WSOP periodically runs this game on their mobile apps game. Roulette poker is a variant of Texas Hold 'Em in which you are restricted in how you can bet:
- Pre-flop you can only CALL or FOLD
- After the flop you can either shove (ALL-IN) or FOLD
- Additionally, you are required to (and automatically) top-off or re-buy as needed, so you start each hand with at least the buy-in amount.
Based on the restricted betting options, my feel is that this game is closer to "solved" than basic NLH. It seems to play a bit more like limit poker, with the pre-flop bet being more like an ante, and only a single bet (or fold) after the flop. As such, playing a very tight game seems to yield success, but with extremely high variance, as players seem to be looser post flop and it isn't unusual for four players or more to be all-in after the flop. Because of this, it seems like opening up a bit more pre-flop and then playing tighter post-flop might be a good strategy.
For instance, a bit looser baseline strategy might be to call with J8s+, QJo+, 22+, and the shove on the flop only with top pair Queens or better and open-ended straight draws or better on an uncoordinated board, flush draws or better as long as the board isn't paired, sets as long as there aren't any straight or flush draws although lower sets maybe not even then if there are too many over cards. I will never bluff unless I start to notice everyone folding too easily to any bet.
It also seems like a decent strategy is to leave the table after one or two double-ups, because otherwise invariably one will suffer a bad beat and lose all the chips they have managed to get through tight play. I am also wondering if strategy needs to change in other ways than this as one manages amass a big stack. Obviously if there are other big stacks at the table versus not would affect this. Also, I'm wondering if this game really can be +EV as gambler's ruin seems to come into play at some point.
In the current variant running, the buy-in to BB ration is pretty low (10:1), although in general as this ratio increases I would expect looser pre-flop play.
However, I haven't found any literature that specifically talks about this variant of poker, and am looking for something more authoritative regarding the math behind how this variation plays out and whether or not my gut feel with regards to strategy is right or not.