Full Tilt Poker, the world’s second largest online poker site, released a software update on Monday that addressed many of its customers’ requests and concerns. Among the new features to the software were an “Auto Add-On” button for rebuys and a “Quick Fold to Any Bet” option for Rush Poker players.
The “Auto Add-On” button was probably the most asked-for feature that Full Tilt’s software was missing up until this latest upgrade. After PokerStars inserted a clickable “Auto Add-On” box for its rebuy tournaments in June 2009, Full Tilt players requested the same. It took well over a year, but the site came through for its multi-tablers who were frustrated about forgetting to add on after the rebuy hour.
Full Tilt included an “Auto Add-On by Default” alternative in the “Options” menu so players don’t have to check it at the start of every tournament. Also, players can now rebuy any time during the add-on period, meaning that any late registrants can complete their rebuys and the add-on before the period ends.
Speaking of late registration, Full Tilt Poker addressed a major request that its customers had been demanding. Previously, a player who registered late for a tournament could get moved to a new table a number of times before getting their big blind. This would result in them not being able to play a hand for several minutes.
Now, when a player registers late and gets moved before paying their big blind, they’ll be dealt in right away at the new table as long as they aren’t between the blinds. Also, the “Must Wait for Big Blind” rule has been eliminated entirely for Super Turbo tournaments, meaning that players will no longer be able to see their equity increase while they wait for a hand and players rapidly bust out of the tournament.
Full Tilt Poker also incorporated “On Demand Tournaments” into its latest update. The newest phenomenon, according to Full Tilt Poker Rep “ftpdoug,” is a “half sit and go, half scheduled tournament that kicks off when the required number of players enter, but then shows up with late registration in the main tournament lobby.”
The $2 180-man sit and gos, 54-man Super Turbo sit and gos, and the Rush 135-man sit and gos have been converted to “On Demand.” As of this writing, the $2 180-man sit and gos were getting up to 400 total entrants, more than doubling the size of the prize pool. The site is currently monitoring the new “On Demand Tournaments” and will make adjustments based on customer response.
Here’s a look at some of the other new features that Full Tilt Poker added in its latest update this week:
Time Zones for Game Clock: Players can now set the clock to their specific time zone. Before, the clock in the lobby only showed Eastern Time.
Quick Fold to Any Bet: The “Fold to Any Bet” action has been changed to “Quick Fold to Any Bet” when appropriate.
Always Show Stack Size: The action messages (Check, Bet, Raise, etc.) have all shrunk in size to allow the pod to still display a player’s stack information. Before, players would have to hover their cursor over an opponent’s pod to see their stack size.
Disable Tournament Announcements: Players now have the option of disabling tournament announcements in the chat box.
Eight-Game and Nine-Game Additions: More games for players to check out and play. Nine-Game is just like 10-Game, but without Badugi. Eight-Game is just like Seven-Game, but also includes Triple Draw.