|  | Holdem Online
Speed Poker
by J.
Phillip Vogel
This
lesson explores the excitement of Holdem
Online, Speed Poker.
Every poker player has a style that’s all their own. For some, it’s preferable
to ponder for no
more than a few moments before making a play thereby keeping the game
flowing
at a steady, comfortable pace. Other
players, perhaps in a bid to frustrate their opponents and throw them
off their
game, like to delay the better part of eternity--okay—10 minutes before
making
a single move.
Even
if that move is as
simple and straightforward as folding a horrible hand such as a 7-2 off
suit.
While card players used to the rigors of traditional play have made
their peace
with such stylistic actions, the new breed of player—those birthed
at Holdem online and
unaccustomed to face-to-face play—struggle to adapt to the slower pace.
Indeed, it can
be frustrating playing at a
real table where hands can creep along at a comparatively snail’s place
when
used to seeing about 60 hands an hour at the virtual tables.
And that’s where speed poker comes in.
Arguably one of the most entertaining versions of poker to evolve in
decades,
speed poker is a Texas Holdem variant that takes the fast-paced, some
would
even say suicidal, action found online and drops it squarely into a
traditional
poker tournament setting.
Gone are the long pauses and frustrating delays, replaced
with a non-stop adrenaline rush and the accompanying pressure of making
potential tournament making—or breaking—decisions in as little as 15
seconds.
Players who fail to act within their allotted time have
their hands either automatically checked (if there was no prior action)
or
declared dead when faced with an opponent’s bet.
It’s a draconian environment that requires
players to always be at the ready for each and every hand.
Along
with its drastically reduced timeframe, Speed Poker has several
structural deviations from the typical Texas Holdem fare.
For
example at Holdem online, to keep
the action flowing smoothly only 6 players are seated per table while
two
dealers work in tandem to manage the game.
Also, each speed poker hand starts out as pot limit, and
then shifts to
no limit wagering following the flop.
The theory behind this rule is that such a
structure allows players to
see more flops and make plays that they might not otherwise be able to
make in
a strictly no limit setting.
Although Holdem online speed poker is
gaining ground
and being
offered more frequently during
major tournament events, the best place to test your speed poker
proficiency is
still the Aussie Millions, a major poker tournament series held
annually in Melbourne,
Australia.
The Aussie Millions’ Speed Poker tournament is one of the hottest
tickets of
the event, with players from all over the world competing for a
$100,000 first
prize.
This event is played as per a normal multi-table tournament until the
field
drops to 36 players, and is designed so that the average chip count for
players
will not fall to less than around 30 times the big blind.
Hence
players
are never “short stacked”
reducing pressure from the costly blinds.
The theory behind this rule is that players will play
their way out of
the tournament rather than be blinded out.
Once 36 players remain, the tournament moves into its semi-final round. These semi-finals are a
shootout where the
top six chip leaders get assigned to six different tables, followed by
the next
six highest chip stacks, and so on until all remaining 36 players have
been
assigned a seat.
The
winners of each of
the six shootouts advance to the finals to compete for the grand prize.
While
some poker traditionalists chafe against the very idea of speed
poker--citing a heavier reliance on luck and a diminished
psychological element—many find the fast pace and unremitting ticking
clock to
be an even greater challenge.
After all, speed poker condenses the pressure of the game
down to its very core, requiring players to examine their cards, read
their
opponents, make a decision and take action all in the fraction of the
time of
standard play.
And
while more hands
played bolsters reliance on luck to some extent, a new set of equally
laudable
skills are required—especially the ability to think quickly.
Holdem
Online--Speed Poker is followed by Single Poker Ace Position
OR
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