PokerStars software update includes key new features

Often times after an online poker room updates their software the changes are imperceptible -sometimes dealing with a minor glitch or maybe adding a new language to the site’s download-but every now and then you get a new update that has a number of upgrades; like the recent update at PokerStars that saw the site add several new features including the ability to be seated from the lobby and the option to show one or both hole-cards.

PokerStars explained the new features, including the reasons behind them and what they will specifically change, on the 2+2 Poker Forum. Here is a look at the changes that will be incorporated into the latest software update:

• Easy Seat (Beta)

Easy Seat transforms the experience of starting your multi-tabling session. Once you set up your Easy Seat preferences you will be able to launch your sessions with just a single click from the main lobby! Taking seats has never been this easy.

• Timed Tournaments

Timed tournaments are perfect when you want to play a tournament but only have a limited amount of time. Timed tournaments end after a pre-defined period. Once the time limit is reached, surviving players are paid out based wholly or partially on chip counts. Currently we are testing various configuration options at low stakes but we will be rolling out more timed tournaments after WCOOP.

• New “PokerStars Nova” Table Themes

The new table themes that some players have already tested will be released to all players with this update. These themes include a new table design, and features that many players asked for, such as North/South seating, bigger fonts, more distinguishable cards of opponents etc. To use one of the new themes simply go to ‘View’ > ‘Table Themes’ and pick one of the Nova themes. These new themes are still in Beta stage, so please email feedback to [email protected]. Below is a screenshot with slight modifications from what the testing players experienced:

• 4-Max Final Table

4-Max tournaments will now go to the final table at 5 players. This means that you will be playing 5-handed in a ’4-Max’ tournament but this avoids the uneven situation of one table having to play heads-up while the other is 3-handed.

• Show Full Hole Cards

If you enable this option (under ‘Options’ > ‘Table Display Options’) you will see the whole of both hole cards. Many players suggest that this makes it easier to read your hand.

• Show Large Opponent Cards

If you enable this option (under ‘Options’ > ‘Table Display Options’) the size of your opponents’ hole cards is increased. Many players suggest that this makes it easier to quickly see who is left in a hand.

• Fold and Show/Show One Card

Players will now be given the ability to Fold and Show (rather than just fold) when last to act. Players will also be able to only show some of their cards rather than having to choose between showing all or none. You choose which card(s) you want to show by clicking on them.

Fold and Show does not work in draw games. As before, general preferences for whether to ever show are controlled in the ‘Showing / Mucking Hands’ section of the Options menu.

• Ring Game Lobby Improvements

We have made improvements to the ring game lobby. There will be a new ‘Type’ column that will show game speed and buy-in structure, and an icon for table size. The table column will now only have the table name.

• Animation Improvements

We have made improvements to some of the table animations in the client so they are smoother. This is part of a large project that will gradually improve animations in the client even more.

As with any update of this magnitude there are likely to be a few bugs that will be worked out in the coming weeks, as well as some minor changes to the software, so I would expect a few more updates from PokerStars over the next week or so; albeit, much smaller than this most recent update.