In recent years, online poker rooms have been looking for ways to make the game more entertaining and appealing to the masses.
Ideas such as Spin & Go tournaments have had great success by adding some randomness to the whole thing and giving players a chance to win big bucks even when playing at the lowest stakes.
GGPoker has come up with an idea of its own but focused on cash games instead of tournaments in the form of Cash Drops.
Available across all Rush & Cash tables (which are GGPoker’s take on fast-fold poker), these Cash Drops can be worth anything from 10 big blinds to 600 big blinds, and they can pop up at any time.
GGPoker’s Cash Drops Feature Explained
Looking to make its games more exciting and probably attract even more casual players, GGPoker has decided to add some flavor across all of its Rush & Cash tables by introducing a feature that can add additional cash into your pockets.
From the moment you sit down to play on any of the Rush & Cash tables, you’ll have a chance to participate in one of these Cash Drops hands.
Of course, there is no telling when one of these will happen as they are triggered at random, but you are enrolled in this promotion whenever you sit down to play.
The amount itself is random as well.
The minimum size of a Cash Drop is 10 big blinds, but if you’re particularly lucky, you might even hit a 600 big blinds bonus or anything between those two amounts.
When the amount is smaller, it will be added to the pot, and whoever wins the hand will reap the benefits of the extra cash. For larger bonuses, the money will be added straight into your stack, and you can keep on playing or simply get up and cash the chips out if that’s what you want to do.
It goes without saying that smaller Cash Drops are much more frequent than the gigantic ones.
You won’t get to see the 600 BB ones very often, but it’s quite rewarding and exciting when it does happen at your table.
Where The Cash Drops Money Comes From
Obviously, the extra money given out to the players has to come from somewhere. It’d be nice if GGPoker was so generous just to give all this money away.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and Cash Drops are funded by the players for the most part.
From every pot over 30 big blinds, one big blind is removed from the pot and added to the Cash Drops pool. This is on top of the regular rake, so you’re effectively paying more rake for the privilege.
While this isn’t a huge amount at all, these small fees do tend to add up for serious grinders who play hundreds or even thousands of hands every day.
At the same time, those players are also much more likely to catch more Cash Drops hands, so it evens out in the long run.
Pros And Cons Of GGPoker Cash Drops
Serious players and real grinders are generally not in favor of any randomization.
Whenever you make a feature that goes off at random times and gives everyone equal chances of winning, you’re effectively reducing the skill factor.
This is why Spin & Go tournaments on PokerStars have often been criticized by the regs. But at the same time, everyone knows games need more recreational players.
For those who play poker for fun, things can get boring quite quickly.
Even if they don’t mind the fact they’re losing money, they just get tired of the same old thing. If nothing changes, they move on to other things, be it a different form of gambling or something else entirely.
That’s why poker rooms try to develop various features to give players more excitement at the tables, and GGPoker Cash Drops is shooting to do exactly that.
They give recs a reason to start playing again.
All of a sudden, they can get lucky and win a nice chunk of money without having to risk a bunch of their own cash to do it.
And if they do get lucky and win, they’ll often be more than happy to spread the cash around as they didn’t have to work for it, which makes poker sites very happy.
So, it’s important to look at these things from a broader perspective.
Cash Drops may reduce the skill factor in the short term, but most of the money won from them will end up in the poker economy anyway.
This is especially true since these aren’t huge amounts that players would be looking to cash out on the spot. Getting 100 or 150 big blinds extra is nice but definitely not life-changing.
Adjust Your Strategy To Get The Most Out Of Cash Drops
While big Cash Drops amounts are added to players’ stacks, smaller ones are put into the pot.
So, there is a skill element to it, as better players are likely to win more Cash Drop pots than the “fish”.
While there aren’t any strict rules what constitutes a smaller amount, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to fight for the pots with some extra money added.
Play better than the rest in these spots, and you’ll be improving your overall win-rate.
On top of this, all the play on Cash & Drop tables also add to your Fish Buffet points, so you’re earning even more rewards in the process.
The small amount you have to pay isn’t that big of a deal, and if you can adjust your strategy in Cash Drop pots, these games can be hugely +EV.
How To Play In Cash Drop Pots
Every time there is some extra money added to the pot, you need to factor in that money when making your decisions.
Given the fact GGPoker Cash Drops can grow the pot quite substantially, you’ll have good odds to ramp up the aggression and go for it.
If 50 big blinds are added to the pot, for example, and you only have 80 big blinds in your stack at the start of the hand, you’ll have every incentive to try and steal the pot with a fairly wide range of hands.
With 50 big blinds in dead money, you’d have to be in really bad shape to make a big mistake.
Provided you have to go all-in, you’re paying 80 big blinds to win the pot of 210 big blinds (80 + 80 + the initial 50). This gives you around 2.6 to 1 on your money.
Even if you know your opponent has pocket Kings against a hand like AJ, you’re getting almost the right odds to get your money in.
So, the key is to realize these spots warrant a more aggressive approach and some calculated risks.
If you consider the fact that a fair number of players will also know this and will be fighting to win these pots with wide ranges, you really can’t afford to fold any decent hands.
Simply go with it and if you get super unlucky and run into pocket Aces, so be it.
Summary: Play Well And Hope To Get Lucky
At the end of the day, GGPoker Cash Drops are definitely a nice addition to the online poker scene.
They help attract recreational players, create some buzz and excitement, and provide more than enough room for the skilled players to have an edge and grab more than a fair share of these inflated pots.
While these kinds of novelties aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, they are required in today’s poker economy.
Anything that helps attract more casual players and make games more entertaining and appealing for them can only be a good thing. Professionals and serious players will always find a way to adjust and adapt.
No matter how good you are or how long you’ve been playing poker, when your table turns to gold and those chips start raining from above, it’s an awesome feeling.
After all, who doesn’t love some free money coming out of the blue? Don’t knock it before you try it!
See how this GG’s poker client compares to PS with our review:
Lead image: GGPoker
