Get a Second Chance in Texas Hold’em
George | November 11, 2018
There aren’t many second chances in life, especially in gaming. Pick the wrong lottery numbers or back the wrong team in the local derby, and you’re out of the game with no way back. All you can do is sit back and watch other players win. When it comes to making the wrong call, Texas Hold’em can be the cruelest and most frustrating game of all.
Based on just your two hole cards, with no idea what the flop, turn, or river may bring, you must decide whether to play or fold. It is never easy, no matter what you are holding. Two promising cards of the same suit suggesting a flush can turn out to be the only two of that suit that appear. Conversely, a seemingly unpromising off-suit pair, such as a seven and a two, could become the key to a full house if the flop brings you similar cards.
How to make your choice
There are endless ways to decide whether to play or fold with your hole cards. Top players like Phil Hellmuth and David Sklansky have created tables of hole cards. Mathematicians and statisticians, such as Bill Chen, have devised complex mathematical formulas based on the potential strength of what you are holding.
The trouble is, while these systems may work well in the long run, they are not always useful for individual hands. You always risk folding early, only to regret it instantly when the flop brings exactly what you hoped for. Until now, all you could do in that situation was kick yourself and feel sorry. However, thanks to online poker sites, all that has changed.
Unfold you folded hand
Unfold Hold’em is the latest idea from the leading online poker platform, and it is designed to give your poor shins a break. With this smart new side game, you get the chance to take back your bad call by unfolding your hand if you get a favorable flop. You may not get to re-join the main game, but you do get the chance to play for a separate unfold pot by way of compensation.
The concept is brilliant, and the execution is really simple. At the start of each hand, players pay an extra ante to create an unfold pot. The hole cards are then dealt and those big decisions are made with each player deciding to play on or fold. After all the first round betting is done, the flop is then dealt. Any player who folded pre-flop can then decide to take part in the Unfold Hold’em game by placing a bet equivalent to the unfold pot. As long as there are at least two folded players who want to take part, this side game is now in play.
The rest of the hand carries on as normal, while the folded/unfolded players watch, and they make no further bets as the turn and river cards appear. Once the main hand is settled, the unfold players then compete for the side pot based on a simple showdown to see who has the best poker hand.
The rules
The unfold game is only available to players who fold pre-flop, and anyone who folds later in the course of the hand is out altogether. Naturally, if no players fold or no one chooses to unfold, or only one player wants to play, then there is no side game and the unfold ante is returned to all players. The same is true if the main hand is settled before the flop. If the main game ends before the full set of community cards are dealt, then these are dealt afterward to allow the unfolding game to be played out.
You will never get the chance to change your lottery numbers after the first three balls have been drawn. You’ll never get the chance to switch teams after the first goal goes in. But at least you can now unfold that winning hand that you thought was going to be a loser.
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