Dominik Nitsche and Parker Talbot were in Barcelona, Spain this past week for some live PSPC Barcelona action but still found some time to speculate on how Flopomania changes the game they know so well. We talked to both to see what their expectations are and how they plan to adapt.
PokerListings: Regarding gameplay, what are the main differences between Flopomania and regular Hold’em?
Parker Talbot: I’m not quite sure yet, it’ll give the game some weird dynamic. In regular Hold’em you make judgments on the other players’ hands based on their pre-flop action. Now it’s different and you’ll make judgments on the turn and river. It’s going to be interesting to see.
Dominik Nitsche: There will always be 6 players on the flop, and everyone can have any possible card combination, so position will be extremely important. You need a completely different hand to give action in first than in last position. We’ll see a lot of weaker players make the mistake of not letting go of their hands. I think you shouldn’t, for example, push middle pairs as there will be stronger hands behind you.
PokerListings: How do you adapt?
Parker Talbot: Well, what’s going to change is that pairs become weaker. Hand strength overall has to go up. All your top pairs with weak kickers will be worth less. As everyone goes to the flop 7-3 off is going to flop bottom two much more often than previously. You’ll need to be more cautious but you’ll also be able to represent more hands.
Dominik Nitsche: Play and see. I’ll probably check all hands in early position except those that profit from other players folding. Typical examples would be straight draws and weak flush draws, which many people just can’t let go. It’s a bit like Pot Limit Omaha where weak draws often get massively overplayed and you should exploit this.
PokerListings: Are you going to stream Flopomania?
Parker Talbot: Yes! I’ll be playing in Montreal next week but I’ll put Flopomania on my stream when I’m back. Expect to see me play a few days before the XL Eclipse starts, where I’ll play a bunch of tournaments.
Dominik Nitsche: Actually, yes, why not? I’ll probably sit there and say I don’t know what to do … all-in? So, deal. When I’m back in Germany I’ll sit down and stream Flopomania.
PokerListings: Is Flopomania suitable for live play?
Parker Talbot: Yes, absolutely. Basically any online format can be played live. It could, for example, be a side event at an 888Live festival.
Dominik Nitsche: I think it rather won’t be. We’ll now run it online and see how well it’ll be accepted. I think it’ll probably find its own niche like BLAST. In the beginning that wasn’t really taken seriously and now it’s one of the most important games for several providers.
PokerListings: Could Flopomania work in a tournament format?
Parker Talbot: Absolutely. Come to think of it, it would be very interesting. In cash games you’re always a hundred big blinds deep but in tournaments there’ll be very different stacks. Also, the dynamic would change. Players could for example take middle pair and just shove on the flop.
Dominik Nitsche: Yes, definitely. You can play pretty much everything in tournament format. The main difference is that there’s always a flop. If the players want a tournament format, we’ll certainly provide it. However, I think regular tournament Hold’em is so popular that tournament Flopomania won’t become very big. But it can be a breath of fresh air and something we’ll all profit from.
Try Flopomania with an $888 Sign-Up Bonus
Flopomania is 888poker’s latest innovation in online poker. Read more about Flopomania. If you want to play Flopomania go to the 888poker review page and you can get started in no time with a download link that secures your eligibility for an $888 bonus.
