I have had several emails from players asking my opinion on the new "Rush Poker" on Full Tilt. In case you do not play on FT or have not heard, this is a new cash ring game that you can sit down at, where you are whisked to a new table after every hand. In fact, not only do you change tables after every hand, you can change tables right in the middle of a hand if you simply fold. The effect is that you are basically involved in a hand consistently, at all times. Of course, once the flop comes down and the subsequent turn and river, the game slows a bit while betting takes place, but you get the idea.
Just to be perfectly clear, Rush Poker bears about as much resemblance to the actual game of poker as checkers does to chess. That is, Rush Poker is simply not poker. It is a game for action junkies who feel like they want to have a part of every hand. What you will get (and I have tried it to prove my point) is players who are willing to play anything and try to suck out any hand because you will not be sitting next to them in 3 seconds anyway. What this game does is bring more 'luck factor' into the game than it should ever have.
Part of learning how to play poker is learning patience. Part of the game is watching your opponents and their betting patterns. Seeing what cards they will take to showdown, what they will open with from early position, how they defend blinds, etc is a huge part of the game and a huge part of being a successful poker player. Rush Poker takes away all of those elements and pretty much creates a game of Bingo. While Bingo can be fun if you win, it is not poker folks!
So, for those of you wondering, by all means go ahead and try Rush Poker, it is fun as a diversion. Maybe like putting $ 10 in a slot machine on your way to the tables at a casino; its kind of cool if you win, but you do not really expect your money back!