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March 13, 2010 at 8:27 am | Poker News | | Written by: spenda
Earlier in 2010 FullTilt became to first poker site to offer a new take on Texas Hold’em. The variant, called “Rush Poker”, is one of the most exciting developments in the history of online poker. What makes Rush Poker different is now what happens during a hand, but what happens immediately after you fold. Instead of sitting around and waiting for a new hand to be dealt at the same table, in Rush Poker you are immediately transported to a new table (with new players) and another hand is instantaneously underway. The difference in hands per hour is quite staggering, and can reach in upwards of 4 times the normal amount.
For those still confused on exactly how Rush Poker works a further explanation is necessary. In the FullTilt Lobby you will notice a new tab for Rush Poker. Once you enter the Rush Poker section you will see a variety of games and stakes available to play. As of right now you can play Limit Hold’em, No-Limit Hold’em, and Pot-Limit Omaha. The highest stakes available are $1/$2 NL and Fixed Limit as well as $.25/$.50 Pot-Limit Omaha. Once you select your game and stakes you will bring up a specific lobby with your player group. On the right side of the main lobby you can see how many players are in each sub-group as well as how many hands per hour are being played.
Once selecting your particular gmae you will need to his “join now” in the new window and you will begin playing. As soon as you are dealt a hand you will see options different from a normal game, most notably, the “quick-fold” button. This is a great tool to use when you are dealt a hand you know you will never play no matter what. For example, in a 9-handed game you are dealt 72o in middle position. Instead of waiting for the 3-4 players ahead of you to fold, you can go ahead and use the quick-fold button which not only folds your hand but sends you to a new table even before the players acting before you have folded.
If you are dealt a hand you are questioning playing, you will have to wait until the action is upon you. However, if you are dealt a hand like ATo in the cut-off (which you would normally raise were it folded to you) and the player UTG opens, you can then employ the quick-fold button and move onto a new hand/table. The point being, at any time you can use the quick-fold button to move on, but if you are actually going to play a hand you will not be sent to a new table until you are out of the hand. These characteristics of Rush Poker have caused players to act a bit differently than they might in a regular game, adjusting to and exploiting this style of play will do wonders for your Rush Poker winrate.
Because players have the ability to fold and be instantly dealt a new hand, even the loosest of fish have a tendency to tighten up their play. Think about it, why wait 30 seconds to act when holding T5o when you can quick-fold and be dealt a new hand in just moments. While players may not be subconsciously playing tighter, the fact remains that they are certainly folding more marginal holdings than in a typical poker game. There are a few necessary adjustments to be made to this type of play including:
1. Raising more from later position in an attempt to steal blinds more often
2. Three-bet bluffing more often
3. Respecting raises and three-bets more from players in middle position
4. Giving credit to players showing strength after the flop
Because players are folding more often pre-flop, we can certainly get away with more blind-steal attempts from later position. While these spots in regular games might prove to be break-even, we can certainly make +EV plays in Rush Poker by raising a very wide range when it is folded to us in later position. Because of this, we must remain patient and not use the quick-fold button when dealt a marginal hand on the button. It will only take a few seconds for players to fold before we find out if we are able to act first and open the pot.
Because of this we can also assume players will have a hard time calling/continuing against three-bets after they open in later position. First of all, the temptation is great for them to just fold and find a better spot to continue. In normal games, players might continue with a range of pocket pairs, broadway hands, and even suited connectors. However, in Rush Poker, they are folding a considerable amount of these hands which will make our bluff attempts more profitable.
While we will be adjusting our play, we cannot always figure our opponents will do the same. Because of this, we should give a lot of respect to 3bets and 4bets before the flop because it is highly unlikely our opponents are making moves. It is virtually impossible to gain reads in Rush Poker with out using Poker Tracking software, and unless you can remember a screen name out of the hundreds you are playing against, it might be best to just fold your marginal hands facing 3 and 4bets and move on. The same can go for postflop play, there is less floating and bluffing going on during Rush Poker and because of this we should fold in the face of aggression when holding weak hands.
Rush Poker is an exciting form of poker and one that is really catching on over at FullTilt. For as little as $5 you can begin playing Rush and join in on all the action!
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