PokerStars is set to remove its latest innovation just a month after making it live across various international platforms.
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PokerStars calls time on Unfold Poker as insiders speculate about the release of Six Plus Hold’em. (Image: YouTube/Andreas Froehli Poker)
In a quote obtained by Pokerfuse, PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations Severin Rasset confirmed that new game hasn’t been received as would have been expected.
“Following a strategic review, we have made the decision to fold Unfold,” Rasset told Pokerfuse on September 10.
Swing and a Miss for PokerStars
Although he didn’t explain in detail why the decision had been made, he confirmed that new innovations are always being tested and that player feedback is important in these decisions.
“While not every new development will be a home run, we will keep trialing, listening to player feedback and analyzing engagement with our goal of continuing to offer fresh promotions, formats and updates that enhance our players,” he continued.
The Unfold gave players who folded pre-flop a second chance at winning. At the start of a round, players pay the unfold ante. Those that fold then have the opportunity to rejoin the action once the flop is dealt by paying an extra bet equal to the size of the side pot.
Players that have unfolded can’t make any further bets during the hand. However, the player with the best unfolded hand wins the side pot while the players in the main pot continue as usual.
Despite being a novel idea, players weren’t hot on the unique format. As Calvin Ayre’s Erik Gibbs wrote, it was “just another way for PokerStars to increase its rake.”
Unfold Making Way for Something New
While the removal of Unfold Poker will leave a hole in the site’s cash game lobby, it may not be for long. With Americas Cardroom joining the iPoker Network in offering Six Plus Hold’em, reports suggest PokerStars is readying to introduce its own version.
After obtaining “image assets” released by the operator, a Pokerfuse report speculated that the tables will soon go live with the stylized logo “6+ Hold’em.”
If and when this game goes live, the format is one that’s tried and tested by some of the best players in the world. Now a staple on the high stakes circuit, the short deck game should have a longer shelf life than Unfold.
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