First there was Rush, then Zoom, then Speed Holdem – and now (drumroll please!) Fast-Forward Poker, the all new ‘pooled’ poker game from Party Poker. I just went for a test-drive at the lower limit tables, and actually liked the games (with a couple of small caveats). Here is an idea of what to expect, some screenshots of the new tables… and at the end my thoughts on how this compares to the other fast games out there.First up, an explanation as to how the game works for those players who might not have come across these new poker games. Fast-Forward Poker works by grouping together players into pools at their chosen buy-in level. For every hand played, players from your pool are randomly recombined into a new table… as soon as you fold (or the hand ends), you will find yourself starting a new hand. This cuts out all of the dead time which you would normally spend waiting for your opponents to complete their hands – speeding up the play. On top of this you get the option to fold before the action reaches you, in the new Party Poker game this is called the ‘Forward Fold’ button. Your opponents will not know you have folded until the action reaches you… this speeds up the games even more, you can be starting a new hand instead of waiting for the action to reach you with that 7-2 off! Depending on how many games you play, you can expect up to 4 times as many hands in the Zoom / Rush / Fast-Forward formats than at regular tables.
>> Check out the new game at Party Poker now!
Party Poker Fast Forward – What Is Available?
At the moment this game is in Beta, and is only available at the lower buy-in levels between 2c / 4c blinds and 10c / 25c and only in No Limit Holdem format. Pot-Limit Omaha is listed under the Fast-Forward tab, and games with blinds of up to $5 / $10 (which would be a $1000 buy-in) are listed in the lobby. Table sizes are listed as 2, 6, 9 and 10 – though at the moment there are mainly 6-max pools, with heads up at the 10c / 25c level. Here is the buy-in screen, as you can see you can choose to enter each pool up to 4 times (I did not yet try to enter more than one pool at the same time to see if it is possible to 8+ table!).
Below is a screen-shot of the game itself, I liked the layout… and smoothness / speed of the action. My only gripe is the bet slider, you can min-bet or hit the 3x (which adds 3 more blinds, making your raise a 4x the big blind raise (too much for most people)… otherwise you need to type the bet size, which slows things down a little for me.
I like the easy fold-to-watch option and the auto-rebuy is always available too… and the standard of players… haha, well, I always do recommend hitting the new games while the recreational poker fans are out and about – and this is no exception. I recommend you take some notes, as these accumulate quickly and are invaluable in winning pots against individuals who are playing a predictable ‘system’.
Party Poker Fast-Forward – How Does It Compare?
Maybe I am biased here, for me none of the games have come close to the original Rush Poker as yet… Zoom is the best so far, though is now starting to become ‘regular infested’. Speed Holdem at iPoker is still in the new-game phase and should be a better longer-term bet once the network splits into the 2 tiers… With the large amount of players at Party Poker, this game has a ton of potential. I recommend having a look while the games are fresh and profitable - you can claim your 100% welcome bonus with bonus code SNGPLANET … this is quick to clear and you’ll soon be enjoying those famously easy games! Click here to check out Fast-Forward Poker for yourself now!
Submitted by Planet Mark on Mon, 08/13/2012 - 10:47