PokerWorks

They say poker is a rush.

At least that's what I say.

Now there's proof. Full Tilt's newest offering might just be one of the most revolutionary things to hit online poker.

It's called Rush Poker, and, well, it's quite a…um…rush.

Have you heard of it yet? I'll tell you about it, if you promise to read the rest of this round-up after I'm done - instead rushing off to give it a try.

You put your name in a pool of players. Full Tilt takes care of the rest. You're dealt a hand, and if you like it, play it, and if you don't, you're off to another table in a flash. You can even "quick fold," meaning you don't have to wait for the action to reach you before you can pitch your cards and be swept off to another table.

Even if you win the hand, you're taken to another table.

I know. It sounds fun doesn't it? Well, you promised to stay here and finish reading. Quit moaning.

You can multi-table, although there really isn't a need. Playing more than 200 hands an hour is a distinct possibility.

I've tried both Holdem and Omaha a few times at the .10/.25 level, and I love it.

There is a downside, and I don't know if Full Tilt will be able to address it: The blinds are random, so it's almost like Stud, where you're randomly bringing in a forced bet. I think I was the Small Blind five times in a row at one point. That sucks.

And though this isn't really a downside, I do wish sometimes I could stay and find out what people have, but once you fold, that's it, you're gone. I did use the "last hand" feature several times just because I was curious, and most of the time, it showed what the others had. Sometimes it didn't.

Otherwise, I like the game. And though it doesn't seem like there would be much action - after all, you can just fold and immediately get another hand - there is, in fact, some action.

You have to find the right table - occasionally everyone plays far too tight - but people like to gamble in this game more than you might think, and I think it's because there's nobody to make fun of you when you "make a bad play." You're not going to get any bad chat in the box because after you make the play, you're gone.

I'm going to play Rush Poker for a solid month and see how it goes. Right now I'd say my addiction level matches that of my twin girls' jonesing for their pacifiers.

Ultimate Bet is running its Online Championship series right now. There always seems to be one going on in at least one online poker room. Satellites are still running, as there's a week of events left until the UBOC Championship, a two-day event that starts on Jan. 31.

The buy-in for that event is a cool $1,000 + $50, but as I said, there's still plenty of time to satellite your way in if you can't afford that (and I'm fully willing to admit I can't). Plus there's a $1 million guarantee. That would buy me another minivan.

You'll also find plenty of events other than NLHoldem.

Once again, PokerWorks is teaming up with Poker770 to offer its own series of tournaments.

One deal includes a new, year-long $10,000 guaranteed tourney series that will feature tournaments with a $10,000 prize pool. It's not a freeroll, but the buy-ins are a measly $5.50. If you don't have an account, you'll get a $7.70 cash bonus free just for registering with Poker 770 even if you don't decide to deposit just yet.

And you can play in the $10,000 guaranteed tournaments even if you already have a Poker770 account. The only catch is you need a special password to play in these tournaments, and that means checking back here to get it. The first tournament is Feb. 28 – check the News Flash for the password. The next is April 18 - and you'll have to check back to PokerWorks to get that password.

You can, of course, download all the software through PokerWorks and get some pretty cool deals for doing so.

PokerStars is launching its own freeroll, this one a daily tournament for UK and Ireland players.

The new tournament will run for six weeks. Players can rebuy for $.50.

The announcement coincides with the announcement of the new UK and Ireland Poker Tour, further proving that PokerStars wants to put a poker tour in every single place on the planet (I mean, what's next, Antarctica?). The next stop on that tour takes place in Manchester on Feb. 11-14.

Poker is also about being the last man standing, and Titan Poker is challenging you to be that man (or woman).

Starting Feb. 1, you'll need to play every day to meet strict point requirements to remain in the competition. You'll be checked daily, too, as if you were an Olympic athlete undergoing drug tests.

If you miss the points requirement, you're out, until fewer and fewer players are able to meet that requirement. If you make it far after 30 days, you'll be eligible for some prizes.

That will include yet another freeroll, this one for a $5,000 prize pool exclusively for the players left standing on Feb. 28 (so you won't have to battle 5,738 players to cash).

The Last Man Standing could walk away with a $13,000 Main Event package to the World Series of Poker.

Of course, all you have to do is earn 20 points a day to win a $100 prize, so there's hope for me, too.

Players will be grouped according to their VIP level starting on Feb. 1.

What a rush.