What's the deal with the bots?

Bots are computer players to get the ball rolling. If we didn't use bots in launching this site, there wouldn't always be tournaments available for real players. Things about bots:

• Bots CAN NOT win any of the prize money. You won't see them in any of the leaderboards.
• Bots are just to fill seats initially and will be removed once we have enough players to run tourneys 24/7 without them.
• When we remove Bots from the games, there will be a message/post about this so everyone knows.
• Bot strategy isn't intended to be strong or competitive. I spent all of a day and a half writing their logic, so don't be surprised if they make some horrible plays. If anything you should take advantage of their weak play while you can, before they are removed and you have to battle real players.

Is this legal?

Yes. Since you don't deposit money, you can play any game. For something to be classified as gambling it must have three parts: chance, prize and consideration. This system has no consideration (wagers or putting up something of value).

Why do you only offer Proforma Texas Holdem?

Because we are going to open a real money Proforma Texas Holdem website. That site will allow US players to legally wager money, including using credit cards. This sites goal, in part, is to build up interest in Proforma Holdem. What better way to get players to try out our new game structure than pay them?

Bug report, where is it?

If you've seen a bug, you can report it here.

Sometimes there is a remainder of chips left over in the pot (such as .0001). Is that an error?

No, this is a result of how computers deal with floating point math. Unlike best hand poker, Proforma divides chips. This means you could technically have .0001 chips yourself, and so on. This is essential in the game structure since we award percentages of the pot to players but it can leave messy numbers. So when possible the program will divide things evenly and rounds up to clean up numbers, but occasionally that can't be done so it will leave a small remainder.

I have an idea or improvement.

Great, the best way to do this is to post it in the forum. This is a way that you, Poker West and the community can discuss it and then go from there. So go to the forum and post the idea. Don't be shy, we need and want your input.

Why is my username different than my nickname?

Flexibility and security.

Is the client available for Linux?

At this time (August 08) Adobe® AIR™ for Linux is in alpha. You're welcome to try to install it and see if you can get it running, but we haven't done any testing yet. It shouldn't be long before their Beta and production releases are available.

What's up with the graphics here? Seems bland.

Yes, it is intentionally that way. Few things:

1. Poker West prefers simplicity and a clean look -- google-esque style.
2. What matters most is something that is fast and easy on the eyes. The less busy the UI is, the more one can focus on the game. A good game UI is one a user isn't aware of.
3. Nothing is written in stone here. Changing graphics is a simple task and we'll eventually have a feature where you can just adjust the look and feel of the UI.