iPoker to introduce Speed Hold'em
Network follows PokerStars, Microgaming and others in introducing fast-fold poker variant.
iPoker is set to become the latest poker network to introduce a fast-paced variant of the game, with ‘Speed Hold’em’ due to launch at selected stakes next month.
The Playtech owned network has revealed that there will be no waiting lists on the fast-fold tables, while players will be able to join Speed Hold’em cash game player pools up to 10 times.
A spokesman for Playtech explained to eGaming Review that the new variant will be limited to cash games and gradually rolled out across all the skins on the network. He added that the software provider hoped to introduce a tournament version of Speed Hold’em “later this year”.
Full Tilt was the first operator to introduce a fast-fold poker offering in the form of Rush Poker, but since it ceased operations last year a number of others have followed suit.
InstaDeal launched its fast-paced poker network last year, with one of its skins, Pokertube’s Speed Poker (since renamed Buzz Poker) given an iPhone and iPad launch in December. This week it revealed that it would be introducing real-money tournaments across its smartphone, tablet and desktop clients as well as signing up Plus Five Gaming as its latest partner and iPocketPoker as the latest addition to the network.
PokerStars launched its own offering, Zoom, earlier this year and followed it with a mobile launch, while Relax Gaming and Microgaming have both followed suit in recent months. Meanwhile bwin.party claims to be developing a similar product of its own.
Earlier this year eGaming Review revealed that a number of skins on the iPoker network were seeking showdown talks with Playtech over a proposed ring-fencing of cash game liquidity for some of its larger skins.