My brother and I occasionally host a 10nl cash game at my parents house. Those who play, including myself, are 23, in school, and broke (reason for it being 10nl). In b4 LOL 10nl?

Anyways, there's always been talk about setting up a HORSE game, but we've never had one. My question is how to set up a HORSE game that's equivalent to a 10nl cash game. What should the ante be? What should the bring in be? etc.

If not worthy of a thread, mods please delete this.

Thanks all!

Skip individual antes and have the button post an button ante (move the button in all games especially if it is self-dealt). [i.e. If you play 0.05/0.10 Horse and have say 8 players, have the button post a 0.10 ante or something close to the big limit] It will save you the headache of figuring out who didn't post and/or pestering someone for an ante.

Bring in is usually half the little limit so if playing 0.05/0.10, then make the bring 0.02.

Have a method to keep track of which game you are on, using a die is easy or get a small box of some kind and paste/write labels of each game on the sides.

That sounds perfect. Thanks a lot

Keep track of the button for hold em games. While the deal rotates the button should stay with the hold em games. No advantage for stud games.

Folks have covered how to manage the game pretty well, but I don't see stakes addressed. Upfront, I'm going to assume that by "10NL" you mean $0.05/$0.10 NLHE with a $10 maximum buy-in. I know online poker got people used to thinking of games as 10NL, 25NL, etc. (It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine.) However, the blinds are a more important indicator of the stakes than the max buy-in.

For a fixed-limit HORSE game that's comparable to $0.05/$0.10 NLHE, I'd go with $0.20/$0.40 or $0.25/$0.50. The first option is probably a closer match, but $0.25/$0.50 offers the psychological satisfaction of working with increments of quarters (I like that, anyway). In either case, $10 is a solid buy-in that'll allow for plenty of play. You don't actually need a max buy-in for fixed-limit poker, though.

In either case, you'll need a small number of $0.05 as your tiny denomination for small blinds and bring-ins, ideally mountains of $0.20 or $0.25 chips as your workhorse, and $1 for consolidating.

Big K has it right that you should go with a button ante for the stud games. At a full table of 5 to 8 players, one big bet is good. If it gets 4-handed or shorter, you can cut the button ante to one small bet, though one big bet would still be okay too.

A bring-in of half the lower limit should be good, though it's not unheard-of to go smaller than half the lower limit (say, $0.05 in either case). Just note that, as a general rule, the less forced money you have going into the pot, the more the structure favors tighter players (the same goes for a $0.10 small blind in $0.25/$0.50 limit flop games, albeit slightly). It's something you seldom have to consider in hold'em, especially NLHE, but can be pretty critical in stud. The difference between one big bet and one small bet for the button ante can alter proper strategy pretty dramatically.

TLDR: Go with $0.20/$0.40 or $0.25/$0.50 limits, button ante of $0.40 or $0.50 respectively, and a $0.05 or $0.10 bring-in for either limit. But do read the post, as the details you pick can have a big impact on action and strategy in the stud games in particular.

Last time I hosted a HORSE game it was over 7 years ago... a couple of guys wanted to play and so we gave it a whirl...

We were used to playing .25-.50 spread limit and no-limit.
The chip set has a lot more $1 than 0.25, but it worked out.
I did use NCV chips for $0.05.
Should have gone with dealer ante... would consider rounding vs just having dealer post exact
We played an orbit of each, it can be done on a timed basis (remember where the BTN is for flop games).
My cheat sheet is below...

H.O.R.S.E
Cash game cheat sheet
All games are limit. 25 - 50

Hold ‘em
Omaha HL (Eight or better)
 SB – 10, BB – 25
 Bets are 25 on the pre-flop and flop
 Bets are 50 on the turn and river
 Qualified low for Omaha H/L

Razz (low)
Stud (7 card)
Eight or better (Stud H/L)
 Ante 5 + Bring in 10 (worst card forced bet)
 3rd street bets – call 10, complete to 25, raise 25
 4th street bets are 25
- Open pair, any player may bet 50
 5th and beyond are 50