Making The Switch to Rush
Poker
Rush Poker is booming
right now. The games are full of fish;
everyone’s giving Rush a shot. Needless to say,
there’s a huge opportunity for skilled players
to make some cash!
You’ve
heard of Rush Poker, no doubt. What’s holding
you back from giving it a try? Although the
dynamics of Rush are quite different from those
of normal-paced poker, it’s far from a whole new
game. You’ll only need to make a few minor
adjustments in order to start making some money.
Rush Poker Adjustment
#1: Throw Your Reads Out the Window
In a game of Rush
Poker, you’ll be playing each hand against a
whole new group of opponents. It’s kind of like
speed dating: spend 5 seconds getting to know
one group, then on to the next. Thus it’s
utterly useless trying to make long-term reads
on your opponents.
You
can try making short-term reads, if you want.
Some can be quite useful. For example:
- Stack sizes
- Screen names
- Standard betting
lines
All of these can give
you small insights into who you’re up against.
However other sorts of reads are totally
impossible to make. For example:
- Steal percentages.
- Bluff rates.
- Preflop hand
ranges.
- Any long-term
patterns. For instance, c-bet flop
percentages.
Looking for any of the
above reads will only give you a headache. Rush
Poker requires you to pay more attention to your
cards than your opponents. Focus on making
consistently correct decisions, rather than on
exploiting opponents’ leaks.
Rush Poker
Adjustment #2: Play it Safe Preflop
Since
there are no metagame considerations in Rush
Poker, you need to pay more attention to playing
fundamentally solid card-based poker. This means
tightening up preflop, and sticking to your
ranges.
The
normal rules of position apply:
- Play tight in
early position. High pocket pairs, AK, and
AQ suited are pretty much all you should go
for here. Maybe KQ suited, if you’re feeling
dangerous.
- Play solid in
middle position. All pocket pairs, AQ-K,
AJ-K suited, and KQ are playable. If you’re
folded to, you can open your range a bit
wider. However if there are limpers behind
you (or more significantly, a raise) you
need to stick to your guns.
- Have some fun in
late position. If you’re folded to, don’t be
afraid to steal the blinds. Keep a very wide
stealing range; players are more inclined to
just give up their antes in Rush Poker.
Don’t be afraid to 3-bet raisers before you
when you’ve got a good hand. Even in Rush
Poker, position is king.
Avoid getting caught up
in crazy bluffs. Making crazy moves in Rush
Poker is not smart; bluffs are all about
exploiting your opponents, using what you know
about their playing tendencies. In Rush Poker,
you know nothing about their playing tendencies.
Thus bluffing can only lead you to a world of
hurt.
Don’t
psych yourself out. This is especially important
if you’re a regular in normal-paced poker games.
A lot of grinders have a tendency to think three
levels deep into any action an opponent makes.
“Oh, he’s raising, but I’ve seen him raise from
that position before and he showed down air
after floating two streets…” This kind of
thought process will destroy your profits in
Rush Poker. Judge actions at their face value,
for the most part, and you’ll do well.
Rush Poker Adjustment #3: Speed Kills…
Buckle Up!
The quick fold button
is awesome. I love using it, as does every other
Rush Poker player, and as will you. However you
need to take care not to go into quick fold
autopilot.
As
counterintuitive as it may seem, Rush Poker
discourages concentration. It’s really easy to
slip into the habit of clicking quick fold as a
habit. I’ve folded QQ, KK, and AA numerous times
because of this. Thus it’s very important that
you stop and think for a couple of seconds
before taking any action.
Use
the quick fold button as a tool to help you see
more hand in an hour. Do not let it turn into a
tool that helps you feed your inner action
junky. Remember, Rush Poker is all about staying
focused and reasonable. Stay tight, solid, and
concentrated; you’ll be winning stacks in no
time!
Join the Thousands of Players Who Have Made the
Switch to Rush Poker
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