Interactive

Canada – PokerStars introduces Unfold

PokerStars has released its latest No Limit Hold’em cash game innovation, Unfold, which for the first time allows players to unfold their hand once the flop has been dealt.

If a player has decided to change their mind, the hand previously folded will be used to play for an “Unfold pot” made up of antes taken from each player at the beginning of each hand. Each ante will constitute a percentage of the big blind.

In order to play for the “Unfold pot” and in effect unfold their hand, players have to make a bet equal to the sum of the Unfold pot. Players who pay the Unfold stake cannot make any further bets after this point. The rest of the hand is played out amongst the main pot players while the Unfold players spectate. The Unfold pot is then awarded to the Unfold player with the strongest five card poker hand after the river is dealt. If the main pot is won before the full board is dealt, all remaining community cards will be dealt to determine the winner of the Unfold pot.

“This has never been done before,” said Severin Rasset, Director of Poker Innovation and Operations. “Unfold means more action and opportunities for players, reducing the all too familiar sinking feeling of making the correct pre-flop lay down, only to then find you would have flopped the nuts. We’re very excited to offer something new and completely different.”

PokerStars Ambassador Felix Schneider said: “There’s been so many times at the tables where I’ve wished I could go back and unfold my hand when I’ve realised I’ve hit a winner and now I can actually do it, which is super exciting! It’s a really engaging format and keeps players entertained and sweating it out in the side pot. I think it’ll also be very funny to stream on my channel and I can’t wait to show my community.”

Fellow PokerStars Ambassador Fatima de Melo added: “I feel way more comfortable folding hands knowing that there’s great potential to hop on to the Unfold pot if I want to. I remember playing a World Series of Poker event about five years ago and I folded threes preflop and the other players went all-in with aces against queens, and I would have won the hand with a set of threes! This was for the chip lead and I was like “oh my god, why did I fold?” Well, I had to fold because they went all in pre-flop. But the Unfold button would have definitely been nice there!’