Players will be seated at the Showtime Hold’em tables using the Seat Me system that was designed by PokerStars to eliminate the “bum hunting” or “whale hunting” or fishing altogether – all you need to do is to pick the stakes and the next random open seat at the Showtime table is yours. The world's leading online poker platform shelved its latest unique game offering, Showtime Hold'em, on Monday after a couple of months on the client. Repeating the cycle followed with Split Hold'em, PokerStars is expected to introduce new offerings in the coming weeks and months, with details scant but speculation building after a reveal. Fusion, the most successful of the truly original games PokerStars has tried, recently made a second appearance. It was then removed again to make room for Swap Hold’em. However, it and Showtime continue to be included occasionally on the schedules for major tournament series. Swap scratches the same itch as Fusion. PokerStars launch Fusion Split Showtime Spin and Go. The ultimate all-action game has just hit PokerStars and to celebrate there is a $5,550 freeroll that includes Sunday Million tickets today. This is a discussion on Pokerstars Launches Showtime Hold'em within the online poker forums, in the Online Poker section; Introducing Showtime Hold'em Dan Price @PokerStars 7 hours ago.

Poker players love a challenge. The game of Hold’em presents a challenge inherent in its intricacies, as do the many variations of poker. But when a team of developers can create a twist on the game that simply builds more levels of analysis into the traditional game, why not give it to the players and see what happens?

PokerStars did this less than two months ago with a game called Split Hold’em. It was a version of the “run it twice” concept that produced two sets of community cards. It was popular to an extent, but the game may not have delivered the intrigue that the site hoped it would.

Enter Showtime Hold’em.

Introducing Showtime Hold'em on @PokerStars. https://t.co/b0VmUMDM76pic.twitter.com/Tjva50NRh9

Showtime Pokerstars Online

— PokerStarsBlog (@PokerStarsBlog) May 24, 2018

For a Limited Time Only

As was the idea with Split Hold’em, the new Showtime Hold’em game is going to be available to all players for a limited time only.

Showtime Hold’em uses the same Texas Hold’em concept but adds one key element: When a player folds during a hand, their cards will be turned up for all players to see. Essentially, it changes the calculation of the odds of potential outs, as the face-up cards provide more information than is typically available during a hand.

Showtime Hold'em: How good a player would you be if you could see your opponent's cards?*: https://t.co/7M5x7HCj4ypic.twitter.com/ecqlJE1xzn

— PokerStarsBlog (@PokerStarsBlog) May 23, 2018

The announcement came from PokerStars Ring Game Manager Dan Price, who also revealed that there will be a Showtime Hold’em Twitch Invitational tournament. While details are not yet available, he did say that the event will feature PokerStars ambassadors playing the new game on a Twitch livestream.

To get a feel for how the Team Pros are getting to know the new game, this video features Lex Veldhuis, Fintan Hand, and Ben Spragg trying it for the first time when recently in Monte Carlo.

The purpose of the game is to give players a twist on the traditional game, a way to experiment with strategy and odds to bring a new component to the cash game competition.

Per PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations Severin Rasset, “It is a real pleasure to offer this second temporary variant to our players. The possibility to see all folded cards will introduce some fascinating strategic adjustments to the traditional and well-loved NL Hold’em game.”

Yep, it was a short term run to gauge interest. Same with Showtime. If players really like a game, they may come back long-term. But in the short term, it’s ideas being thrown out, “how do you feel about this?”

— Chris J Finlay (@chrisjfinlay) May 24, 2018

Seat Me Still Required

As happened with Split Hold’em, all Showtime Hold’em tables will be filled using the Seat Me system. Players simply choose the game and stake, and they will be automatically seated.

PokerStars has determined that the system reduces the ability to bumhunt, which is a way that experienced players prey on newer competitors, and it prevents them from using seating scripts. It keeps the seating as random and fair as possible.

Anyone is welcome to play Showtime Hold’em, as games begin at the $0.02/$0.04 level with a $2 buy-in. For those new to the Seat Me system or who want to watch the game before diving in, they can click the “observe” button to see the games being played.

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Ever wondered what poker would be liked if you could somehow magically see everyone’s hole cards? Well, if you have then this must be your lucky due because PokerStars is debuting a game that will give players the chance to do just this. Showtime Hold’em, the game, is an exciting no-limit variant and twist on the popular and old school no-limit Texas Hold’em where folded cards are exposed face-up for all the players to see throughout the duration of the hand.

Would you play differently if you could see your opponents’ folded cards? How would your opponents’ play if they saw what cards you folded in certain situations? As you will come to find out, the exposed folded cards will certainly add an extra element to the ordinary game since the players are given vital information which will, with a doubt, influence the moves they make next.

While it is a very unique take on the traditional Texas Hold’em, Showtime Hold’em is close enough to the old-school game and therefore players will not need to learn any new set of rules. Still, if you need them, the operator has explicitly detailed them on their website for rookie players.

“Traditional Texas Hold’em sees players each receive two private cards (known as ‘hole cards’) that belong to them alone, with five community cards then dealt face-up – known as the ‘board’. All players in the hand use these shared community cards, combined with their own hole cards, to each make their best possible five-card poker hand. What makes Showtime Hold’em different, is that every card folded by any player remains face-up and visible for the rest of the hand. This includes all cards folded pre- and post-flop,” PokerStars explained.

Showtime Hold’em tables are currently live and players can either opt for the real money or play money options with stakes starting from as low as $0.02 and $0.05 respectively. Players will be seated at the Showtime Hold’em tables using the Seat Me system that was designed by PokerStars to eliminate the “bum hunting” or “whale hunting” or fishing altogether – all you need to do is to pick the stakes and the next random open seat at the Showtime table is yours.

Showtime Pokerstars App

“It is a real pleasure to offer this second temporary variant to our players,” said Severin Rasset, the director of poker innovation and operations at PokerStars. “The possibility to see all folded cards will introduce some fascinating strategic adjustments to the traditional and well-loved no-limit hold’em game.”

A Follow Up to Split Hold’em

Showtime Hold’em’s release comes just a few days after the PokerStars’ previous temporary poker variant, Split Hold’em, ended its six-week run. Just like Showtime, Split Hold’em was a traditional Hold’em poker variant with the only twist being that it was played with two separate sets of community cards dealt simultaneously – there were two flops, then two turns and then followed by two rivers. The pot was split between the winners of each board but a single player could also scoop the entire pot if every other player folded or if the player had both winning hands.

Pokerstars Showtime Holdem

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