The game is relatively easy to both understand and play. Instead of two players always posting orbits of forced bets (the small blind and big blind) – instead, all players are required to post an ante on every single hand. Then, prior to the flop, the first player to the left of the button is required to bet what usually amounts to the smallest denomination chip in play. Action then flows around the table and players may fold, call, or raise. Thereafter, the game proceeds as usual, with the usual rounds of betting after the flop, turn, and river. What’s markedly different about the Ante-Only concept is the action is much faster than a conventional No-Limit Hold’em tournament. There’s not much sitting around waiting to outlast the field in what can sometime amount to a mind-numbing exercise in boredom. This is not a game for rocks. Maybe the strategic differences are more psychological than practical. Perhaps the constant reminder of being forced to pull from your stack each and every hand triggers a reflex to go after those chips at every opportunity. Certainly, with more pre-flop action and a universal financial interest shared equally by all players since everyone has something in the middle of the table on every hand, there’s a lot more action during the game.
Work Cited WSOP NEWS: ANTE-ONLY-NEW-WSOP-CIRCUIT-TOURNAMENT-DEBUTS-AT-CAESARS-PALACE