8333 port

[yodeltakid]

In one place it says to port forward the 8333 port.  In another place it says that opening 8333 port isn't necessary.
Which should I do? 

If 8333 is open will I make bitcoins faster?

Can I port mask  outside port in router port 8333>9xxxx to port set in client 9xxxx?

Is there a way to test if the bitcoin client is setup properly, I use a variety of clients that have self test?

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[JackSparrow]

If you accecpt incoming connections, you can have more connections, people can caonnect to you, without opening port 8333. Maybe this picture can help you:


http://www.bitcoin.org/faq#How_do_I_open_port_8333

[...]
Use www.canyouseeme.org to check if the port is accepting incoming connections.

With a patch you could change the incoming port of the client, but it is not worth it. If you got 8333 open, the first connections may be faster.