Poker Mavens - Player Interface

The Poker Mavens player module is an HTML5 web app that is automatically served to your web browser when you connect to a Poker Mavens server. This connection can come from the server directory at www.PokerMavens.net or via a direct link from an email message or another web site. This means you do not have to install any new software to play. The web app connects back to the server on a web socket port for two-way communication. All major browsers now support this capability including Internet Explorer 10, FireFox 11, Chrome 14, Safari 6, and Opera 12.1. On tablets and smart phones with 640 x 480 resolutions or higher, the client module will work with iOS Safari 6 for iPhones and iPads and Chrome and FireFox for Android.

The client module can be configured for two different interfaces: Desktop and Mobile. Devices with touch capability are automatically set to Mobile mode while non-touch devices are set to Desktop mode. However, the user can override this configuration from the Lobby menu if they choose. Both modes are touch and mouse compatible. The Desktop interface consists of a resizable/draggable lobby window with independent table windows (all within the canvas of the browser) that are also resizable/draggable. In the Mobile interface, the lobby is fixed to full screen mode and tables are loaded into one of the lobby tabs. Only one table at a time is visible in Mobile mode but the user can switch to other tables using left and right navigation arrows.

Poker Lobby

Once the client module is loaded, the first thing you will see is the lobby window. This window is not a real operating system window but is instead a graphical representation produced by the HTML5 code. It can be moved and closed like a real window but is confined to the interior area of your web browser. Note that you may want to turn off the various toolbars and use the browser's full screen mode (typically by pressing the F11 key most browsers) to maximize the space available for the various windows available in the game.

Lobby Menu

The menu at the top of the Lobby window contains the following commands:

Lobby

Account

Options

Help

Table

This menu only appears on the top menu bar in the Mobile interface. It contains the same menu commands described in the Poker Table topic below.

Player Login

As a player, you must login before you can join any poker games or use the chat feature. Clicking the Login button on the Logins tab or selecting Login from the Account menu will display this dialog:

First time visitors can click the "Create New Account" button to create a new account at the site. All fields except "Real Name" are mandatory. Remember that each Poker Mavens server is operated independently so an account created on one site will not be recognized on another.

Logins Tab

Once logged in, you can see the list of all players currently logged in on the Logins tab:

The chat feature on the Logins tab can be used to talk to other players (assuming they are monitoring this window). Just type in a line of text in the Chat box and then press Enter to submit it. Clicking the "Chat +" button will open a larger chat box to the right of the lobby window. A player can create notes, assign a color, or block the chat of others by selecting their name in the login list and clicking the "Player Notes" button. The chat block also affects chat entered at the poker tables.

You can click the "Account Balance" button to see what your current chip balance is. Each site administrator determines what a new player's starting balance will be.

Click the "Player Search" button to search all the tables for a specific player name. This feature is also available on the Options menu.

Ring Games Tab

The Ring Games tab displays a list of the active ring games currently available at the site (note: only site owners who have the Pro or Gold version of Poker Mavens can put more than one table at a time online). When one is selected, the list of players currently seated there is displayed. Click the "Observe Table" button to observe or join the selected ring game. To join a ring table, the player simply clicks on any empty seat in the table window. If all seats are currently filled, a "Waiting List" button will be enabled in the Lobby window. Clicking it will add your name to the waiting list. Once a seat become available, a popup invitation will be displayed asking you to join the table.

Tournaments Tab

The Tournaments tab displays a list of the active tournaments currently available at the site. Again, only the Pro and Gold version of Poker Mavens supports multiple tournaments or multi-table tournaments. When one is selected, the list of players is displayed if the tournament has started. Click the Register button to join the waiting list for the next tournament. Seats are randomly assigned and no one is seated until the tournament is ready to start. Also, no one can join a tournament after it has started. You can, however, register for the next tournament while waiting for the current one to finish.

Basic information for the selected tournament can be seen by clicking the "Tournament Info" button, including the starting options. A tournament can be started by up to 5 different methods as long as there are at least 2 people registered to play:

Sit & Go's Tab

The Sit & Go's tab displays a list of the active tournaments that have the "Start when full" option set. This tab is only displayed if administrator has the "Sit and Go tab" option enabled. Otherwise, these tournament are displayed in the same tab as the other tournaments.

Poker Table

Each poker table is represented in an independent window that can be moved and resized anywhere inside your web browser. Click and drag the small triangle icon in the lower right corner to resize the window. The table graphic is identical for both ring games and tournaments. Site owners who have the Pro or Gold version of Poker Mavens have the option to replace the background graphic and table logo so those sites may look different than the default table displayed here.

In the upper left corner of the table is a pull-down menu with the following commands:

The four tab windows shown above have a Save button for copying text to a popup window, where it can be copied to the clipboard or saved to a local file. Other global table options are available in the Lobby window under Options | Table Settings.

Click the Leave button in the upper right corner to leave your seat and/or close the table window. In a tournament, the you will be placed in "Sitting Out" mode and will eventually get blinded out if you don't return. In a ring game, you are removed immediately and any chips in your stack is added back to your account.

The Chat area is located in the bottom left corner of the table. Just type in a line of text and press Enter and your name and message will be displayed at the bottom of the scrolling chat box. If your prefer a larger chat box, click the Menu button and then select "Extended chat" as described above.

Whenever it is your turn to act, your name plate will glow with a yellow color and two or three Action Buttons will be displayed in the lower right corner of the table. For Pot Limit and No Limit games, if there is a possibility of betting or raising a variable amount then an edit box and a slider bar will also be displayed for selecting that amount.

Fold to any bet - When you check this box, your hand will be folded when it becomes your turn to act and there is a live bet that has not been called. However, if you have an option to check your bet, then the check will be performed automatically for you. This option is cleared at the end of the hand.

Sit out next hand - Checking this box will put the player in "Sitting Out" mode when the next hand starts. For ring games, that means they will not be dealt any hole cards and the blinds will skip past them. However if they do not return before the amount of time specified in the "Maximum sitout minutes" setting has expired, they will be automatically removed from the table. For tournaments, a player sitting out will continue to get cards and post blinds. They will eventually be blinded out of the tournament if they do not return.

Sit out next blind - Checking this box will put the player in "Sitting Out" mode whenever it is their turn to post a small or big blind. This option is only available in ring games.

Straddle next UTG - Checking this box will cause the player post a straddle bet (equal to twice the big blind) when they are in the "under the gun" position (i.e., right after the big blind position). The straddle is placed preflop with the other blinds and makes the straddle player the last one to act preflop.

Next Move - These Check/Call/Fold boxes will be displayed on the right side of the window when there is action pending at the table but it is not yet the player's turn to act. A player can use these if they know what move they are going to make in advance of their turn.

Folded Cards - Players can see the cards they folded in the current hand by moving the mouse cursor over their name plate (or touching the name plate on a mobile device). They will be displayed in a semi-transparent state.

Player Info - Hovering the mouse (or long tapping on a mobile device) over a player's name plate will also display a tooltip of information regarding that player (location, gender, time bank remaining, notes, etc.). Clicking the name plate will display a popup dialog containing additional functions including player notes (including color and chat block), search, profile display, and a "rotate here" option.