Twitch Poker Tribune: Grand Tour Speed Runs with Tom ‘Majincast’ Hayward
The Twitch Poker Tribune is a weekly blog bringing you the latest news and best clips of the week from the world of Twitch poker, as well as shining a light on streamers you should check out.
THIS WEEK:
- Grand Tour Speed Runs with Majincast
- Saturday Eliminator win for Fintan
- Clips of the week
Grand Tour Speed Runs with Majincast
Grand Tour on PokerStars continues to be the perfect poker fix for those who want to play for bounties but don’t have the time to commit to a full multi-table tournament.
Tom Hayward
So if you’re pressed for time, you can fire up a sprint and collect some bounty prizes in no time at all.
But if you’re really pressed for time–or, y’know, you’re an innovative Twitch streamer looking to push the limits of Grand Tour and bounty-hunting–you can try a speedrun.
“Speedrunning is not a new concept at all,” says PokerStars Ambassador and Twitch streamer Tom “Majincast” Hayward. “Many different types of games–from retro games like Minesweeper and Super Mario to modern games like Doom, Final Fantasy 7 and its subsequent remake–have active communities of competitive speedrunners all fighting for that world record spot. Speedrunning in poker, however, is definitely something that is yet to be explored.”
So how does speedrunning Grand Tour work?
“The basic rules of the speedrun are as follows,” says Hayward. “For this particular category (we have called it the $12-$60 Grand Tour speedrun) we buy-in at the $12 level and as soon as the first hand is dealt, the timer starts.
“The goal is to win three heats ($12, $25, and $60 levels respectively) as quickly as you can. The timer is paused in between each heat to accommodate for the waiting time between heats. Every category is possible ($1-$60, $2-$60, $5-$60, $12-$60, $25-$60) but we had to start somewhere!”
Check out Hayward’s debut Grand Tour speedrun video below:
Hayward might be the sole competitor currently competing, but that won’t last for long. Ben “Spraggy” Spragg has already claimed he’s coming for Hayward’s record.
“I’m a big fan of other types of speedrunning streams, so I decided to explore this concept with regards to poker,” says Hayward. “It didn’t take long to come to the conclusion that Grand Tour was the best format to speedrun.
“The blind level speeds are dictated by the number of hands played (act quicker = blinds go up quicker, essentially), and it’s already designed to be a race, so there are a massive amount of factors that can contribute to gaining and losing time within a run.”
What advice does Hayward have for other streamers thinking of speedrunning Grand Tour?
“If you are to attempt to speedrun Grand Tour, you should not expect to just shove every hand and get lucky to post good times. That will translate into some predictably nasty downswings.
“To have a good time speedrunning Grand Tour, you must utilize your already strong poker foundation to not only win reliably and often but with maximum speed efficiency.
“Poker now has a format that has the potential to be highly competitive within the speedrunning world, I’m excited to see where it goes from here.”
Check out Tom “Majincast” Hayward’s Twitch stream here.
Saturday Eliminator win for Fintan
It’s safe to say that recently Fintan “easywithaces” Hand hasn’t been enjoying the results he’s grown accustomed to throughout 2020. He won a Spring Championship of Online Poker title back in May and has racked up plenty of big scores since. But judging by his recent Tweets, he’s been going through a dry spell.
Until Saturday (December 19).
Hand took down the $27 Saturday Eliminator on PokerStars for around $13,000 and ended up around $15,000 in the black on the day.
Who knew I just needed to clean my desk.
4 Final Tables.
1 win in the $27 Saturday eliminator.
Up over $15,000.
Feels good. pic.twitter.com/OGLEunH5i1
— Fintan Hand (@EasyWithAces) December 20, 2020
What should you do if you want to win a tournament? Take a leaf out of Hand’s book.
Ask and you shall receive.
Here’s a look at the final hands that saw him collect the trophy.
Clips of the week
Please don’t have clubs…
That’s domination.
Feels good.
Well, that’s a nice surprise.
Called it.
Cooldown victory for apestyles.
Hold…yes…no? Yes!
Mr Gentleman King.
He’s just too good.
What a beauty.
Thinking of streaming your PokerStars games on Twitch?
Then check out Lex and Spraggy’s advice below.
