For those players that enjoy Sit and Go tournaments (as well as those crazy Wachowski brothers movies), Full Tilt Poker has a new spin on the standard one-table tourney in a setting called a Matrix Tournament. Some of these features include:

• Same opponents
• Different seats
• Four tables
• One Price

In a Full Tilt Matrix tournament, the prize pool is split into two categories. While players still win money for each top-three finish at each table, they also have the chance to earn cash prizes based on their cumulative point total at all four tables.

• For each player eliminated at a table, the remaining players earn one point.
• For each successful “knockout” (eliminating a player), the winning player earns two points.
• For each first-place finish at a table, the winner earns two points.

For full rules and descriptions, see Full Tilt’s Matrix Details Page.

This particular setting is a great way to test a player’s abilities against different types of opponents in different positions at the same time – an opportunity that many players may not find in any environment, live or online. As we look at each facet of this fun new innovation in online poker, we can see how each area can improve your poker skills.

Same opponents. If you’ve ever wished that a tough opponent were on one side of your position, only to have him seated on the opposite side and hindering your style, Matrix tournaments give you the chance to (literally) turn the tables. This setting gives you ample opportunity to observe players under different situations and positions simultaneously. How does the maniac react to a re-raise from out of position? Is the tight player you’ve targeted at one table really as tight as he seems at another? Is the player who put a bad beat on you really that lucky or is he truly better than he seems? When you play the same players in four different situations, you get four times the information and (ideally) will play four times better.

Different seats. The Full Tilt software assigns each of the nine players to different seats at each of the four tables. The maniacal raiser on your left at one table may be sitting two seats to your right at another. The Rock of Gibraltar may be on your left at one table, on your right at another, and directly across from you on a third. These different seating arrangements can make for very interesting variations in strategic approaches. When these assignments fit with your style of play, you can tweak your basic strategies and look for opportunities to exploit these favorable settings. When the styles and seating arrangements of your opponents don’t fit well with your comfort level, such adversity offers you a great chance to improve your game and good practice at playing in a wide variety of scenarios.

Four tables. If you’ve ever sung the old song, “Bad Beat Blues” after you were eliminated from a SNG, replace it with “Hit Me Baby, One More Time”! Even if you took a bad beat at one table, Full Tilt Matrix tourneys still give you three more chances. If you’ve ever lost to an inferior opponent and told yourself, “I know I can beat that guy,” Matrix tourneys give you three more opportunities to prove yourself. For anyone who has ever questioned whether poker is a game of luck or skill, they’ll see immediately how difficult it is to “get lucky” four times against the same players.

One price. One of the main attractions of Matrix tournaments is the fact that you can play four SNGs for only one price, starting as low as $1.25. For cost-conscious players, Matrix tournaments may be the best bargain since the invention of the satellite tournament. In these tough economic times, poker bargains are quickly becoming scarce. Full Tilt now has one of the best opportunities available.

While you don’t need to take a red pill to enter this Matrix, you’ll still have to battle powerful agents to determine if you truly are “the One.”

My Poker Hero

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson is one of the most accomplished tournament poker players over the last ten years. He is also one of the most boring to watch on TV. He won the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2000, the National Heads-up Poker Championship in 2008, three WSOP Circuit titles and over thirty WSOP cash finishes in the last five years, more than any other player. He has never belittled an opponent, trumpeted his manhood or wrecked a racecar. He doesn’t dress up like a general or a jester, favoring his basic black hat, jacket, shirt and sunglasses. He doesn’t curse, jump, scream or yell. All he does is win.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris at last year’s WSOP (see photo). I told him that I was the Houston affiliate for FullTiltPoker.net, the site he endorses, plays and helped to develop. He gave a warm smile, a firm handshake and said, “Oh, cool!”

(Start Goofy Fanboy Moment)
Heh, heh. My poker hero said I was “cool”. Heh, heh.
(End Goofy Fanboy Moment)

Chris has been playing poker online since the days of Internet Relay Chat. In those days, today’s young online poker “superstars” were still playing on jungle gyms at recess. Chris also has made his own internet legend by starting from literally nothing and growing his bankroll to over ten thousand dollars. His perserverance and force of will have inspired me to start a similar challenge.

Many poker TV commentators have noted on how Chris maintains such a calm, serene manner at the table, even in the most pressure-packed tournament situations. He never gives off a tell, never shows his emotions and never makes a silly mistake. He’s stiff, he’s unexciting, he’s not prone to dramatics and, physical appearance aside, he makes for boring TV. So why is Chris Ferguson my poker hero?

All he does is win.

Lots of poker players also like playing other games of skill (this is why many poker players also gamble when they play golf). When poker players are looking for games of skill to wager on, they often turn to online games. The biggest drawback to many of these sites is that they make you download software that just bogs down your computer. Luckily VC Games has a complete line of no-download games and they just added their newest no-download game with Pin Ball. Every realistic detail is presented in this fixed odds game, from the sound of the metal ball clinking against the pins to the dealer’s voice. Like all VC Games, the player can choose to play Pin Ball in free mode or for real money wagers.

To read more about VC Games and their new game of Pin Ball, visit their press release on the topic:
VC Games Presents the Latest No-Download Pin Ball Game