It may not be the purest form of the game according to some commentators, but there is no doubting that when it comes to playing via desktop, or especially via mobile, Sprint Poker (also known as Speed Poker, Rush Poker or many other similar names) is perfectly suited to the online/mobile environment.
Bet365 Poker offers a superb version of the game both via desktop and mobile and remember, if you want to play this game, you can join now and take full advantage of the Bet365 Poker bonus code to receive your €5 free plus a deposit bonus of up to €1,000.
In this article, we’ll explore a little more about Sprint Poker, why it has become such a popular choice for many poker players and the particular skills and techniques you can employ so that when you do log in for a few games, you’ll be able to turn your session into a profitable one.
Sprint Poker – an explanation
Author of Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift once stated that “I must complain the cards are ill shuffled till I have a good hand.”
Well, if the 17th century author, clergyman and closet Poker fan was alive today, then he’d find that Sprint Poker probably would have offered him the perfect choice of game.
Although based on a cash table game, Sprint poker is played with a pool of players, sometimes over a hundred, and while the game rules are exactly the same, the big difference is that as soon as you fold a hand, you are dealt into a new hand immediately with other players from the pool.
The upshot of this is that you can play many more hands in a session of poker, some experts reckon that instead of sitting in on 16 to 20 hands an hour, in Sprint Poker you can sit in 80 to 100 hands in the same time scale.
Sprint Poker – does the speed affect gameplay?
When playing on Bet365 Sprint Poker, you’ll quickly notice that the pace of the game does have a marked effect on gameplay. Of course, it is a much faster game but another key thing you will notice is that players are more likely to fold hands that in a traditional game, they would possibly attempt to play.
The reason for this is simple – in Sprint Poker, provided that you are prepared to risk losing a few small and big blinds you can afford to wait until you hit a stronger hand before committing yourself to the pot.
However, the knock on effect of this is two-fold. Firstly, it means that a lot of speed poker players tend to play a tighter game, only attempting to win pots when they hold a good hand.
Yet playing this way also makes it a richer feeding ground for players who like to bluff, who can score especially well when no player holds a premium hand at a tight table and who can win plenty of pots by making a relatively small raise.
Of course, as you play against different players for each hand, it isn’t easy to get a read on your opponents to guess who is bluffing and who is not. Therefore, you need to time your bluffs and when you decide to play a pocket hand very carefully.
Bet365 Sprint Poker – some tactical and practical advice
So if you want to get the best from Bet365’s Sprint Poker tables, how can you approach playing at them?
The first thing to do is to ensure that you are playing at the right stake level for your bankroll. This is an absolute must as the likelihood is, if you are going to play a profitable strategy, that you’ll be forced to pay a few small and big blinds from time to time as you wait for a stronger hand.
You need to play at a level where if you are forced to pay 4 or 5 big blinds, then it won’t impact your bankroll too greatly and you’ll still have more than enough to recoup your losses when you do hit a good hand. Therefore, I’d always recommend sitting down at your chosen table with the maximum buy in, rather than the minimum.
Another piece of good advice is to play a generally tight game, but intersperse this with you taking a punt on some weaker hands, especially when you are in position at the table. I only ever play premium hands from early position in Sprint Poker, unless you have paid the SB and the action has folded to you, where I may try and steal the BB with a small raise.
I have found rather than diminishing the importance of position, Sprint poker tends to emphasise it more so. I find rather than risking more chips to try and preserve a small or big blind with a weak hand from early position, it is more profitable to fold the hand and take the hit, rather than risk more chips with a weak hand from early position, even if you feel your opponent may be bluffing.
If and when you do hit a good hand, it is important then you maximise your winnings from this position. It can be a risky strategy, remember the more people who see your raise and progress to the flop with you, the more chance you have of seeing your hand beaten. Therefore, your raises need to be very carefully judged, enough to keep those who think they have a chance of beating you in the hand, while dissuading those with more speculative hands from calling as they risk losing too many chips.
It is tempting to think that when you do see a flop, especially if you have sat out of Sprint Poker for a while waiting for a good hand, that you need to see it through. Don’t. You need to play the hand as you would in a traditional game, even if you have a fair few chips in the pot from pre-flop raises.
If the flop comes down and isn’t kind to you and there’s a real threat or likelihood of an opponent beating you, then don’t be tempted to throw your chips in and bluff, or hope you hit a card that will put you back in the lead. You need aggression, but it has to be controlled and focused, not just blind.
Finally, my last piece of advice is to mix things up. It’s much harder for opponents to get a read on you (and you them) in Sprint Poker on Bet365, so if you have lost a few chips and the cards aren’t falling for you, then you need to use your betting patterns to get you back in the game. Bluffing at key points, especially when in position, is a good tactic, but just be wary of early-to-mid position check-raisers trying to lure bluffers in while they hold a monster hand.
Sprint Poker is a great game especially via mobile but it also works very well on desktop too. Bet365’s version is one of the best available and we’d strongly recommend you give it a try!
Image Courtesy of JohnTheScone from Flickr.com
