Most Texas Hold’em hands miss the flop.
This is unavoidable when you play the ubiquitous two-card poker variant – these are rarely connected with the five cards on the board: about 30% of the time.
According to PokerNews, even if over the years many players have sought refuge and extreme sensations in the great pot-limit Omaha game, PokerStars comes with a different solution: Split Hold’em.
This is how the most important new poker room named its new offer, a game that is actually a two-board Hold’em game.
Like other double-board games, two flops, two turns and two rivers will be given at the same time at the due time. In order to win the whole pot, a player must reach the showdown with the best hand on both boards or must throw out all his opponents in his hand. A player who has only a winning hand on a board wins only half the pot.
“Split Hold’em is an example of the new poker variants we’re working on at PokerStars,” said Dan Price, a company representative, in a post on the official blog. “We think it is challenging and an opportunity for players to test their skills in a fresh, new format for everyone.” “Split Hold’em has sparked many internal discussions around the best strategy, so we look forward to seeing how players adapt. Maybe you know how to play 88 or AQ – but what do you do when you have two boards to consider? “
The new version will run as a test for an indefinite period.
Innovation in a changing poker world
Daniel Negreanu, PokerStars Team Pro headliner, spoke a lot about poker diversification over the years, saying that this trend is crucial to the long-term health of poker. It seems that his sponsor is on the same wavelength. PokerStars has so far sought to introduce innovative poker variants, most notably the Power Up game. Power Up began to be played for real money in October 2017.
While Power Up is a radical change to traditional poker, the introduction of the Split Hold’em format is a gentler transition for most players.
Double-board poker variations have been present for a long time in home games around the world. They are a relatively easy adjustment since the changes to Hold’em and Omaha are quite straightforward to understand. However, the game requires a major change in strategy. In addition, most players are already familiar with the concept of “run it twice” and pot odds split in an all-in.
Certainly PokerStars will closely follow the Split Hold’em test period to see how the audience reacts.
