Among all the range of competitions hosted by PartyPoker, the Fast Forward are the best rated games by lovers of action and accessibility. They are fast forward games, hence their name, and maintain the basics of traditional games based on obtaining money that, however, sends players who withdraw from the hand to a table with other players, entering fully into a new hand.
The appeal of this mode is that the table situation changes completely for the player, making him never in a comfort zone. If you fold, the table changes and so do the players, causing you to restart the entire tells study process and apply other strategic adjustments to your game.
Fast Forward Cash Games: how they work
In essence, Fast Forwards are poker games like any other. The dynamics are the same, the stakes, positions and rules remain the same… but, at the moment a player leaves the hand, instead of staying at the same table, he is moved to a different table, which will be formed by players who, in turn, have folded in the hands of their respective tables. Therefore, all players feel as if they have just entered the game. This is the key point of Fast Forwards, and all the strategic implications they entail.
But it’s not about making it difficult for the player. What’s more, what this table change allows is that many more hands can be played than would be played at a normal cash table. Instead of leaving the hand and waiting for those who remain in it to finish the round, the one who folds is immediately moved to a new table if he presses the FF button, entering a whirlwind of non-stop action that is perfect for action lovers.
Jaime Staples: this is the ambassador of PartyPoker’s Fast Forward
One of the key figures in the development of these Fast Forward is Jaime Staples, traditionally associated with cash games and who has now become a regular at PartyPoker’s FF games. These cash games are especially attractive, since the pace does not stop for a moment, something confirmed by Staples himself.
Staples himself has given some tips for those who have not yet entered the Fast Forward cash games and want to do so knowing what they are facing:
- Use the Fast Forward button without fear. This is because, although the speed of the game may scare you at first, the FF button allows you to play many more hands in the long run than if you don’t. Always press it, otherwise you’ll miss half the fun of these games!
- The learning curve can be accelerated. Poker is a game in which you advance by training and practice. But in these cash games, it is possible to take some shortcuts. How? By playing many hands, which is precisely what these cash games facilitate.
- You will have to start with a blank slate. The fact that you don’t know where your opponents stand will mean that your strategy will have to be continuously readjusted. Also, if you are not patient, this could make you despair the first few times you play these cash games, but you will get used to always playing with the uncertainty of not knowing what kind of players you will meet the next time you press the Fast Forward button.
- Steal blinds from late positions. According to Staples, this is vital, because stealing blinds with speculative hands from late positions almost always causes opponents to fold. It’s as simple as that.
- Don’t make hero reads. It is clear that reading the game correctly is important to know how the game is developing, but usually the simplest reads are the most appropriate. Going hero will do you little good, so always stick to the basics of the game and don’t try anything strange that the game isn’t telling you.
More tips to enjoy more Fast Forward games
Apart from the guidelines of Jaime Staples, who has become an expert in these fast forward games, it is important to take into account these tips to enjoy these cash games and be able to opt for important prizes.
- Get used to high-speed games. PartyPoker cash games have a peculiarity, and it is that they keep the frenetic action of the games and add their own rules that make the game always feel fresh and new.
- Spend time reading your opponents. That’s the priority. Without that, you’ll have nothing to do in a Fast Forward. You’ll be making quicker and more accurate reads.
- Don’t shy away… and press the button! It is not a valid option not to push the FF button because you don’t feel ready. You’re never going to feel like you’re really ready to switch tables, but it’s either that or stay in a hand you’re missing.
- Enjoy and benefit from the advantages of these cash games. Having fun is the most important thing. On that basis, you’ll start to get a taste for changing tables, changing opponents and facing something new every time you press the magic Fast Forward button.
