PM Poker is proud to introduce a new style of online poker. While there are always new poker sites popping up, they all tend to use the same underlying software. The issue is poker software is very complicated, and many developers take the easy way out, resulting in many noticeable flaws and deviance from actual live poker play.
Our software has been under dedicated development for years, and therefore is not just “copycat” online poker software. Many online players have never experienced the pleasure of playing live poker, and when they experience live poker for the first time, the difference in play is often confusing. Online poker software does not mimic real poker action, and this is why we offer “True Vegas Style Poker”™.
There are really only two types of play: Ring Game and Tournament play (this includes Sit & Go’s). We will explain how PM Poker differentiates itself from the other sites.
Ring GamesWhen you walk into a poker room in Vegas as a player, you can't randomly sit down at any table you want, nor are you permitted to pick up your chips at one table and move to another table on your own. When entering a poker room, you must sign in and tell the poker manager (or “HOST”) the game you are interested in playing.
Many poker rooms have what they call “main tables” and “must-move tables”. A must-move table is a secondary table where players can play, but will be forced to move to a main table when seats open. This system keeps the main tables as full as possible for optimal play.
When playing at a table, a player may believe their seat is unlucky, or they may not like sitting next to a particular player, and will ask the dealer for a seat change. These requests are fulfilled in the order of players requesting, and when possible to do so. Players may also request a table change from the HOST if they simply don’t like the action at their table.
These are just a few examples of poker etiquette that take place in real poker rooms, and yet they're forgotten and/or abandoned in most online games. We are offering the real poker experience at PM Poker, where a player selects the type of game they want without hunting down a table. A player will most likely be seated at a must-move table (unless player volume is low), and will be moved based on “first in, first out”. We have a maximum of two must-move tables, and should a third must-move table be required, the oldest must-move table will become a main game table.
At other poker sites, seat change requests seem nonexistent. The “Sit Here” function these sites use is not a seat change; it merely rotates the view and gives the player the impression of changing seats. If a player wants a different seat they must cash-out from the table and then rejoin and pick a different seat, if there is one still available after the cash-out. Many players choose not to do this, because it requires leaving their table, then trying to rejoin that table, join another table, or being placed on a waiting list.
At PM Poker, we offer actual seat changes whereby a player can request a specific seat, or any seat that becomes available. We also offer a “Sit Here” feature, which rotates the table view to the player's preference.
Many online poker sites will allow a player to leave (cash out) and return to the table with fewer funds, thereby removing money from the table. A good poker room HOST will not allow this to happen. If a player cashes out from their table, they must buy back in for the same amount they cashed out for up to one hour. PM Poker software also does this by enforces a buy-in requirement for a period of one hour, should a player leave and come back (only within the same game variant and stakes).
Real poker rooms have a minimum chip unit at the table (mostly $1 chip minimum) and tend to never have games using smaller denominations. When betting, a player cannot wager in units less than the minimum chip. This is where online poker differentiates itself by allowing much smaller units, and not necessarily for the better. There are a few problems with this, starting with collusion. Unscrupulous players may use odd betting amounts to inform their accomplices at the table. By maintaining the integrity of real poker rooms, we automatically discourage negative poker play and poor betting practices.
The “Rake” is the house fee taken from the pot, based on a percentage of the pot. Commonly, this is 10% with a cap of $3 - $5, depending on the poker room. Since the rake is taken using a physical chip in a poker room, the house tends not to rake until the minimum chip unit is passed. In other words, they don't take “fractions” of a chip. Online poker rooms may offer lower rake percentages, but these are extremely misleading since they will rake in $0.01 units and thereby increasing the house's take of the pot.
PM Poker software is designed to mimic the advantages of using actual physical chips at the table. Betting must be based on the minimum chip at the table. For example, in $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold’em, the smallest chip in the game is $0.25. We also offer a 5% rake with a cap of a large blind, and we only rake based on the minimum chip. Here is an easy example of a 5% rake using $0.01 raking:
Game pot is $3.25 * 5% (rake) = $0.16, whereas using a physical chip unit of $0.25 would rake $0.00.
We believe this provides much more fairness to the players, especially with smaller pots, and keeps player balances always within the minimum chip units.
Tournament GamesA poker tournament is a scheduled poker event involving a number of players with a specific number of tournament chips. Tournament chips do not represent real money, but are instead similar to “play money”. Just like Ring Games, there is a minimum chip unit used and is the same at all tables in the tournament. As play continues, the minimum chip unit can also increase when the smaller denominations become unnecessary. This process is called coloring up and done on regular intervals.
Seating in a tournament should be random, and many poker rooms now implement a ticketing system to ensure fairness.
PM Poker follows the standard tournament rules, and makes sure the seating of players is completely random. We also only allow betting based on the minimum chip unit within the tournament. Like real poker tournaments, once a smaller chip is no longer needed, our software will do the coloring up process.
One of the most difficult jobs of a tournament HOST is to maintain table equality within the tournament. To move a player fairly, the HOST looks at the dealer (button) position in which a table requires a player, and selects a player from a higher table number equal to the distance from the button, or best moving outcome for the moving player.
Many online sites ignore this complexity and just shuffle players randomly about. PM Poker takes the time to move players based on the button position if possible, and from a higher table if possible. We always try to collapse tables from highest to lowest, so that table #1 should always be the final table. This makes for better tournament play when you know the final table.
We also do the traditional online break on all tournament tables at 55 minutes past the hour. At that time, all tournament level timers are stopped for a 5 minute break. Players will not lose time on a level because of a break.
Sit & Go GamesSit & Go games are non-scheduled events and begin immediately once the number of qualified players for a table is met. Our software will not seat two players known for colluding in the same game.
All other Sit & Go play is the same as the Tournament Games.
