The two sites that make up the CEREUS Poker Network, Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, have announced that they will be launching a new option for players looking for a little more action.  Starting August 2nd, around 5 p.m. ET, the new Seven-Deuce No-Limit Hold’em tables will go live.

The Seven-Deuce No-Limit Hold’em tables will require anyone who sits down at the table to contribute 1.5 to 2 big blinds to a side pot.  The side pot will be awarded to any player who wins a hand with 7-2.  The side pot can be won in a number of ways.  The player holding 7-2 can either make the best hand and win the pot outright or bluff the other players into folding a better hand.

As of now, Absolute and UltimateBet are the only sites offering the new structure online.  The 7-2 side bet has been somewhat popularized in recent seasons of High Stakes Poker.   On the show, the often relatively small side pot has caused some of the best players in the game to bluff away huge amounts of money in an attempt to get others to fold.

“The 7-2 side pot adds an adrenaline-pumping element to Hold’em that you need to experience to believe,” said Phil Hellmuth, UltimateBet pro and all-around poker legend.  “I once bluffed Mike Matusow off two kings with 7-2 as my hole cards.  Everyone at the table was floored, but I was on the top of the world after collecting $500 a man for pulling it off with the worst hand in poker.  Now this awesome side pot game is available online at UltimateBet, and Hold’em will never be the same again.”

It may not be for everyone, but for players looking to add a little excitement to the game might just love the new structure.  If you have never played poker with the 7-2 “rule” in effect, give it a shot now at either Absolute or UltimateBet. It might just change the way you play poker.