What Is The (Poker) Matrix?

I just played the latest kind of game offered by Full Tilt Poker, and I loved it!

The game in question is what they are calling a Matrix Tournament. It's basically a single table sit and go. Nine players start, and you play tournament style no limit Texas Hold'em until one player has all the chips.

However, what makes the Matrix Tournaments different is that you and your eight opponents sit down and play poker simultaneously at four different tables. So you are playing the same eight people, four different times. Different cards, separate starting stacks at each table.

Half of the prize pool goes to traditional prizes, for finishing first, second or third at any of the tables.

The other half of the prize pool is awarded based on points you earn during the tournaments. You earn one point for outlasting another player at a table, two points for knocking a player out, and two more points for winning a table.

When all four tables have finished the three players with the most Matrix Points win a share of the Matrix prize pool. However, if a single player wins all four tournaments, he becomes what Full Tilt are calling a Dominatrix! The Dominatrix not only wins first place money on each table, but scoops the entire Matrix prize pool too.

I just finished my first Matrix Tournament and cashed in three out of four of the tables, and also came third for bonus Matrix points. So I earned my buy in back, plus about 50%. Not bad for a first attempt. It will take some practice to get used to playing four games at once.

Certainly if you are the kind of player who gets bored with just sitting there folding your junk hands, this is a really innovative and more intense way of playing. Pressure is on to make lots of correct decisions, and because you have four games going on, there's a lot to look for. But because you are playing the same people at each table, you can acquire tells on one table and translate that to another table.

As well as all those benefits, you are getting a better value for money in my opinion. Variance will often cost a good player money when a bad beat robs them of a cash they deserved. But here you have four chances to cash, and a little bad luck doesn't cost you everything.

I was always a big fan of Poker Stars, and I still am. But Full Tilt Poker has just about tied up the race in my mind as to the best online poker site.