The first question in your mind must be, “What the heck is Speed Poker?" Well, it’s something you almost need to see to believe. Imagine all of the excitement of a final poker table, but speed it up! None of the hesitation, none of the stalling, just pure instinct, extremely fast mathematical calculations, and a countdown clock. One of the hottest, and most exciting new trends in poker is currently being popularized in Australia.

The game looks like Texas Hold’em, but is different in a number of important ways. What makes it speedy? Well, to start with, you have two dealers: one always shuffling, the other always ready to deal. This cuts out some of the delays between rounds. Then, you have six players per table. But these changes are not that dramatic, so where does the extra excitement come from? The difference comes from the 15-second limit. Yes, just 15 seconds to make your decision. If the player needs to call an opponents bet and they don’t do so in 15 seconds, they automatically fold. If the player needs to take no action at the time, they automatically check.

Speed poker also corrects another standard issue with Texas Hold’em tournaments - the issue of the short stack. The tournaments are designed to keep the chip count difference between players to a manageable amount. More specifically, the chip leader should not have more than 30 times the chips of the lowest player. While this difference is still substantial, it’s low enough to keep the blinds from being a huge pressure on play. This means that the blinds do not oust the players and the emphasis remains on skill. While an impossible chip lead is always welcome for the chip leader, this strategy makes for better play for those not in the lead, and much better entertainment for viewers!

You’d think that a strict time limit could become a problem in itself, but players get at least one 'Time Breaker' button, which permits them an additional 30 seconds to act. Basically it’s more hands in less time, and more hands means more chances for exciting play. This is also a plus for spectators. At the final table in the last tournament, the average was 96 hands an hour. Yes, that’s the average, not the top speed. That’s the kind of poker tournament action that has you glued to your seat.

While this will become a factor in televised tournaments over time, how can Speed Poker change your home game? By far the easiest element to take into your home play is the 15-second clock and the Time Breaker buttons. A faster game will challenge people and push their poker instincts to the limit while it can also punish people for being distracted and force them to focus. A faster game also makes for less down time and offers better entertainment value for people who have been eliminated.

So, keep your eyes peeled for Speed Poker. It’s a hot new trend in poker and might just change the way the game is played! To learn more go to www.speedpoker.tv