Poker News – Catch up with the Latest Poker Stories at PokerSites.com™

Partypoker Rolls Out Another Series of Less Controversial Updates

Partypoker has rolled out another series of innovations just weeks after a previous updated caused uproar among some factions of the online poker community.

Partypoker has released another series of updates designed to make betting easier for Mac users and tournament players. (Image: Partypoker)

Following changes that saw player tracking software banned, Partypoker has taken a less controversial path this time around.

As per a summary published on September 4, the upgrades will make life easier for tournament players and Mac users.

Sleek Looks, Slicker Betting

For those using a Mac, Partypoker’s client now contains more custom settings. In addition to slicker table designs, players can adjust the playing environment and the style of their cards.

As well as aesthetic improvements, the Mac update ushered in a new note taking feature and stack display.

For users in general, the software update also features MTT improvements.

“Position – Info on a player’s position and the total number of players remaining in the tournament.

Average Stack – Display of the average stack for the tournament or, if a player is displaying chips in big blinds, the average big blinds.

In The Money (ITM) – The ITM indicator displays how many prizes will be awarded for the tournament.

Multi-color ITM display- Position and ITM will be highlighted depending on how close a tournament is to the prize payout.

Late Reg Countdown- To make it clearer to players when late registration will close,” reads the September 4 overview.

To help players understand the changes, Partypoker has released a video featuring Jaime Staples (see above). In the explanation, site ambassador Staples shows the changes in real-time and outlines why they’re useful.

Partypoker Update for Everyone

The video should serve as a useful tool for novices, a demographic Partypoker has been aggressively targeting in recent months.

Alongside an ongoing effort to execute bots and reduce instances of cheating, the online poker site is making its ecosystem less predatory. The decision to remove downloadable hand histories and, therefore, render tracking software useless was the first major change.

Since then, non-anonymous tables have become a reality. Although not mandatory at this stage, select tables replace nicknames with real names.

The aim of these tables is to reduce cheating and create a community fee. As is often the case, some players have taken offence to these updates.

However, what’s clear is that Partypoker is pressing ahead with its mission to attract more casual players.

The latest upgrades may make life easier for serious MTT players but the accompanying video is clearly designed to make them more accessible to novices.

It’s an interesting strategy and one Partypoker believes will give it the edge over its peers.