PokerStars Introduces Fushion Poker

1. Home
2. News
3. Pokerstars Introduces Fushion Poker

PokerStars is famous for introducing new poker variants to try and drum up interest and excitement amongst recreational players. Games such as 6+ Hold’em and Showtime Hold’em were interesting twists on Texas Hold’em but now the World’s Largest Poker Site has announced one of the more unusual new variants we’ve heard of in a while.

On Tuesday, PokerStars sent out a press release announcing Fusion Poker, combining elements of both Texas Hold’em and Omaha Poker. The is definitely one of the boldest additions to the PokerStars lineup, but is it one that has a realistic chance of surviving?

Fusion Poker Defined

Hold onto your hats folks because this one gets trippy. Fusion Poker stars pretty simple. You get two hole cards just like Texas Hold’em. All pre-flop action continues as normal. After the pre-flop betting round is completed, that’s when things start to shake up a bit.

When the flop is dealt, each player gets a third hole card, similar to what you’d see in Pineapple Poker. Action then continues on the flop the same way it does in normal Hold’em or Omaha. The final twist comes on the turn.

When the turn is dealt, each remaining player gets a fourth hole card. The game is now Omaha. You have to use two cards in your hand and three on the board to make your best hand. From there, all action on the turn and the river continues as it would in Omaha Poker.

So in essence, you’re playing Delayed Draw Omaha. Talk about a crazy way to play the game. According to Director of Poker Innovation and Operations Severin Rasset, “We want to give our players games that they have never played before and bring a unique offering to the table.

Fusion mixes two well-loved formats together, giving an exciting twist to the game. We eagerly await player feedback and look forward to seeing everyone joining the tables and giving Fusion a try.”

Speculating on Strategy Changes for the Game

Starting my career as a draw poker player, I understand the concepts of draw poker but applying a Draw Poker strategy to Omaha is definitely one you have to work to wrap your head around because the dynamics of hands can change wildly on both the flop and the turn based on not only the board card but also what they players draw.

I can see this having two wildly divergent impacts on how action will go down in this game. Pre-flop, I can see a boatload of limping. You can’t play this like Hold’em at all. While they put it as a “fushion” of the variants, you can’t come into the game with a Hold’em mindset or you’re going to have your bankroll decimated. A lot of players are going to want to see a flop and get a better idea of whether they have the makings of a legitimate hand.

On the other end, you could get a lot of PLO players that go the other extreme and start pumping potential big hands. Your big suited card and connector cards are going to be valued highly by some players, whether correct or not. They are going to make you pay to play those big pairs.

As such, I don’t see any real middle ground for this game. It will either be a very popular variant with a lot of action, or it will be a limp and fold on the flop fest that players will bore of quickly. Time will tell.

Limited-Time Cash Games Now Available on .DK

Fushion Poker is already available on the .DK site in cash game format. It will soon be released on the .COM, .NET, .EU, and .UK sites. Like other recent variants such as Showtime Hold’em, this is being pegged as a limited-time release by the company.

As always, I applaud PokerStars for trying new ideas regarding poker variants. While the company definitely has its faults and complaints from players in the past, they have always been one of the innovators when it comes to online poker games and helping to revive the games of the past.

Regardless of how Fushion Poker turns out, I encourage them to continue releases these fresh new variants. You never know what will become the next Badugi or Short Deck Hold’em, and it is always great to see new poker games added to the mix regardless of how outlandish they appear.