How to Play Horse in Basketball

Basketball is a game of artistry and creativity. Nothing epitomizes this more than the game of Horse. At its core it is a game of one upmanship, where difficult and sometime next to impossible shots are used to eliminate the competition from play.

Things You'll Need

• Basketball
• Hoop

Instructions

1. Establish the rules beforehand and stick to them. Horse has many variations on the base game. Some give exception shots so that people can get back in the game when they lose. Sometimes physical limits are imposed; for example, eliminating the dunk because not all players can complete that maneuver.

2. Create an order for the players. This can be done by alphabetical order or by shooting for the order of play.

3. Call the shot. The player shooting must verbally call out what shot they are going to take before the shot. The exception is if the shooter is not going to use any props or make any special moves.

4. Shoot the first shot. The first player takes a shot within the established rules. If the shot is made, the next player has to make the same shot or they are assigned the letter H.

5. Shoot the next shot. If the second player makes the same exact shot then it falls to the next player and so on until the original shooter is up to shoot. At that point the original shooter takes another shot.

6. Reslot the order. If a person shooting first misses then they proceed to the back and the player next in line becomes the leader and gets to decide on the shot taken. If that person misses, then control proceeds down the line until it returns back to the original shooter.

7. Assign the letters. As each shooter misses he earns the next letter in the word Horse. When a player reaches H-O-R-S-E she is out. As mentioned earlier, some players of the game allow a bonus shot or two that, if made, allow the shooter to stay in the game and eliminate a letter. This is continued until there is only one player left. That player is the winner.