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In the first hand of a Flipout tournament, all players automatically go all-in and then survivors play on in a standard freezout, already in the money. But how does this help non-recreational players?
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Ever since its re-launch in November 2012, Full Tilt Poker has been performing under expectations in the competition against other online poker rooms and networks on the .com market. In addition to PokerStars, 888Poker, iPoker and PartyPoker have all been showing off better results; consequently, FTP has resorted to a range of innovations to reclaim its glory. Most recently, the room plans to improve multi-table tournament traffic with the Flipout events, launching 19 March.
In the first round of a Flipout event, players at all tables automatically go all-in in the very first hand. Winners collect all chips and move to the second round, while the others are eliminated. Second round qualifiers are already in the money, effectively getting flipped to the ITM. Play continues as a standard freezout to determine an eventual winner.
"The time saving of a Flipout is obvious, but a bit less obvious is what happens after the flip round. You’ll be in the money of a potentially large tournament and nobody has actually played a hand yet. This means the average skill level when you hit the money will be the same as the average skill level at the start of the tournament, which is very different from a standard tournament," Full Tilt Poker Head of Marketing Sarne Lightman commented.
While the Flipout tournament leaves smaller room for regulars to use their edge in skill before the ITM phase, including not being able to put pressure on smaller stacks, the system definitely has its advantages. Flipouts may soon gain popularity with recreational players, as they provide a sense of success sooner than average, making it to the ITM, and even a final table or victory, as many times as regulars in the long run. As a result, pros and semi-pros will have a lighter field in the final phase, as long as they survive the first round.
According to Lightman, the 81-handed MTSNG version of the Flipout format has also been introduced:
"We’ll have 81-player sit-n-gos where, if you make it past the flip round, you’ll be in the money and at the nine-handed final table immediately. This will be great for players who want more final-table experience ...”
Flipout MTSNGs offer a unique opportunity to SNG regulars, basically allowing them to play a 9-handed single table SNG every ninth time with a potentially lighter field and larger payouts. Of course, with all the players already in the money, the ICM effect is smaller, yet their skill can still give them an edge.
"The only real downside to Flipouts that I can think of is how often you won’t make it past the flip round. If I was playing these, I’d probably drop down a couple of stake levels and just play a bunch of them until I made it through," Lightman added.
To celebrate the introduction of the innovative feature, FTP launches the Flipout Festival on 21 March with 12 events on different buy-in levels, for a total of 108 Flipout tournaments.
It remains to be seen how the system benefits regular players. According to an analysis provided by ‘jaimestaples’ via 2+2, the cons of the Flipout format are the smaller ITM% (resulting in a larger variance and requiring a more careful bankroll management, with the positive side effect of potentially increasing deposits) and the loss of the bubble phase, one of the most profitable periods of MTTs. On the other hand, the ITM field is lighter and the hourly fee of the players increase, as they are able to continuously play the ultimately most profitable period. Additionally, Flipout tournaments mean more rake for the room, which in turn increases rakeback and VIP levels of the players.
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