With Bet365 Poker, you can play the Sprint version of the game direct from the website via your desktop and also via the Bet365 mobile site via your Android or iOS device. This flexibility makes it a great game for mobile players to play as you can race through a large number of hands in a relatively short amount of time.
However, the rapid nature of this quick-fold form of poker does mean that it does have some inherent differences to the typical cash table game, which does mean that you’ll need to develop key skills and strategies to help you turn a spell at the Sprint Tables into a profitable one.
In this article, we are going to examine ten specific poker strategies for Bet365 Sprint Poker, which we hope, if used alongside a generally sound poker strategy by a competent player of the game, should result in more positive and profitable Sprint Poker sessions.
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10. Always play at the right blind level for your bankroll
The first and perhaps golden rule of speed poker (or indeed any cash game) is to ensure that you are buying into a game that you can afford to play, and lose at, without it drastically affecting your current bankroll.
As a general rule of thumb, most poker players advise players not to buy in to a cash table game with more than 10% of their entire bankroll, some even say less than this (5%) while some may, on occasion gamble slightly more.
However, taking 10% as a general measure, that means if you have £100 in your account to play poker with on Bet365 Poker, then you should look to join either the €0.02/€0.05 or the €0.05/€0.10 tables to play (Maximum buy ins of €5 and €10 respectively).
Playing with too big a percentage of your bankroll is the quick way to busting out, so always ensure you are playing Sprint Poker at a blind rate that is appropriate to your current bankroll level.
9. Where possible, always take the largest buy-in possible to the table
It may sound like an oxymoron, but Sprint Poker is a game of patience. To enable you to be patient requires you to have a good sized stack at the table and as such, it is good practice to buy into the game at the highest level.
There are two reasons for this.
The first is that psychologically, if you buy in with the lowest amount, you only need to pay a few blinds, lose a couple of hands and you could be down to your last few chips. That immediately puts you under pressure and you may then feel the need to take more risks in order to try and win back your cash.
This is a dangerous strategy as if you are taking risks with lower value cards, then the likelihood is, somebody will beat you.
A larger stack gives you much more time and opportunity to maximise when you make your moves in Sprint Poker. You can fold many more hands without worrying too much about losing the odd blind here and there as your chip stack is big enough to cope with the loss.
You are also able to wait for the right moment to seize upon a strong hand and make back any losses (and perhaps more) by moving in on a strong hand when the time is right to do so.
8. Take notes on your opponents when you play
In Sprint Poker, you don’t play at a table with just a handful of opponents – at times on Bet365 Sprint Poker, you can be playing hundreds of players all at the same time.
Obviously, it is impractical at this point to try and work out the style of every player as you won’t play them often enough, but do take notes on players who stand out to you. Is there a player who is a bit of a donk and who is giving their chips away?
In contrast, is there a player who seems to be winning a lot more than they are losing and showing some formidable poker skills at the table?
Simply taking note of the two extremes of players can help you when you bump into them again at a future table, allowing you to judge whether to take them on or not with your current hand. It is very hard to do this via memory alone against 200+ opponents, therefore a little notepad is a great idea for noting down names and tendencies.
7. Stick to a sensible poker strategy that works for you
One of the biggest mistakes Sprint Poker players make is to adopt a completely different method of playing poker simply because it is a fast-fold version of the game. Players suddenly start to bluff more, take more risks and make more outlandish calls, or conversely, start playing far too tight and let the blinds slowly eke away their stack.
If you have a poker strategy that works, especially for cash tables, then use that as a basis for Sprint Poker. There is a reason it works and it will do so in this version of the game too. Don’t let the fast nature of the game fool you into playing a game alien to your comfort zone.
Stick to what you know and you’ll be a better Sprint Poker player for it.
6. Remember, nobody in the next hand will realise you won the last with great play
At a regular cash table, you can develop a persona and get to understand other players persona at the table relatively quickly when you play. Indeed, this psychological aspect of the game is one that appeals to many players.
In Sprint Poker however, you can’t do this anywhere near as effectively. Other players won’t know you have been playing tight or loose all game, they’ll likely take you at face value on this table (unless they’ve been making notes and have you marked down as a donk or a poker superstar).
Reputation at the table doesn’t count for anywhere near as much in Sprint Poker, that can be to your advantage or disadvantage, depending on how you decide to play the cards you are dealt.
5. Position at the table is as important, if not more so, in Sprint Poker
Early, middle, or late position is key in all forms of poker when it comes to betting and relative hand strength and in Speed Poker, with no real psychological element involved, position becomes even more important.
Remember your poker strategy for playing hands in early, middle and late positions and stick to it and perhaps even focus them in more sharply.
A tight player tends to fare better than a loose player over the long term in Sprint Poker, so keep the odds in your favour and only play the optimum hands from your position.
4. How you play when you pay the blinds is crucial
In Sprint Poker you pay the blinds a lot more often, which does mean your chips dwindle more quickly if you are not replacing them by picking up pots. Therefore, when you have put money into the pot for the small or large blind, how you play the hand is crucial.
Remember, pre-flop, you’ll be acting after every player, so you hold a big advantage here. Strong play at this point when you have bet the small or large blind can see you pick up many pots due to clever betting strategies and making the right bet at the right time.
However, also be aware that players can slow play. A player with AA may opt to call in the hope that one of the blinds may make a pot-stealing bluff. They can then call, or even re-raise you from a position of strength, leaving you with no option but to either fold, or hope that the community cards put you ahead.
3. Continual bluffing is an extremely risky strategy
As emphasised by the example above, Sprint Poker is a game where a well-timed bluff can be a great weapon for a player, however to do so on a more consistent basis is simply asking for trouble and can quickly lead to a player busting out of the game.
Remember, on Bet365 Sprint Poker, there are many good players who will limp in and make small raises even if they hold the nuts. This isn’t bad play – they are simply waiting for a novice player to make a ridiculous bluff, which they can then re-raise and leave them in a weak position despite being pot committed.
Avoid this by timing your bluffs so that they are plausible and effective by their rarity and you won’t go far wrong and you’ll avoid having to fold hands with lots of your chips in the pot after having one too many bluffs called.
2. Watch out for slow players
As you play in Bet365 Sprint games, you’ll notice a prevalence of good players who under-represent the strength of their hand. Some people call this slow playing and some poker players don’t like it, but there’s no denying, when you hold the nuts in Sprint Poker, it is an effective strategy.
Slow players pay off comes when a player with a lesser hands bets big into a pot in the belief they hold the best hand when they don’t. The slow player then makes a re-raise or call knowing they likely hold a much stronger hand.
The downside for slow players is that occasionally if they check or small raise to encourage a re-raise bet, the opponent may only call, this means that they may not maximise their winnings as often as they would like by playing more aggressively.
1. If you hold a strong hand then raise decisively
If you are going to commit to a pot then do so decisively, especially if you believe you have the best hand. If players hold middling hands, or are out of position, they will likely put you on a stronger hand than you have and will fold, safe in the knowledge they’ll be dealt into a new hand immediately.
Even if you are up against a slow player, you must stick to your guns if you hit a strong hand. Be aware of what the slow player could have though and watch out for inside straights and flushes on the board and take note of how the player is betting.
Most often a decisive raise will bring about folds, but sometimes it may see opponents call or re-raise. In this case, the relative strength of your hand, chipstack, position and what you know about your opponent should all be used to ascertain what your next move should be.
Use this with your usual poker strategy and you will find your Sprint Poker sessions can be more profitable relatively quickly.
