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When two worlds collide
Chilipoker.com is hoping its latest innovation further bridges the gap between live and online poker to deliver the best of both worlds
To old-school live poker players online poker has represented many things in a relatively short space of time. It began as a lame text imitation, of interest only to the earliest of online geeks who were prepared to swap cards for the most basic of representations. As the on-screen offering started resembling the real thing, online poker then became a genuine threat to the live players’ livelihoods, as more players migrated from the limited poker rooms and smoky basements (where you could only play on one table at a time - OMG!) to the comfort of their own pyjamas and the warm glow of multiple monitors. Nowadays the online poker space is an essential battleground for hordes of online professionals, waking up each morning and putting in nine-hour days, as structured in their approach to the game as if they were commuting to a 9-5 office job.
While online poker does offer a huge number of benefits – the least of which being the sheer number of games and players to play against – there have always been many elements of the game that remained only available to the live player. Obviously competitive interaction is never as much fun typed into a censored chat box as it is spat into the face of a real life opponent, but more legitimate factors remain unique to live poker. Looking deep into a man’s eyes to see if he’s bluffing is never easy when his eyes have been replaced by an avatar photo of his favourite dog or a cartoon piece of cheese wearing a hat. Similarly, when an online opponent takes an especially long time to act, is it because he has a tough decision to make or has his microwave dinner just ‘pinged’?
LASTING LONGER
Another element of live poker missing from the online world is the joy to be had by the kind of side betting that has become very popular in recent years. I can’t remember the last time I went with friends to a tournament without some ridiculous (and often destructive) ‘last longer’ bet being put in place before a single card is dealt. Similarly, sharing ‘pieces’ of each other is common practice; I promise you 10% of anything I make and you make the same swap back. Then, if I get knocked out early, I still have an interest in the game as I now want you to do well so that my 10% means something.
However, online poker room, Chilipoker.com, recently sent out a teasing email to journalist everywhere announcing a ‘new major breakthrough and development’ in online poker, even going so far as to suggest this would set a new standard of playing. And then it spilt the beans: Chiliconnect had arrived…
Billed as ‘the first ever toolbar integrated with the poker client to enhance the player experience’, Chiliconnect looks, to all intents and purposes, like an instant messenger application. Floating beside the poker client, Chiliconnect allows players to make the game a more social experience, as well as participate in real money challenges against each other.
As with any ‘buddy’ system you can populate your list with friends as your network grows, but on Chiliconnect you can also share results as well as keep tabs on how well your friends are doing, all in real time. The system can then link immediately to the popular social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and post results there for your non-Chilipoker friends to see. Similarly, you can update Chiliconnect with your ‘moods’, random thoughts, and – if you’re anything like the poker players I know – whinge on about your bad beats.
FOLLOW ME FOLLOW YOU
Key to the social functionality of Chiliconnect is the ability to see the tournaments your friends are already signed up for and to join them there. Poker Stars has recently enjoyed much success with their Home Games option, allowing players to create their own clubs and play together with friends. With the tournament-tracking in Chilipoker players can now play in larger tournaments but still as an organised group of friends.
You can also create Last Longer challenges (from $1 to $1,000) with up to six players, and still proposition friends up to 30 minutes into a tournament, daring them to make a comeback or retain a lead as you all battle for survival. Chilipoker will then automatically settle all challenges, with no commission or fee on top.
In another tip of the hat to real-world tournaments, players can use Chiliconnect to swap percentages with each other in any online tournament. Before and even after a tournament has begun players can exchange up to 50% in shares.
Word is only just spreading through the online poker community about the arrival of Chiliconnect, and while no player can pretend the new tools and options don’t sound like lots of fun, whether they’ll be enough to tempt serious online players away from their preferred sites remains to be seen. Watch this space…
