I am opening up a new poker room online within the next 6 months to a year ( development has just started). It will be designed from the ground up and I am looking for input from regular online players regarding features and other things you would like in a poker room that you are not currently getting in the ones available or even the features that keep you coming back to a specific poker site that you are faithful to. (Please don't ask for things like donkey free play or sucklike as I can't control those things!) All helpful responses will be added to a mailing list and invited to a big private freeroll upon the room launch. How about that? So please include your email address or some form of contact info or I will get it from you later if you are worried about privacy. Topics under discussion include : Rabbit hunting: yay or nay ? Buddy lists with private chat? (obviously not available when players are at same table) Avatars: are they necessary ? What do I want from a lobby? Also very interested to hear from multi table players on how to make their lives easier and also VERY interested in anything that I have not already mentioned so keep it coming ! Thanks for all your help !
Kevin

I hate avatars.

I'm a total software nit so my 2c:

- Resizable tables and option to tile the tables. VERY important for multi-tabling.
- When you are acting on one table (eg. typing an amount in/chatting etc.) and it becomes your turn on another table, I hate it when it forces the new table to the foreground and messes up the typing. FTP is an example of good (i think), UB of very bad.
- Buddy lists are great. Not too bothered about private chat.
- Lobby should have up to date table stats (like vpip/av pot/hands per hour) and ability to list tables by these values.
- NO BAD BEAT JACKPOT

All I can think of for now.

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The major things are:

- Make the software not be buggy or crash

- Make it incredibly easy to reload at any point whilst at the table

- If you are serious about attracting multitablers and getting big actually write to Pokertracker.com and ask him to become compatible with your site

- Decent RB/Bonuses. Offer regular high volume players over 50% Rb since they are the ones who generate most rake and also who keep games running. I won't play anywhere without that sort of deal.

- I would like the option to stradle when UTG

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LOL @ Noob. On Ongame and I am sure most sites you have an option of whether tables pop up on action or not.

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For all non US Players I strongly recommend this site:
Red Kings: Plays on OnGame network, juicy games & continual bonuses given which clear at very good rate.
http://www.redkings.com/index.cgi?aname=jadegoody

This is actually a very good, original idea.

Just like you have CAP tables, you could could have Stradle/No Stradle tables.

Would be a very original thing to have that no other poker site has (to my knowledge)

I shall investigate.

You definitely don't have that option on UB, that's for sure.

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For Free Money, Rakeback and some 6x Ongame bonuses, I recommend PokerSource.

I recommend Cardrunners for superb poker coaching. It was honestly the single biggest improvement in my game signing up there! Sign-up fee might seem steep, but it pays itself back within weeks.

as u are a start up site and if u really want to be a success dont worry about what multitablers want, dont worry about giving rakeback and dont worry about PokerTracker, dont worry about a few high volume players until ur well established

what u should worry about:
- publicity to attract and hold the attention of the casual player
- good software that wont crash every 15 mins
- good support staff that will either answer emails in a short space of time or have a freephone number where i can get through to someone who can speak english.

im sure i have more Do's and Dont's but thats my tuppences worth at this point in time.

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I like the straddle idea.

To the OP, as good as the other advice is, Dee nails it. If you want a successful room you want the donkeys. Good publicity and a juicy little bonus deal (I dunno, maybe they get a free $25 when they sign up and then have to play x amount of hands before they can cash it out, something like bodog do I think) is essential. If your site doesn't have the fish, the regulars won't come.

When you get settled you want to then hit the regs, getting pokertracker/pokeroffice support etc.

But obv the most important thing is NO BAD BEAT JACKPOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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For Free Money, Rakeback and some 6x Ongame bonuses, I recommend PokerSource.

I recommend Cardrunners for superb poker coaching. It was honestly the single biggest improvement in my game signing up there! Sign-up fee might seem steep, but it pays itself back within weeks.

This is a very good point that donkeys attract the sharks anyways.

That's one reason I play on PKR.com
(to attract the sharks )

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ICM / EV Calculator and other free poker software

If you wanna make a big splash and pull some players offer a no deposit instant bonus for new sign ups in USA, no one else is doing this..also offer echecks...for graphics nothing to fancy, maybe something like cake, at least i like theirs best myself...ftp graphics suck balls IMO