Thursday, 28th March 2024 12:36
Home / News / High stakes heroes get to grips with Fusion

We talked to high stakes players about their Fusion success…

One of the many questions we consider when developing a new game is… will it take off with the high stakes players?

In the case of Fusion, the answer is a resounding YES!


For those that haven’t tried the format yet, Fusion combines elements of both NLHE and PLO.

As in NLHE you start with two hole cards, but on the flop, you receive a third card and on the turn, you receive your fourth and final hole card. Like in PLO you must use exactly two of your four hole cards to make the best possible hand.

The game has proven to be a big hit at highstakes with perhaps the highlight being a frenetic multi-table battle between LLinusLLove and Bajskorven87.

Meanwhile bencb789, winner of the 2016 WCOOP $100,000 Super High Roller, has been grinding the $5/$10 games. We spoke to the guys to get their thoughts on the game.

Arguably the top dog in the NLHE cash game streets, LLinusLLove said that he always tries out the new games on offer at PokerStars and bencb789 echoed that sentiment:

“I enjoy both NLHE and PLO so it was obvious for me to try Fusion since it combines the formats. I am always excited about new games and support them when I feel that it will benefit poker”.

Long time highstakes super star Bajskorven87 had only glory in mind as he stated his motivation for playing Fusion was “To beat the LLinusLLove machine”. It’s safe to say LLinusLLove accepted his challenge!

However, once Bajskorven87 settled into the game he found something he really enjoyed:

“Fusion is faster, and people play in a creative way which is much more fun.

“I definitely prefer Fusion over the more traditional games such as NLHE and PLO. It is a mix between the two games I love.”

LLinusLLove also found the game growing on him over time:

“To be fair I have only played heads up so far, but I have started to like this format a lot. I think Fusion has potential and it feels like a complete game with no broken aspects to it”.

The guys were also kind enough to share some valuable wisdom.

LLinusLLove kept his cards close to his chest but explained that “position plays a bigger role in this game than other variants of poker”.

Meanwhile bencb789 gave us some detailed strategy:

“I think playing suited broadways aggressively from later position is very good. Reraise suited hands like JT, QJ, AT, T9 and 98. Don’t be tempted to reraise bluff hands like A4 and A5 (which is common in NLHE) since there are too many cards that will destroy our beautiful looking hand on turn and river.”

Lastly the famously loose aggressive Bajskorven87 gave us some advice that will be sure to take its followers on a wild ride… one way or another!

“For beginners I would recommend trusting your instincts because it is much more of a ‘feel game’. It is really old school poker so don’t be afraid to bluff and rebluff!”

To try Fusion for yourself, you can find it on both Mobile and Desktop at stakes starting from $0.02/$0.05… or join the $25/$50 game and show LLinusLLove and Bajskorven87 what you’ve got!

Dan Price is On Demand Poker Games Manager at PokerStars.

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