Poker comes in all shapes and sizes, and many people in the industry are always eager to come up with new variations of this game. Moreover, a lot of players are always eager to try new types of poker and explore the possible options in this game.
Playing new poker games broadens our horizons and lets us explore new strategies. Even if you’re new to poker, you will have a lot of fun playing something different than Hold ’em or Omaha.
PokerStars has been the leader in the online poker industry for a long time, and it’s not unusual for this platform to experiment with new games and offer them to the players. One of the latest titles is called Swap Hold ’em, and it is a slight variation to Texas Hold ’em game.
The game has been tested with UK players who were members of the PokerStars platform, according to Poker Industry PRO. After the initial testing went well, the game was made available worldwide.
The Rules Are Slightly Different
The environment looks familiar, as the tables look like six-max Hold ’em tables. However, PokerStars made a special table design for Swap players.
Therefore, you’ll not get confused when you enter the game if you have at least some experience playing Hold ’em games. That said, the interface is going to look very familiar.
A round of Swap poker starts pretty much like Texas, with players receiving two hole cards. What follows is the one crucial difference. Players can select one or both of their cards when it’s their turn to place a bet.
The selected cards will go dark and will have an X over them. As soon as that happens, a “Swap” button will appear, meaning the players will have an opportunity to swap their hole card(s).
When they are given new cards, the old cards are thrown away.
Players have the option to swap cards whenever they want to when it’s their turn to place a bet. The only scenario in which swapping cards is not available is when players go all-in.
There’s a nice option to hover over with your mouse on the swap icon, which will let you see your old cards that were swapped. This way, you’ll always be able to see whether you made a wise choice by swapping your cards.
Stephen Bartley wrote on the official PokerStars blog that the game presented players with new strategies and innovative dynamics.
This is indeed a great and interesting game that’s certainly going to attract a lot of players to try it. It’s too early to predict whether players would stick around.
The game is quite similar to Texas Hold ’em. It’s virtually identical. But there’s something that yells Omaha from it — probably the fact that we can know up to four hole cards when we play the game.
One thing is certain — Swap poker will definitely require players to adjust to the game and explore new possibilities.