For years online poker sites have been offering new poker variants with middling success. That all changed in early 2010 when a fast-fold version of Hold’em was introduced and the game spread like wildfire to every major online poker site.
The premise of Fast-Fold poker, which is also known as Speed, Zoom, Snap and Zone Poker, is simple: Fold your hand and instantly get a new one. Fast-Fold poker was a godsend for anyone who couldn’t stand the amount of patience required in traditional poker.
What is Fast-Fold Poker?
In Fast-Fold Poker players are able to fold at any time and they will be instantly whisked away to another table where they will have a brand-new hand waiting for them.
What’s the Best Fast-Fold Strategy?
For the most part, you want to adhere to the traditional poker strategy while playing Fast-Fold Poker. Still, there are a few extra wrinkles.
Will Fast-Fold Poker Help Clear Bonuses?
Fast-Fold Poker is one of the best single best ways to clear bonuses quickly. Generally, sign-up bonuses for online poker sites are based on playing a certain number of real-money hands.
By its very nature, Fast-Fold Poker lets players mow through hundreds of hands in a fraction of the time it would normally take them.
What is Zoom Poker, Snap Poker, Zone Poker ETC?
Every online poker site developed its own version of Fast-Fold Poker over the years and launched each one with a proprietary name.
It can be a little tricky to keep track of but here are the most popular Fast-Fold variants that you’ll run into on the internet.
Is Fast-Fold Poker Good for New Players?
If it’s your very first time playing poker ever then you’ll likely want to start with the slower-paced regular tables.
What Games Are Available for Fast-Fold?
Fast-Fold poker is mostly limited to just No-Limit Hold’em although you will find some Pot-Limit Omaha games on the bigger sites.
Don’t get your hopes up for less popular games like Seven-Card Stud or 2-7 Triple Draw, however, as those games have never been offered in Fast-Fold format.
Are There Downsides to Fast-Fold Poker?
Not really but it’s not for everyone.
You shouldn’t let that scare you away, however, as Fast-Fold offers an exciting new way to play Limit Texas Hold'em.
History of Fast-Fold Poker
Since the dawn of the online poker boom in the early 2000s, operators have been actively seeking a new variant of poker that they could call their own. There have been plenty of misses over the years (along with a few hits) but nothing really took off quite like Fast-Fold Poker.
Speed Poker FAQ
What is fast fold poker?
Fast fold poker is another name for speed poker. Some poker sites call the game fast-fold poker and others call it speed poker. Though the game was inspired by online poker, fast-fold poker is now played in some offline setting.
Two televised poker tournaments, the Poker Dome Challenge and the World Speed Poker Open, use speed poker as their main game. Also, the Asia-Pacific Speed Poker Championship features fast-fold poker.
In the US poker market, fast-fold poker has many names. For instance, some famous poker sites call the game "Zone Poker". Other poker sites call the game Zoom Poker or Snap Poker.
What is speeding in poker?
Speed Poker or fast-fold poker is a variant of online poker that many cardroom sites offer. Speed poker can be played with any variant, though most games feature Texas Hold'em. Players have 15 seconds to make a decision before the hand is ruled dead.
Some sites allow a single 30-second extension to each player in the game. If the hand has had no previous action, the default action is checking to the next player. All other rules are identical to Texas Hold'em.
How do you play speed poker?
In most versions of online speed poker, the game variant is Texas Hold'em. Most rules are identical to standard Texas Hold'em rules. Players must make their decision to call, raise, or fold within 15 seconds, though. If other players made bets in front of the player, the hand is ruled dead if the player doesn't make a decision within 15 seconds. Essentially, the player folds.
If no bets have been made in the round of betting and the player doesn't make a decision within 15 seconds, then the player is ruled to have checked to the next player. Many sites allow for one 30-second extension for each player when making a decision.
On some online poker sites, special betting rules apply. For instance, Mansion Poker's game has pot limit betting rules in pre-flop play and no-limit betting in post-flop play.