Overview
Terminal Poker is the main site on the InstaDeal Poker network. Their name is quite fitting because every single game on their site is of the fast-fold variety. This simply means that as soon as you fold a hand you are moved to a new table with new players and dealt another hand. This allows you to play many, many more hands per hour than the standard poker game and it has major strategy implications as well, since this format changes how players play the game.
The site is not USA friendly, but they are open to practically the entire rest of the world.
Fast Fold / Speed Poker. How it Works.
The concept was created by Full Tilt Poker (Rush Poker). In effect, players in the same limit, for example, .10/.20 NLHE, are placed in a large pool. When you fold a hand, you are instantly matched against other players who have also folded seconds before. The opponents are random. Your position relative to the blinds does change, as the software tries to make sure everyone gets equal time on the button, on the blinds or otherwise.
This format eliminates the boredom that sits in on many a decent player who is folding upwards of 80% of hands dealt to them. It allows players to get in a massive number of hands per hour compared to the old style of online poker play. It also is a boon for the poker site as more hands dealt means more rake and better business for them.j
Games and Formats Available
Terminal Poker has No Limit Holdem and Pot Limit Omaha. Tournaments are available as well.
Terminal Poker was designed with mobile play in mind. If you are playing with an iPhone, iPad or Android, you will find the controls easy and intuitive.
The limits are rather low, but it is no limit after all, so you can win a good stack with a well played hand, no matter what the blinds are. The low blind levels are necessary as you need a large pool of players for the fast fold rush poker concept to work. Otherwise you are back to waiting for your table to fill up because there just aren’t enough players in the pool.
Bonuses Offered
The standard deposit bonus is 200% up to $400. However, if you are starting at the very low stake level, there is a small $20 bonus that only requires a minimum deposit and you get the bonus after only one raked hand. If you are depositing the minimum, this is the best way to get your bankroll practically doubled in one hand.
Terminal Poker is Growing Up!
Terminal Poker started with just their fast play poker format. They have grown significantly, and now offer their members access to sports betting, casino games and exciting tournaments and promotions. If you are someone getting back into poker after a few years off, Terminal Poker should be on your short list of places to check out.
They are the complete package with access to all the gaming you want with one account.
Strategy Implications
There are a number of ways that the ground breaking fast fold poker games changed the way NLHE is played at these types of sites. I will discuss three major differences within this review to help new speed players understand what they are getting into and hopefully build off of these thoughts.
First, bad players suddenly play better cards. At a regular game of poker, bad players tend to not have the patience to wait on good cards and therefore end up playing a lot of bad hands. A good player could simply wait on good cards and clean the impatient newbies out of their whole stack after awhile.
Not so with speed poker. The weak players may still play less than desirable hands, but their hand range improves because they are able to dump the truly awful hands that they might have been tempted to play in boredom at the old poker table. Two fresh cards await, so why play that Jack-7, even if it is suited.
The second major difference is that aggressive play goes up a notch. With so many players dumping bad hands, good players quickly found out that they could steal blind after blind with little to no opposition. Understand that the first raise does not necessarily mean the player is strong. Perhaps give less respect to the initial raise but more respect to re-raises or flat calls in front of you. When a hand goes to showdown, you can expect very good hands, since starting hand quality (besides the steal attempts) is almost always excellent.
The third major difference is that while there is the ability to take notes and you will no doubt face the same opponent twice in a session, the observational side of poker plays a much lessened role in speed poker. You might play an hour and only face the same player two or three times, or none at all, depending on the size of the player pool. This prevents you from really studying the opponents, putting them on hand ranges and figuring out trends.
If you want to be successful at this style of poker, you need to figure out trends that are prevalent among most all of the players within the pool. Is the first raise a steal attempt well over half of the time in your pool? Perhaps re-raising with a hand that you would normally just put in the first raise with is the best strategy. Calling was always a sign of a less than stellar hand in standard poker format, but maybe it is more prevalent in your pool as players attempt to hook the blind stealing players with their better hands and not run them off for a small pot. After all, nobody likes to re-raise with aces and have everyone else dump their cards!
In conclusion, the best way to make a profit in speed poker is to jump in, experience it and learn what works at your site and your player pools.
The best way to do that, without risking much money, is to get setup with a bankroll at Terminal Poker. For instructions on how to do that, refer back to our Terminal Poker free bankroll page.
Good luck!
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