Pokerstars Software Upgrade On The Way

Online poker giant not one to rest on its laurels. The world's biggest online poker operator, PokerStars.com, has another serious software upgrade ready for launch - probably by the end of this week. The company blog has given detailed information on the upgrade, which incorporates a long list of new features and improvements. Session Options - PokerStars is introducing an integrated platform that allows the player to manage his or her state during a session. There will be a small additional icon on each table that gives easy access to the Session Options. From there players can sit out on all tables; sit out next Big Blind on all tables; resume play on all tables on which he or she is sitting out; and end the session by sitting out next Big Blind on all tables and close. Immediate feedback on the session will be available - the table icon will change from a green play sign when players are sitting in on all tables, to a yellow play/pause icon when they are sitting in on some and sitting out on other tables, to a red pause icon when they are sitting out on all tables. Auto buy-in - This allows the player to instantly buy in after left-clicking Seat Open without any intermediate steps. The player simply sets up his or her buy-in preferences once, and the next time they sit at a table they will automatically buy in. Auto Buy-in can be set up through "Options" > "Auto-Buy-In (Ring Games)..." or by clicking on the link in the traditional buy-in dialog. Want to buy in as an exception for a different amount? Simply right-click on 'Seat Open' and the traditional buy-in dialog will show up. 'Seat me' - When the player selects a table that has empty seats in the ring game lobby, he or she will notice a Seat Me button below the traditional Go to Table. Clicking Seat Me automatically opens the table and seats the player in one of the empty seats on the table. If Auto Buy-in is enabled, the player will be automatically bought in for the desired amount; if not - the usual buy-in dialog will appear. In this way taking a seat can be a single-click process from the main lobby. Sit out next big blind - PokerStars has changed the existing 'Sit out next blind check box' on fast tables to Sit out next big blind, and has added the new check box to regular-speed tables as well. Stack tables layout - Players will now be able to Stack all their tables in addition to the already existing Cascade and Tile. This feature can be accessed either from "View" in the main lobby, or through the Table Layout menu on the table. Shortcut key is Ctrl+8. Average Stack column - This is a new column in the lobby which shows the average stack of the players sitting in on the table. No Chat in table tooltip - Players will now have the ability to display No Chat in their table tooltip by activating "Options" > "Show No Chat in tooltip". This option is only available if the player has lost his or her chat privileges. Notes reliability - PokerStars has changed the way notes are saved so that players do not lose their notes when the client is closed in a non-conventional way. Remove from all waiting lists button - The waiting list dialog ("Requests" > "Waiting on Tables...") now has a "Remove me from All Waiting Lists" button. Link to last hand when dealing stops - Players will now be able to access the last hand when dealing stops. The Previous link will remain active on the table instead of disappearing. Usually the last hand is the cancelled hand, and the red Replay button will not open a hand that has been cancelled. To look at the last complete hand, players need only click on the Previous [Hand ID Number] link and use the Instant Hand History. Display Bet Amounts defaults to on - This option is now enabled by default on new installs and activated for players who have not explicitly disabled it. Advanced action Check moved - To avoid mis-clicks when selecting the Check advanced action Pokerstars has re-positioned Check slightly higher so that it does not overlap with the Call (Amount) check box which appears on a prior bet. Tournament Tickets dialog improvements - The window accessed through "Requests" > "Tournament Tickets" has been improved. Among other things, it will now list all tournaments that accept a specific ticket typed.