2/17/22 Release: SNG gets some TLC 💖

Plus general game improvements, and lots of bug fixes.

Our second release is here! Our focus remains on the Sit & Go experience, and planning for the launch of our invite-only Alpha - coming early March. 

📈 Sit & Go keeps getting better!

While we officially launched SNG style-tournaments in our last release, there was still more work to do to ensure a high quality player experience. We prioritized key features and fixing bugs related to poker game play mechanics. 

When creating a game, the “Tournament” option has been renamed to “Sit & Go” for consistency and clarity. Once the game is scheduled, you can hover over the Blind Schedule section to see a preview of upcoming blinds. 

You’ll notice several improvements to the in-game experience. The sidebar now shows “Waiting to start” for games that have not yet started. This changes to show the blind schedule while the game is in progress, with the countdown to next blind change shown in min:sec. 

Want to see where you stand in your group’s rankings? Rankings have been moved from the left side of the screen to the right sidebar. These rankings update in real time to reflect players’ statuses as they are knocked out (and the rankings are now correct!). Players who have been knocked out are shown with “Eliminated” under their video. When the tournament has ended, players will see a “Game Over” overlay displaying the winner.

🃏Game play enhancements

For both cash and SNG games, we made several visual updates: 

• The total pot amount is now clearly displayed in the middle of the table. 

• The chip piles have a new look, with the chips stacked to the left and the amount label to the right.

• As split pots are created, new chip piles are created on the table below the total pot amount. 

We tackled the use case of a user stepping away from their computer during a game. If a player does not select an action during the allotted time, the default action is now check/fold. After two consecutive timeouts, an inactive SNG player continues to check/fold and participate in hands, while an inactive cash game player will have their status updated to “sit out” and will not be dealt cards. 

Speaking of leaving the game, there was previously no warning when clicking an external link within the game screen. Now, players will see an “are you sure?” warning popup when clicking external links that would exit them from the game and require re-joining. 

🐛Bug fixes & other minor improvements

This release was full of bug fixes and tying up loose ends! Here are just a few worth calling out: 

• Fixed incorrect pot totals and instances of illegal bet sizing.

• Side-bet pots are no longer created on the table until action closes for the round of betting.

• In-game video alignment is now vertically centered. 

• Simplified time/date selection options in the create game modal.

• Made in-game sidebar controls more intuitive.

• Improved email subject format to include game creator username, game name, and group name.

💡Things we’re working on & known issues

Major focus areas for our next release include group management, game management, and betting control enhancement. Here’s a list of other things on our radar: 

• Cross-browser compatibility.

• “Gallery view” for participants who are not playing the game.

• Working on redesign of game activity feed/chat window.

• Adding more animations throughout the gameplay.

• “Game over” overlay does not appear for all users at the same instant.

• Users in an inactive state (after two consecutive time-outs) need to refresh the window to become active. 

• Game results screen is showing dummy data. 

• Cash game ledger causes screen resizing. 

• Download CSV button in the cash game ledger does not work.

• “Add to calendar” buttons for scheduled games do not work.

• Past games do not show in reverse chronological order.

We want your feedback!

Have an idea for a feature we should put on our roadmap, or notice a bug we missed? Join our community on Discord and help shape the roadmap!