Full Tilt launched a new update today and with it, among other things, a new format called Rush Poker.
Basically Rush Poker is poker for people with ADD. A hand of Rush Poker plays just like Texas Hold'em, however, as soon as you fold you're immediately moved to another table where another hand is being dealt.
There is no waiting between hands. As soon as you fold, the hand is over for you and you're on to a new hand at a new table with new opponents. You may be UTG one hand and the button the very next. It's completely random.
Your position changes, your opponents change, and your hand changes, instantly, every single time you fold. It's non-stop action.
How does it work?
When you join a table it really isn't one table, it’s hundreds. It’s everyone playing that limit at that time.
Though it shows one table there are actually 600 people or more playing that same “table." You can even join the same table up to four times!
As everyone folds they are constantly shuffled to fresh tables with fresh opponents and another hand is instantly dealt.
There’s even a quick-fold button that you can instantly click before the action is even on you.
Say you're in the big blind and you have 72o, hit quick-fold and you're already off that table and at a new one getting a fresh hand. Your opponents at the 72o table will have no idea you folded until the action is on you!
Is it any good?
This I'm undecided on. If nothing more it’s at least fun and addicting.
I did a little field research today (6,000 hands at 100nl Rush Poker) and as you can tell by my hand tally you certainly get more hands per hour. I 8-table normally and usually get around 800 hands an hour. With Rush Poker I was getting more than 2,000 hands per hour.
Obviously more hands equals more rake back. But other than the sheer number of hands you get per hour, I really don't see too many more positives with Rush Poker.
For one, you're never able to gather reads on your opponents because as soon as the hand is over and you've seen how they played, you're already at a different table. You may realize the guy is a fish but you may never face him again! Thus, you basically have to treat every unknown opponent the exact same. If you're not a serious poker player, that's probably what you were doing before so it actually puts you on a level playing field with your opponents.
If, however, you are a competent player, you’re basically agreeing to give up your edge. And the only thing you get in return is more hands per hour. So you have to ask yourself if it's worth it.
Who these tables are perfect for.
When the novelty wears off and everyone stops playing them because they’re new and fun, you’ll find two types of players playing Rush Poker: Break-even nits and fish.
The games are perfect for break-even nits because they don't ever change their game for their opponents anyways. They just play tight and hope to make money from rakeback.
In Rush Poker their opponents won't know that they're playing super tight and won’t be able to adjust. Thus their regular game becomes more profitable and they’ll make more money from rakeback on top of that.
Fish, of course, will love it because they don't ever have to wait. They get to play every hand and even when they don't they get a new one right away with no waiting.
A bonus is that fish probably won’t even realize their opponents will have no idea that they’re mega fish until it's too late.
IMO
As a full-stacked, decent regular of real six-max cash games, I hope FTP doesn't make these games at $1/$2 and higher. If they do it will draw fish away from real cash games to this gimmicky form of poker.
Keep the games small and keep them a novelty - don't screw around with the real games.
Though Rush Poker can be pretty damn fun (and it is I played for 3 hours and it felt like 5 minutes) it's not real poker. It's a gimmick.
But in real news, and lost in all this hype about Rush Poker, nobody is talking about how Full Tilt effectively did away with short stacking. They raised the min buy-in to 35BB on all 100BB tables and made separate shallow-stack tables where the buy-ins are 20-40BB.
Obviously great news to anyone who regularly plays cash games and has to deal with the plague that is/was short-stackers.
Anyways go out and try Rush Poker. It's pretty damn fun. Though if you're a fish, please come back to the real games.
We've got a sick strategy article up that will show you how to crush Rush Poker for tons of money. Click through here for the full guide to beating Rush Poker.
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