We had a client update at the end of October that introduced the ability to pair PokerStars and Full Tilt accounts and to perform transfers between the two sites. We will be now releasing another update to the PokerStars clients over the next few days that will introduce some additional features to PokerStars. Here is a summary of the most significant player-facing features that are being rolled out:
ZOOM Shorthanded Dealing (Beta)This update will allow starting a ZOOM player pool shorthanded. When the ZOOM group has a low number of players we can set the system to start hands even if a table won’t be full.
We will gradually release the feature (so it won’t be active immediately after the client update) and will share more specific information as we roll it out.
Table Starters (Beta)I have mentioned Table Starters in the past, but we haven’t rolled the feature out yet due to polishing the functionality. We will slowly be rolling out the feature after the client update, only for a few stakes at first.
Table Starters is like an interest list for specific ring game table types. They will show in the lobby as another table and will be identified with a special icon at the start. Players can sign up on the Table Starter through the lobby by clicking “Join Table Starter”. Once enough players sign up, a new table is created with the players on the Table Starter list.
Here is how a table will specifically be started: Buy-in amount will be asked at the time of joining the table starter. At this point funds are not reserved, but players pre-approve to be bought in for that amount once the table starts. Once enough players join the Table Starter who have the pre-approved funds available, the new table will open and players will be bought in for the amounts they have specified. Then blinds will be posted but the dealing of cards will not actually start for a few seconds to allow all players to notice the new table starting. After this short wait elapses, dealing will begin, and from then on everything will be like a normal table. There will also be a “Play Now” button that if clicked by everyone who is seated will start the dealing immediately.
Every player can choose how many players they want to start a table with. Once a match is found a table will start. You can customize your own settings for when a table should start by going to ‘Options’ > ‘Table Starter Preferences...’ So if 4 players who have specified they are OK for the table to start 4-handed join the Table Starter, a new table will be formed and those players will be able to play with the remaining seats being open for other players.
Various features in PokerStars will automatically sign up players for Table Starters if they cannot be seated immediately. For example, when using “Easy Seat” or clicking “Play Now” in group mode, the system will first try to seat you at an existing table as requested, and if unavailable you will be added to the Table Starters list.
To avoid abuse, there will be a timer that will block players from using Table Starters should they be seated at a new table and then leave soon after the start of dealing. We also have automatic monitoring for abusive behaviours and reserve the right to sanction players who attempt to use Table Starters for purposes other than to play at the newly created tables. More specifically, trying to avoid paying your fair share of blinds or using Table Starters to find favorable opponents is not allowed.
We will be rolling Table Starters out slowly at first, but if all works as expected they may be utilized as the only way to start new tables of certain types.
Flighted TournamentsWe have fixed some of the issues that existed the previous time we rolled out some flighted tournaments and have them ready again for deployment. We will start testing slowly at first, until we are sure the tournaments are ready for prime time.
To recap, flighted tournaments are the online equivalent to how some very large live tournaments are split in multiple days, e.g. Day 1A, 1B, 1C, Day 2A, 2B etc. In the case of flighted tournaments, there will be flights 1A, 1B, 1C etc that lead to the second level and so on. What is more, if you play a flight 1 tournament and do not make it to flight 2, then you will be able to play other flight 1 tournaments, if available, to have more chances to make it to flight 2.
Changes to Nova ThemeWe will be updating the Nova theme in two ways:
- We will amend slightly the current Nova theme to introduce new and improved button designs. The color scheme is still the same, i.e. gray buttons. We will also rename this theme to Nova Gray.
- The Nova theme entry will be changed to have dark red action buttons. We are planning to make this new Nova theme the default PokerStars theme in the near future (perhaps as part of the December client updates).
Some updates to previously mentioned topics:PokerStars 7We continue to improve the initial PokerStars 7 design that was shown at the VIP Club party in London. We want to make sure the product is as good as possible before we open it to players for Beta testing, so it might take a little longer to allow everyone to play with it. We will keep you posted!
ZOOM TournamentsWe are getting close to having ZOOM tournaments ready for deployment, but still have few things to polish. The current plan is to have them ready with the December client updates.
Run it Twice RolloutWe are gradually expanding the number of Run It Twice-enabled tables. Things are going OK so far, and we might look to expand more in the near future. It is very unlikely that Run It Twice will be deployed to ZOOM before the December client update, due to necessary technical changes. We understand your impatience to have the feature enabled on more tables, but we have to make sure everything is running smoothly first.
That’s all for now – keep sharing your highly valuable feedback on how to improve PokerStars!
Note: The above changes would only take effect once your gaming client has been updated, which could happen at different times for different players. Please ensure you are running PokerStarsUpdate.exe to get the update.
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