The future of online poker

Unknown

I work for an online poker site and we're thinking of creating something different. We went to GIGSE last week and were just so BORED with all the software that everyone else is working on. It all kind of blends together as one gigantic homogeneous mess.

So... we have a great 3D rendering engine, and are thinking of taking a "first-person shooter" video game approach to the poker table, where players can highly customize their avatars and control some really cool physical expressions (simulating bluffing, auto-configuring tells and showing excessive attitude). We would have players stand up and push their chairs back in all-in situations and maybe even have "tilt meters" where players who lose a hand can challenge others to a fight (which would only last a few seconds).

As well, we would integrate some of the best features from PokerTracker and the GameTime+ add on.

What I want to know is:

1. As a group of very serious online poker players, does the pokerforum.ca community think that these ideas are dumb or cool?
2. Assuming our software and company took care of assuring reliability, responsibility and integrity, would you play for real money on software like this?
3. Would these features be better-suited to entry-level and/or younger play-money players?
4. What else do you think "The Future of Online Poker" will be about, and what features would you like to see companies start creating?

I appreciate any feedback you might want to share.

Thanks.

JStar

Unknown

My two cents: I think that these ideas will appeal to a number of poker players. Most of them, however, don't read or post on this forum.

Personally, I'm most interested in seeing online poker sites (existing or otherwise) develop ways that will completely eliminate the possibility that I'm playing against a bot.

Flint Bones

These particular features don't appeal to me. Perhaps they would work with offline software (video game?) for some people.

As for improvements, I would like to see security against bots improve. However, if that's what you advertise makes your site better, the more likely the bot authors will target you.

I like the bird's eye view of the table. I don't care much for graphics of the players. Paradise Poker and Supreme Poker both have table graphics that I prefer. Party Poker, Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker's pick your own style doesn't have any appeal to me.

There isn't much to fix. Fundamental changes to how the game is played are not what I am looking for.

What I look for in a site:
                              Simple player graphics and nice table/room graphics (I don't need to play in the snow or in a mountain)
                              Reasonable Rake
                              Quality "Real" Players and lots of weak players
                              Good Tournaments with good payout and blind structures
                              Big Tournaments played at good times (11:00pm EST is too late and 6:00pm EST is too early, for me)
                              Nice Bonus for signing up that is achievable in a reasonable time.
                              Variety of games (Omaha, 7 Stud, 5 Stud, 5 Draw)

ScottyZ

1. As a group of very serious online poker players, does the pokerforum.ca community think that these ideas are dumb or cool?

While good looking graphics are nice, I don't think I'd care too much about most of the extra graphical features you mentioned.

Having players fight between hands is absolutely childish. An online poker site which offered this kind of feature would not seem very professional to me. I highly doubt that I would ever play poker for real money on such a site.

2. Assuming our software and company took care of assuring reliability, responsibility and integrity, would you play for real money on software like this?

This is certainly the minimum I would require of an online poker site.

3. Would these features be better-suited to entry-level and/or younger play-money players?

If you're talking about the graphical feaures, then I doubt it. A lot of people (who have never tried online poker before) who ask me about site recommendations are far more concered with the integrity of online poker, both on the whole, and specific to the site(s) they are looking at.

4. What else do you think "The Future of Online Poker" will be about, and what features would you like to see companies start creating?

Real competition in house rakes & fees.

ScottyZ

ScoobyD

These "features" sound much more like a video game than actual poker. I'd be skeptical using such "gimmicky" software, it doesn't come off as anywhere near professional.

Dorez

I like the idea, but I believe there are some sites like that out there already.  The poker game that got me into online poker was World Championship Poker for XBox.  It had 3d graphics with highly customizeable characters.  The reason I stopped playing was because it wasn't serious poker.  All you needed to do was "save" your money, so if you took a bad beat you just reload your last save.  That's when I started playing on pokerstars.  Now that I've started playing for money, I've gotten into multi-tabling.  It doesn't seem like something that would go well with a 3d interface.  If perhaps, there was a 3d and optional "Windows" like interface, multi-tablers can switch between the 2.  I'd probably end up using the 3d interface for MTTs.

I would play for cash because given the design, it would probably attract a lot of not so serious poker players as you can see from the posts above.  Other reason I like the 3d aspect is that it's easier to put names to faces.  Online, I can hardly remember a player if they don't have an avatar. I find it easier to remember players based on that.  The fighting thing I don't care much for, but I like the idea of wildly pushing all-in, getting out of your seat, etc.  

For MTT's, you can have players do Phil Hellmuth style exits when they bust.  When it gets heads up, you can get scantily clad women bring out wads of cash and do a dance or something.  You could even have multiple online tables within the same "room" for MTT's giving you that casino tournament feeling.  You can see other players walk out when they bust in the background or jump for joy when they hit that 1-outer, any observers can be seen on the "rail", etc.  I think I'm getting carried away.  I'm a programmer/videogame addict turned poker pro wannabe so this kind of idea gets the blood flowing.

Like everyone else said though, I don't want to have to worry about playing with bots, but I believe that's a given.  If we're dealing with people's money, nobody wants to be screwed.

Personally, I think the biggest hurdle to overcome is the multi-tabling aspect of online play.  Most serious players will want this feature.  I personally think these guys would end up joining this site, just because it will attract a lot of fish like me.   Where there's fish, there's a shark waiting to strike.

Flint Bones

For MTT's, you can have players do Phil Hellmuth style exits when they bust. When it gets heads up, you can get scantily clad women bring out wads of cash and do a dance or something.

No offense to Dorez, but I would avoid a site like this like the plague.

ScottyZ

Flint Bones wrote:

For MTT's, you can have players do Phil Hellmuth style exits when they bust. When it gets heads up, you can get scantily clad women bring out wads of cash and do a dance or something.

No offense to Dorez, but I would avoid a site like this like the plague.

What if instead it was a scantily clad Phil Hellmuth brushing his teeth and lounging around his house?

Damn ESPN. I'm still having nightmares about that segment.

ScottyZ

Unknown

I think this would appeal to the a few newbie online poker players however like was said before the idea of fighting and tilt o'meter etc is just childish,this sounds like a great play money site for kids to fool around on.
My needs in a site are very simple:
A) Players to play
Knowing my money will be safe
C) A good spread of games
D) Good product support and customer service
E) Software functionality -Site runs smooth , no crashes etc...
F) Detection and deletion of bots and colusion

Really I dont care about the graphics and all the other bells and whistles...basically I want a reliable place to play and know that my money online will be safe.

TMV

tpfelt

I think the future of online poker will be in moving away from a live-game experience towards more of an abstraction. Things like resizable tables (and mini-tables) are hugely attractive to me. Also, features like allowing me to rotate the table so that I can place my avatar in a desired position is also something that isn't possible in a live game that makes for a very handy online feature.

What I'd really like to see is someone put some more effort into creating some keyboard based interfaces to their software. I'm sure some sites have this to lesser or greater degrees, but I'd like to be able to call, raise or fold at the press of a key. And I'd like my number keys to always default to the bet input box for no-limit games. No more hunting for buttons with my mouse or trying to move sliders the right amount.

I think the future of poker will be updates to the software that make it easier and more comfortable to play the game on the computer and not to replicate the casino experience.

Of course, the fundamentals are equally as important, but it will be that extra effort to differentiate the software that will make the difference.

QueenNine

If you are going to have fighting, then at least make everyone purchase an after market boxing glove that would attach to their computer. That way if someone is taking too long to make their descision, or they just took you out on a bad beat you could give them a few whacks in the melon.

literation

I have to run here but forgot to reply...

I'd like to see an option where a player can show 1 card.  I don't know of a poker site with this feature.

[end]

zero

literation wrote:

I have to run here but forgot to reply...

I'd like to see an option where a player can show 1 card. I don't know of a poker site with this feature.

[end]

That's a good idea.

drunk7daysaweek

I don't play online poker for game-like graphics or gimmicks.. I'm more concerned with security, payment options things like that

literation

drunk7daysaweek wrote:

I don't play online poker for game-like graphics or gimmicks.. I'm more concerned with security, payment options things like that

Agreed but I have another idea for tournaments.  I really am concentrating but find I don't always notice when a new player joins the table.  I doubt many sites even log this event in the chat box.  It might happen by position, say 'player ChequeDeezNutz will play after the button'.

I'd like to see a quick flash or shimmer effect when a new person is seated.  It's obvious when a new player sits down at the B&M.  Online, my eyes don't always catch the addition when we're just shy of a full table.

roketinpoket

How about making it possible to split tournament winnings? 2 people left that want to make a deal. Make it possible for one player to make an offer and then the other can counter offer or just ignore. That way you wouldn't get spammed to death.