Zoom Poker Guide

Written by the CardsChat Editorial Team

If a standard online tournament or cash game isn’t quick enough for you then Zoom poker is the ideal solution.

It has gone by various names since Full Tilt first introduced the format as Rush Poker, and is currently known as Zoom poker at PokerStars, or ‘fast-fold poker’ more generally. It’s a fast-paced tournament and ring-game format where you change tables with every hand you are dealt.

Here are the key facts you need to know about Zoom poker:

Instead of being seated at a ‘table’, you join a ‘pool’ of players from which new tables are created after every hand
All tables in the pool play the same stakes
As soon as your cards are dealt you have the option of ‘fast-folding’: giving up your hand and being taken to an entirely new table. You can even do this before it’s your turn to act (to others at the table, it will look as though you are still waiting to act)
It is possible to multi-table by joining a pool multiple times (although you will never be seated at a table with yourself!)
You will be randomly seated at each new table. The poker software aims to ensure all players post the blinds the same amount of times, on average

Initially, Zoom will come across as just a standard game of Texas Hold ‘em, but you will soon notice the differences. Once the hands are dealt, you will be given the option to play the hand as normal or fast-fold your hand. Choose the latter and you will be immediately moved to a new table and dealt a new hand.

If you’re the type of player that mainly waits for good cards then the fast fold option is going to be a popular feature for you. Continue reading our Zoom poker guide to find out more.

High speed nature of Zoom poker — Due to the high-speed nature of the Zoom poker format it’s possible to play many more hands per hour than you usually would.

Advantages and Disadvantages

While there’s a lot to love about playing Zoom poker online, there are some key points to consider in relation to the positive and negative aspects of the game.

Advantages

It allows players to play more hands per hour than any other format, increasing the possibility of making more money per hour.
Playing against different and unknown opponents is a key advantage in this format. You will be able to play differently on every new table you are moved to, you won’t have to worry about balancing your range in specific spots and can open up your game by trying different styles. The more unknown players you play against, the less they know about you.
It’s easy to gain experience quickly due to the increased amount of hands you are playing in each session. Additionally, multi-tabling Zoom poker can make that process even faster, allowing you to play many more hands, in a shorter time, than any other format.
Table selection is a non-issue if you are playing Zoom cash games, and you won’t need to think about moving tables to find softer opposition. As you will be playing against a pool of players rather than fixed opponents on one table, you will gain experience competing with tough players as well as players on whom you have an edge.

Disadvantages

As you are playing different opponents on every table, it’s more difficult to get reads at the beginning of sessions. This could lead to you making poor decisions, as you won’t be able to figure out your opponents’ ranges as well as you might in a non-Zoom format.
Zoom poker removes the idea of traditional table dynamics, which can prevent players from taking advantage of certain spots that they are used to exploiting. No history with your opponents results in decisions being made ‘in a vacuum’, rather than with the benefit of player-specific experience.
Recreational players may not be attracted to the fast-fold aspect of this Texas Hold’em variant, and can often find themselves playing much tighter than they would usually do given that the usual ‘penalties’ for folding (i.e. sitting out of a hand, waiting for a new deal) do not apply.

Different Strategies for Zoom Poker

A sound Texas Hold’em poker strategy will prepare you well for Zoom poker online, but there are some subtle aspects of the format that you should consider when playing.

Fast Fold = More Aggression

The fast fold option plays a huge part in this format and is going to make the average player much tighter as they wait for good hands to play. Additionally, a lot of players tend to give up their blinds way too easily as they are transfixed by the fast fold button and just want to keep folding until they find a better hand. This is a clear indication that you can be much more aggressive in late position. Even though smart opponents will eventually play back at you, you can put pressure on them until they start to adjust.

Late Position

In general, understanding late position play is probably the most important part of playing Zoom poker. Players tend to try and take advantage of the blinds on offer with the mindset that they are going to be given up easily due to the fast fold option of the game. This creates an interesting dynamic as players’ 3-betting ranges can become much wider as they know how wide your opening range can be in late position. In this instance, a tighter style of play is ideal and playing your good cards in a straightforward manner can be incredibly profitable.

Bankroll Considerations

More hands played inevitably leads to more variance and swings to your bankroll. When starting out with Zoom poker, taking a conservative approach is ideal. Due to the amount of hands you will be playing in each session, there are going to be more situations where your stack is at risk. All players should consider bankroll management a key skill, but Zoom poker players should give it extra consideration – and probably a little extra room to maneuver when it comes to their bankroll.

Multi-Tabling

The option to multi-table Zoom online poker is always available, but adapting to it may take some time. If you’re trying fast-fold poker for the first time, multi-tabling will be extremely difficult. With the number of hands you are being dealt being so much quicker than multi-tabling normal cash tables, you will have to take in so much more information and process it quickly before making optimal decisions. It will be difficult for you to play your best game, therefore slowly adapting to this format is an ideal approach. You can always add more tables once you’ve gained more experience.