Fastforward Poker Strategy: How to Beat partypoker’s fastforward Games

Matthew Pitt Senior Editor

Feb 26, 2020 5 min read Last updated Jul 03, 2020

Fast-fold poker is still hugely popular several years after its launch.

partypoker's take on this format is known as fastforward and it has the potential to be massively profitable.

While the rules of fastforward are the same as a standard cash game, there are differences in the optimal strategy needed to beat fastforward consistently.

You'll learn how to beat fastforward during the next few minutes of reading time as we provide you with poker strategy tips to help your win rate soar.

How Does fastforward Work?

fastforward poker is essentially the same game as standard cash game with one notable exception.

Where in a standard cash game you're seated on the same table, in the same seat against the same players, in fastforward you are part of a player pool.

You are whisked away to a brand new table, in a different seat, and against new opponents upon the conclusion of each hand.

In fact, you don't even need to wait for the hand to end, if you don't want to. You can fold out of turn by clicking the fast fold button.

The action on your old table completes as normal while you are already busy being dealt into a new hand.

This format makes it possible to play more than three-times as many hands per table compared to a standard cash game.

Play two, four, even six tables of fastforward and its easy to see how you can rack up hands at an alarming rate.

What Are the Advantages of Playing fastforward?

The biggest advantage of playing fastforward poker over standard cash games is the aforementioned ability to log some ridiculous volume.

Fastforward is perfect if you are short of spare time but still want to play poker.

You can log into your partypoker account, play a single table for 30-minutes and still log a couple of hundred hands.

DID YOU KNOW? partypoker launched the weekly Cash Game Leaderboards!

Another positive of partypoker's fastforward is there are no HUDs (Heads-Up Displays) allowed on the site's cash games.

Your opponents are completely reliant on taking notes and observing your play in order to obtain reads and know how you handle all the poker hands.

Of course, the flip side is also true, but it means a fairer playing experience compared to other fast-fold games found elsewhere.

partypoker players also enjoy a loyalty program that pays cash every week.

You can earn up to 40% cashback if you generate enough cashback points during the week.

These are created at a rate of 1 cashback point per $1 contributed to the rake. Playing several hundred hands per hour can see your weekly cashback payments go through the roof.

Another bankroll-boosting feature of fastforward is the weekly Cash Game Leaderboards. Partypoker pays out $180,000 across 14 leaderboards (seven NLHE and seven PLO) each week to the players with the most points earned. Cash prizes worth up to $5,000 are up for grabs.

What Are The Disadvantages of Playing fastforward?

It's not all candy and rainbows when it comes to playing fastforward because there are disadvantages, too.

A major one is also what some see as a positive: the lack of HUDs

If you're used to relying on third-party poker tools to make your reads and base some of your plays on then jumping into a fastforward game will be a shock to your system.

Also, because you hardly play against the same opponents, unless you play at the highest stakes where the player pools are smaller, it's difficult to take reliable notes on your opponents.

Just because you saw a player three-bet preflop with 8♠6♣ doesn't mean they're a maniac based on one hand.

Some players find fastforward a little impersonal because there's no time to utilize the table chat facility. Furthermore, because you're always darting across to new tables, fastforward can feel like a grind.

It's also more difficult to play long sessions because you are always in the action.

All fast-fold games can be mentally draining due to the fact you're always having to think on your feet.

Finally, there is far less bluffing at the fastforward tables and the players usually play super tight. This can lead to games being monotonous, although how we'll be playing fastforward changes that last point!

How Do You Beat fastforward?

The first thing you need to be aware of, particularly at lower stakes, is fastforward players are nits.

The ability to fold your trash hands and receive new hole cards means even the weakest players are folding trash hands such as 10♠3♦ and the like.

They still overvalue weak aces and trap hands such as KxJx and Qx10x.

Poker players make most of their money adopting a style that's the opposite of our opponents. As fastforward players tend to be nits, we should play loose-aggressive.

Liberally stealing the blinds is one way to start your way to becoming a loose-aggressive player.

We noticed players fall into two camps when facing a blind steal:

they simply fold and let you take the pot,
or they call only to fold to a continuation-bet on the majority of flops.

It should be obvious stealing blinds tends to be profitable.

Even nits know they should be stealing the blinds and will do so with a wider range of hands, hands that can't stand up to a three-bet.

Re-raising preflop will often see you win the hand there and then but you still have momentum going to the flop as the preflop aggressor if your three-bet is called.

Likewise, you should three-bet more often preflop against late position raises.

This not only isolates the initial raiser, it gives you the opportunity to win a pot immediately because your opponents can't be bothered playing poker post-flop because they can just move onto a new hand.

Playing loose-aggressive also works when you put raises in on the flop, turn, and river.

Your opponents give you more credit for having the good because they don't have HUD stats on you and they can simply fast fold and start a new hand.

Be aware, however, that they usually have the good when you're called (for reasons mentioned above.)

You'll also find lower stakes fastforward players adopt an ABC style of poker preflop and then fit or fold after the flop.

So many times we've seen a play raise preflop, fire a continuation-bet that's called only for them to check-fold the turn. It can be like printing money!

Try fastforward For Yourself

Download partypoker via PokerNews to play fastforward poker.

Get involved in the leaderboards, opt into the cashback scheme and watch as your account balance hits the roof.

New depositing players receive a welcome package of SPINS tickets over the course of seven days. The package differs depending on the size of your initial deposit.

Deposit $10 to receive $10 worth of free play, made up of: