Online poker rooms today are constantly making changes to improve the gaming experience for every type of player, particularly recreational gamers. Over the past few years, extensive changes have been made to avoid any predatory behavior of the more experienced players towards beginners or less seasoned gamers. Online poker operator partypoker, just announced a few changes themselves to provide a more level playing field.
New Changes to Gaming Policies
Within the changes to partypoker, the brand has decided to introduce the King of the Hill format to their heads-up cash tables. The brand has also stopped any queuing of third party software and increase their real name policy to ensure that players provide such details during satellites and day 1s of online events for live tournaments.
According to party, the changes were made to continue an effort to make the online poker room the fairest destination.
With the King of the Hill inclusion, the goal is to reduce the number of predatory situations regarding heads-up games. Regular players will be more encouraged to take part due to the restriction on the number of tables that are available for each stake.
Players only have the option to wait at one table for each type and if they sit out, they will be removed from the table. This will stop players from being able to wait for a weaker opponent before playing. To keep the table, players have to compete against any challenger, not sit out to pick and choose.
Queuing Software and Identity Needs
When 2020 began, partypoker updated their policy regarding the use of third-party tools. They banned queuing software which allows players to essentially try to alter or avoid certain opponents when the registration is considered blind, when there is not a list of tables but a blind lobby.
The goal of this is also to create a fairer environment. Many online poker rooms are moving to stop allowing such software, so everyone is on the same playing field no matter their experience level.
Another change to the brand is the real name aspect. When playing in live tournaments at a casino location, players must show their ID when registering. The online poker room is using this same concept when it comes to online satellite to live event of their brand as well as online Day 1 events.
The real name policy was first tested by party back in August within the heads-up cash games and high stakes cash games. Now, the site offers both anonymous and real name options in these groupings. With this most recent change, it took place about two weeks ago. When players compete in an online Day 1, satellite, phases or feeders connected to Live events at partypoker, the real name of the player is displayed.
These current changes are surely not going to be the last made by the online poker room. Partypoker continues to be a top operator in the industry due to their care of the customer experience. It will be interesting to see what changes are made next when another round of upgrades are made.
