Speed poker

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Speed poker is a live variant of Texas hold 'em inspired by online poker. A relatively new variant, it is the format of two major televised tournaments, the World Speed Poker Open and the Poker Dome Challenge, as well as the Asia-Pacific Speed Poker Championship. Card Player Magazine credits Australian Keith “Bendigo” Sloan with developing the speed poker variant. [1] Although theoretically any poker variant could be played in a speed format, to date only Texas hold 'em has been widely played.

Game play, hand rankings, etc. are identical to standard Texas hold 'em. The differences in rules mostly relate to the time players have to act on their hands. Each player has 15 seconds to act before his or her hand is ruled dead (or checked if there has been no previous action). Players are given one or more 30 second time extensions which they may use on any turn. In the Poker Dome Challenge, pre-flop play is pot limit; post-flop play is no limit. In the World Speed Poker Open all play was no limit.

While varients in speed poker, as with any other poker varient, can have different rules depnding on the individual tournament structure, Keith Sloan has set forth the basic rules of play as follows:

1. Six players per table.

2. Two dealers per table.

3. Each player must act within fifteen seconds.

4. If players fail to act before the time limit expires: - If they had to call an opponent's bet, their hand is automatically declared dead. - If there was no prior action, their hand is automatically checked.

Tournament format

Speed Poker tournaments are played per a normal multi table tournament until only 36 players remain. The final 36 players progress to the next round (semi final shootout round) taking their accumulated chip stacks with them.

Tournaments are designed so that the average chip count for players will not fall less than around 30 times the large blind. Players are never "short stacked" and more chips, means less blind pressure. Players play their way out of the tournament and tend not to be blinded out. Semi Final Seating assignment

The top 6 chip leaders are assigned to 6 different tables, followed by the next 6 highest chips stacks and so on until all 36 players are assigned tables.

The winners of the 6 shootouts progress to the final. A random seat draw is done for the final table and all players commence with the same chip bank. Speed Poker Time Breaker Buttons

All players receive a minimum of 1 (depending on tournament terms and conditions) "Time Breaker Buttons" which will allow players a further 30 seconds to act.

http://www.speedpoker.tv - Official Speed Poker™ website.