Fast Fold Poker Strategy Guide

In our latest poker strategy article poker coach John Bradley explains the major differences between fast fold tables and regular tables as well as the best Fast Fold Poker Strategy.

The Fast Fold Poker format of No-Limit Hold-Em Cash Games, was introduced by PokerStars back in the early 2010s.

Since then, it has become massively popular, and now, all the major sites have fast fold tables.

Fast Fold Poker Tables

Fast fold poker tables allow you to, when you fold, instantly be transported to another table, with another decision.

Instead of playing on a table with the same 6 or 9 players, you are now in a pool of players who are constantly shifting seats.

One of the most notable differences this leads to is in relation to how many hands you can play.

At a regular cash game online, you must find an empty seat, sit in the seat, wait for the Big Blind and then you can play. Additionally, the game can break and then you must go and find another table.

When you fold a hand, you must wait patiently while others play their hands before you receive another hand to play.

All in all, this leads to you playing around 50-60 hands per hour per table, at best.

At fast fold tables, on the other hand, when you register, you immediately have a hand to play, and when you fold, you immediately have another hand.

There is no table breaking, and whenever you wish to stop playing, you simply step up from the table.

Therefore, at one fast fold table, you can expect to get 200-250 hands per hour, per table; a significant increase.

Fast Fold Poker Strategy Volume

This increase in volume per hour can do wonders for your bottom line.

If money is your primary driver, you can even accept a lower winrate, due to the fact that your volume will be so much higher.

Change in the Dynamics

Due to the ability to get in so much volume, and the fast fold element, the game tends to attract players who are very tight and straightforward.

Oftentimes, they will also be chasing leaderboards, which reward their volume rather than their winrate.

This means that the way you will gain an edge will be different than regular tables.

Small Aggression

The major difference will be that, you will be looking to win many, many little pots.

The pots that you will be looking to win will be, the pots which the manic button-clicking folder will not be looking to win.

This means that you should, compared to regular tables:

• Open more from all positions (particularly the Button and Small Blind)
• 3Bet bluff more versus late position opens
• Cbet bluff more, and for smaller sizings
• Make more small stabs at pots before there is much money in the pot
• Pressurise the middle of your opponents’ ranges (make it really easy for them to just fold)

They want to fold, so, when it benefits you, make it really easy for them to do so.

When to fold?

At a regular table, one of the main ways that you make money, is through getting big hands, and having your opponents stack off too lightly.

At fast fold tables, this will happen a lot less.

The mistake that most players will make in big pots, is underbluffing. Therefore, your adjustment should be to overfold.

In the hand above, I called a raise preflop, called a small cbet, and 75% turn cbet, before facing an all-in bet on the river.

A solver will suggest calling here around 50% of the time, but in practice, and especially in fast fold poker, doing this would be burning so much money.

One way to think about it, is to consider whether the bluff is natural and easy. Most players will only take the easy bluffs at the best of times, especially in fast fold poker.

Even if you make the evaluation that your opponent isn’t representing a wide value range here, my experience tells me, that it is way more likely that villain is going thinnish for value with AQ, than he is finding a very creative bluff.

People do not like bluffing, and in fast fold poker, they have an easy out – they can simply move onto the next hand.

Fast-Fold Poker Strategy Summary

Fast fold poker can be a great game to play, to get in lots of volume, which can be great for your bottom line.

The games are also very exploitable, but, the exploits are different than at regular tables.

Open up your game in the small pots, tighten up in the big pots, and you will be crushing these games in no time.

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