placard and saying it to yourself. It takes no more than a second or two, and doing so could save your stack.

Ashley Adams has been playing poker for 50 years and writing about it since 2000. He is the author of hundreds of poker articles as well as Winning 7-Card Stud and the brand new Winning Poker in 30 Minutes A Day. He is also the host of poker radio show House of Cards. See www.houseofcardsradio.com for broadcast times, stations, and podcasts.

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Updated In February, 2021 - The mixed game poker phenomenon is taking over the world. First it was HORSE, then HOSE, then HA… You’ll find some pretty crazy mixed game formats available both online and live nowadays. Although the games are already pretty wild, Pokerstars has gone ahead and upped the ante when it comes to mixed-game craziness; They now spread something called “8 game (THORSEHA) poker” across all limits.

Say it 10 times fast: THORSEHA… THORSEHA… THORSEHA… Bet you can’t. It’s a crazy name- a crazy name for a crazy game. Most people see 8 game poker as complete and total chaos. I’d tend to agree, if you look at it as being made up of 8 individual games. That’s why if you want to master 8 game poker, you should learn to look at the games not individually, but in “blocks” of similar poker variants. Mastering one single block in 8 game poker will give you the edge you need to crush your opponents.

Grouping the games into blocks of similar variants will allow you to truly become an expert at a particular form of poker. This will give you a huge edge over 8 game poker players trying to master all 8. You’ve probably heard the saying: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” It’s true, and in poker, you don’t win money by using a mediocre strategy. You’ve got to hone in on the form of poker you think you can dominate, and exploit your opponents weaknesses in that particular form.

Trying to master all 8 games will just drive you nuts. Even the top pros would agree that it just isn’t possible to dominate all of them. It’s best to divide the forms of poker into the blocks I’ve been talking about, and master your favorite. Here are the blocks of 8 game poker variants.

8 Game Poker Pkv

8 Game Poker Blocks: Stud

The Stud variants in 8 game poker are 7 Card Stud (Hi), Razz, and Stud Hi-Lo. They’re all slight variations of the exact same game. The only difference lies in the type of 5-card poker hand you’re aiming to make to win pots; high, low, or either. If you know how to play solid Stud, you can apply your knowledge to every single variation of the game. Adjusting your strategy to the different forms is easy.

Mastery of the Stud block will give you a huge advantage over most 8 game players, especially online. Frankly, most online players suck at Stud. Think about it- the majority of online players were attracted to the game by Holdem tournaments on television. Holdem is by far the most popular game online. Online players simply don’t bother with learning to play Stud poker properly.

Once you master the Stud block, you’ve got to apply your skills to 8 game poker in two ways: First, you must play technically solid Stud, and second, you must focus on exploiting your opponent’s poor Stud strategy as much as possible. If you run into a player who plays weak starting hands, exploit him by ramping up your 3rd street aggression. If you run into a player who plays weak lows in Razz, you’ve got to let him know who’s boss by showing up with the best hand.

Becoming a master of the Stud block means you’re going to have to play cautiously in the Holdem and Draw games. Obviously you want to still play a technically sound game in both variants, but there’s no need to try and get tricky. Let the other donks take care of that- your sole purpose in 8 game poker should be to truly dominate the Stud variants. That’s your moneymaker.

8 Game Poker Blocks: Holdem

8 Game Poker Regeln

The Holdem variants in 8 game poker are Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Pot Limit Omaha Hi, Limit Holdem, and No Limit Holdem. Yes, Omaha is a variant of Holdem, and both are included in this block for a very good reason: dominating both gives you an advantage not only against Stud and Draw players, but against Holdem or Omaha specialists as well.

Most players sitting down for a round of 8 game poker will have exactly one strong game. No more, no less. The Holdem players will be good at Holdem. They will think they’re good at Omaha, but in reality, they’ll be pretty bad. It’s the same idea with the Omaha specialists- they’ll think they’re Holdem experts, but in reality, they will suck at Holdem.

Focusing on dominating both forms of poker will give you a huge edge against many players at the table. You can crush Stud experts, Draw experts, and depending on a player’s specialty, Omaha and Holdem experts as well. It’s true that both Holdem and Omaha are based on the same game structure, but there are subtle strategic differences between the two games. Most specialists in Holdem ignore the intricacies of Omaha, and most Omaha specialists ignore the intricacies of Holdem. Learning the nuances of both Holdem and Omaha will allow you to absolutely crush the majority of players at your 8 game table.

8 Game Holdem Blocks: 2-7 Triple Draw

Standing all by its lonesome, without any similar variants to group with, is Limit 2-7 Triple Draw. It’s almost not even worth the effort to master 2-7, unless you’ve already mastered another block of games. 2-7 Draw makes up 1/8th of the games in 8 game poker. Think about it- 1/8th of your time in an 8 game poker match will be spent playing 2-7 draw. Can you make enough profit in such a short span of time? Wouldn’t you rather dominate a block that sees more significant table time?

8 Game Poker Rules

You should learn how to play a solid 2-7 Triple Draw game, but unless you’ve already mastered either the Holdem block or the Stud block, you shouldn’t spend too much time on it. Being able to dominate a larger group of games is more important than being a specialist at only one.