PokerStars Launches Deep Water and Tempest: New Hold'em Variants

PokerStars has introduced two new Hold'em variants, Deep Water and Tempest, in mid-November. Both games are 6-max Hold'em variants with a mandatory straddle of two big blinds and an ante from all players. The ante can increase up to four times if a hand ends without a showdown.

Deep Water and Tempest: What's the Difference?

Deep Water is designed for deep-stack players with a minimum buy-in of 100 big blinds and a maximum of 300 big blinds. In contrast, Tempest features a maximum buy-in of 20 big blinds and only allows all-in or fold preflop actions. Additionally, if a player builds a large stack during the game, they cannot bet more than 20 big blinds or 10 straddles in a single hand.

These new games are part of PokerStars' ongoing efforts to diversify their game offerings by creatively reworking experiences from other poker rooms. Previously, PokerStars introduced cashouts on all-ins and Spin & Go Flash tournaments. PowerUP, a hybrid of poker and video games, was closed after two years.