PokerStars Blends Hold’em & Omaha to Create Fusion Poker

Pot Limit Omaha has long been the contender for the throne, competing with the most popular poker variation that is Texas Hold’em. However, due to its complexity, Omaha has never been able to reach the kind of appeal that Hold’em has with the wider player base.

PokerStars, continuing on their path of coming up with new game ideas, has thus invented Fusion Poker, a game that attempts to blend Hold’em and Omaha together and offers a completely new variation that contains elements from both.

What is Fusion Poker?

Like the name suggests, the new variation fuses bits and pieces from Omaha and Hold’em into a new, different game that aims to appeal to fans of both. Strategic elements from both variants are present, so players can rely on their particular strengths from either game and look for an edge there.

Rules of Fusion Poker

Although the game aims to appeal to both camps, Fusion Poker is, in fact, more complex in terms of strategy than either of the variants on its own. The game begins with each player being dealt two cards and the action goes on the same way as in regular Hold’em, with the provision that the game is played as pot limit.

Once the flop is dealt, all players still in the hand are dealt one extra card. So, on the flop, everyone is playing with three cards instead of two, and you need to use two cards from your hand and three cards from the board to make the best hand (just like in Omaha).

After the flop round of betting, those still in the hand are dealt the fourth and final card, so now it is a standard Omaha hand, with all players holding four hole cards and looking to make the best hand using two of them heading to the river.

Challenging the poker community

According to PokerStars officials, Fusion Poker was envisioned as a challenge for players looking to spice things up and play a different game. The new variation involves evolving levels of complexity as possibilities change and expand with each new hole card dealt.

Fusion is fun for everyone, apart from @spraggy ? When he hosted @EasyWithAces @jaimestaples @xflixx @KevinRobMartin and @innerpsy, things did not go to plan.
ℹ️ Still confused about Fusion? Check this out ? https://t.co/HT7F6H2jEj pic.twitter.com/Q72IhkDGo4

— PokerStars Twitch (@PSTwitch) November 20, 2018

It is way too early to talk about proper strategy for the game but it is clearly aimed at more hard-core poker fans. While recreational players might enjoy it, it is safe to assume most would find Fusion Poker too confusing and challenging, especially if you just want to blow off some steam while having a beer or three.

Testing the waters

PokerStars has launched quite a few new variations lately, all of them adding a new twist to the traditional game of Hold’em. Many of these, like UNFOLD Hold’em, are only offered for a limited period of time to see how players react to them.

Clearly, the online poker giant is looking for ways to refresh the game and make it more appealing to the masses once again. The “throw it out there and see if it sticks” approach may not be the most elegant one but it is probably quite efficient.

It gives players a chance to try the game in real time and for real money and see if they like it. PokerStars stats people can check out the numbers and see if the latest innovation is working or not. Eventually, one of these novelties is almost bound to create the hype the company clearly wants to produce and this could lead to a mini poker revolution.

In the meantime, check out Fusion Poker if you haven’t yet and let us know in the comments how you like it and if it is the kind of game you’d like to see introduced on a wider scale.