Duplicate Holdem - Poker Skill Game

Well, with the current legal climate for online poker in the United States, it wasn't going to take long for companies to try to develop a "workaround" just like kids and sharing music in the world after Napster's heyday.

Welcome the idea of "skill-based poker", as if poker was not already a game of skill. Either way, we now have a new version of Holdem that can be played online. It's called duplicate holdem, and is definitely a take on the game of holdem as we all know it.

Here is an overview of how the game is played:

• There are always two or more tables of players, with the same number of players seated at each table
• An identically shuffled deck of cards is used at each table for each hand played so that players in the same seat position at each table receive the same hole cards and the common cards are the same at each table
• Every player begins each hand with the same number of playing chips, regardless of how he/she may have done in any previous hand
• The winner of each hand is determined based on the number of chips he or she has at the end of the game as compared with those held by all players in the same seat at the other tables

"Determining winners by comparing the results achieved by the players playing identical hands eliminates the luck of the draw element normally associated with poker so that skill is what determines who wins, not whether you got good cards or bad cards. Every hand can win if it is well played."

So basically, you play against the players with the same seat number at the different tables. If there are five tables playing, you're not playing against the players at your table. You are playing against everyone else in the same position at the other tables.

The idea is that you'll each experience that same game situations, and whoever makes the best decisions will win.

I'm not sure how it all actually plays out in the real world, but if you're interested in trying the game of Duplicate Holdem, you can do so online at e-PokerUSA. They've been running a $25 free promo for new players.

The thing about the game that scares me is envsioning scenes like this. . .

I fold my 93o to an all-in re-raise that happens before I even get to act pre-flop. One of my opponents calls it, and hits a full house on the flop, taking down a massive pot. It's not like I played the hand poorly, but I've managed to lose to this "skillful player" in this "skill version of poker".

I'm not sure my blood pressure can take that kind of event, so I'm taking a pass on this alternative version of texas holdem. Still, it could be a new take on an old game and may be fun for entertainment, if not profit. anyone ho takes a seat at these tables can feel free to share their experiences over at Poker Prophet.