Wednesday, March 28, 2007
And Leon's getting laaarrrger!
Ok, so the title doesn't apply at all to the post, but do you really read the titles?
I've been doing a TON of work on the Windows version of the poker clock. When I get rolling on something like this I just can't stop. So here's what's new since it was initially released.
- You can track Add-ons now in addition to rebuys. Adds-ons will affect the average chip stacks and payouts when your payouts are based on percentages.
- You can add players during the game. Do you allow people to buy-in through the first round in your game? Well that's no longer a problem with this new feature, you can add players at any time during the game.
- Fixed some bugs! There were a few odds and ends that didn't work exactly as planned. They've been fixed.
- Added the first of many Stats pages. The first page is just a ranking of the top money winners over time. For each game you manage with the downloadable version of the software, there will be stats generated. Over time you can now see who's the top money winner at your game and who should stop throwing their money away!
- Finally, under the hood there's been some improvements in the automatic updating portion of the program, and its also saving some more information about the games. It'll keep track of the date, and all of the game setup so you can go back and look at indiviual games later, and reminice about how well you played that one time.
There's going to be more stats and other features coming soon! Don't worry about having to reinstall everytime I make a change, the program will automatically detect updates and update itself.
|
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Free Poker Clock Available for Download!
The first version of the free poker clock that you can download and use for free is now available here!
There are several additional features coming, but currently you can track your blinds, antes, payouts, average chip stack, and rebuys. It maintains stats from each game you play, but the reporting part isn't complete yet to allow you to view the stats.
The coolest part about the whole thing though, is that you can use the clock now for free, and when the stat part is finished, the application will automatically update itself, and you'll be able to see stats from all the games you played before the stats part was even implemented!
If you don't have the 2.0 .NET framework already, the install may take a little time. You can get the framework from Windows Update if you want to get a jump on things. After you install the first time, it will tell you there's an update available. Make sure to accept this update. After the update is downloaded you have to restart the clock for it to be applied. This is how all updates will be distributed from now on for the poker clock.
I'm also going to add the ability to do add on's, and possibly a 2nd buy-in option. Any other feature requests? Let me know here.
|
Monday, March 19, 2007
Happy belated St. Patrick's Day!
It was an exciting St. Patrick's day weekend for me, and that being said, I am a total dork.
Friday evening I took 2nd place in my regular poker game. I told everyone about the free poker clock that was on its way, they were absolutely giddy with anticipation. Speaking of which, I got word from my developer today, and the clock should be done on the 28th. Should be.
In the meantime, I spent all day Saturday working on a standalone version of the poker clock that has a little more functionality. The windows version of the poker clock allows you to track rebuys, and player names.
Why would you want to track player names? So you can keep stats! The biggest advantage of this standalone version of the poker clock is that it will allow you to keep records of all your games. You can then submit your game results automatically to www.poker-clock.com to have them published to a web page for everyone in your game to see.
Some potential stats to report on might be:
- Who goes out first the most?
- Who holds the record for going out the quickest?
- Who's the top money winner in your regular home tournament?
Have ideas for additonal reports? Let me know here.
And the best part of it all, the standalone poker clock, will be available to download for FREE. You can use it to manage your home tournaments, and view some basic reports on the games for FREE. Now, to see the advanced reporting, such as the items listed above, that'll probably cost something. But it won't be much, and it will be a one time fee, not a subscription.
Its pretty exciting, I know. Try not to jump up and run around your office screaming with excitement, it'll be a little while. I probably need at least one more weekend to finish it.
And not to worry, I did tip a few back eventually on St. Patty's day. I'm not a complete dork.
|
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
What's your favorite tournament blind structure?
I've been playing in the same Texas Hold'em
tournament for the past few years and we've been using the same blind
structure since day one. We play 15 minute rounds, with blinds that go
like this:
25/50
50/100
75/150
100/200
150/300
200/400
300/600
400/800
500/1000
Everyone starts with 2500 in chips, and there are no rebuys.
Originally we capped the blinds at 500/1000, but that rule has since
been lifted and they continue on, to 6/12, 8/16, 1/2, although the game
rarely gets to that point.
Because I play mainly for the social aspect of the game, this structure
works great for me. Its slow enough that the game lasts awhile, but
fast enough that it doesn't stretch into the wee hours. The latter is
important mainly because I deal the entire game, no matter when I go
out. So after 3 or 4 hours of dealing I am very fatigued and drunk,
which has an adverse effect on my ability to deal cards.
|
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The blog is up!
As you may have already noticed, the blog is up and running now. Things are really moving along, and the site should be completely finished within the next 10 days! This is just the beginning.
The initial poker clock that will be available, will allow you to add up to 15 rounds per game. You can add breaks between rounds, but they count as rounds also. The actual timer screen will display the timer, current blinds, next blinds, average chip stack, and payouts, based on percentages that you enter. The clock will play a sound when there is one minute left, and when a round has expired.
I'll make a screenshot available as soon as I can, probably by the beginning of next week. As I said, this is just the initial release. I've got some additional features planned, but I'd also like to hear from you. Let me know what features you'd like to see in the clock! Add a comment to this entry with your suggestions.
-Ryan
|
