PokerStars has made big news by officially releasing their much-anticipated Zoom Poker to real money players. Zoom has had grinders salivating for months now because it enables them to play far more hands per hour, thus increasing their potential profits.
The launch comes just a couple of months after PokerStars made this revolutionary poker variant available to people through a beta testing phase. As soon as Zoom Poker was ready for beta testing, 3,000 players filled the two available $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold’em pools that were offered. This being said, it’s no surprise that over 300 million Zoom hands were dealt before Stars made the fast-paced variant available to their entire player base.
Upgrades made to Pokerstars Zoom Poker
The great thing about Zoom beta testing is that it enabled PokerStars to make some necessary upgrades to their latest product. No longer are players only relegated to $0.01/$0.02 stakes since there are now pools available for $0.02/$0.05 up to $2.50/$5. Additionally, players can step out of the typical No Limit Hold’em games and try Zoom versions of Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo and 5-Card Draw.
How does Pokerstars Zoom Poker work?
The Pokerstars Zoom process begins when players join a “pool” and select their desired stakes ($0.02/$0.05, $0.05/$0.10, etc) and variation (Omaha, 5-Card Draw, etc). From here, games play out just like regular ring tables, except for the fact that when Zoom players fold, they’re taken to a different table with new players from the pool. So if you’re dealt 8-4 offsuit in early position, you can click “Fast Fold” and be taken to a completely new table. The idea here is to cut out wasted time spent waiting for others to finish hands.
Another point worth covering here is the small and big blinds, which usually go to whichever players haven’t paid the blinds in the longest amount of time. This way, everybody is putting out blinds at an equal rate, rather than certain players being forced to pay blinds an unequal number of times. However, it should be added that, on occasion, players will find themselves in the small or big blind two hands in a row.
How to get started with PokerStars Zoom
Those interested in playing Zoom merely need to be a member of PokerStars and complete the following steps:
1. Go to the PokerStars lobby and select the “Zoom Poker” tab
2. Choose the desired stakes and game
3. Click “Join Game” to begin playing
4. If you want to multi-table, click “Join Game” again and you’ll see another table open
PokerStars Zoom Poker Mobile
Aside from releasing Zoom for desktops/laptops, Stars also launched Zoom for the mobile-based Android platform. So now those with Android products can play their hands at a much faster pace too. Going beyond Zoom, Android players can also expect improved PokerStars graphics, scrollable lobby menus, a new auto-rebuy feature, and better search tools.
PokerStars Zoom Multi-tabling
For lightening-quick players who want even faster action with Pokerstars Zoom Poker, there’s a multi-tabling feature offered. The way this works is that players can enter the same player pool up to four times and sit at a total of eight Zoom tables across these pools. Amazingly, multi-tablers will still never be seated at the same table as themselves – even when playing eight simultaneous tables!
See Hands play out
Those who long for the ability to see hands play out – like at normal ring tables – can simply hold down the CTRL key while folding. This enables them to see the action play out before they’re whisked away to another table.
Daniel Negreanu loves Zoom
Canadian poker pro and Team PokerStars member Daniel Negreanu has been around the industry for a very long time. And even he’s extremely impressed by Stars’ new creation as he said, “Zoom Poker offers people a different way to play poker.” He continued by stating, “Recreational players who want more constant action will be able to fold instantly and wait for better hands, while pro grinders will be able to get in hundreds of more hands an hour and win more. On top of all that, it’s just so much fun to play!”
If you’d like to join Negreanu on the Zoom Poker tables, make sure that you’re signed up for PokerStars and visit their lobby to play now.