The iGlobalMedia is the software that most online poker players are using: it is the software used by Party Poker. One would maybe expect that the largest and most successful poker room would have the best software but it doesn’t. This doesn’t mean that the iGlobalMedia client is bad, just that it doesn’t quite live up to the expectations one might have on this online poker behemoth. Still, most of the things I will have to say about this software are good things. It appears that the primary design parameter has been ease of use and this is probably not a bad idea. After all, we open an Internet poker client primarily to play poker, not to use fancy features or look at nice bitmaps.
If you have played in other major online poker rooms the iGlobalMedia client won’t give you many surprises. Most controls and information are exactly where one would expect them to be. One of the more innovative and useful (and relatively new) features of the lobby is that game types are arranged in a tree view rather than a set of buttons. This is good since a solution with buttons is not very scalable – it quickly becomes unmanageable when the number of game types is increased. A tree view probably offers the best solution here: you can clearly read where in the “game tree” you are and what your options to narrow your search further are.
Once you have selected a category in the tree view you will see a list of tables or tournaments that looks very familiar: it looks roughly the same in all online poker rooms. In the list you get information about the table’s name, number of seats, number of seated players, structure, average pot size and the length of the waiting list. If you are looking at a tournament list you get similar relevant information about the offered tournaments: registration status, number of registered players, buy-in and so on. Multi-table tournaments have a lobby where you get additional information and can register and unregister. Single table tournaments are represented simply as a table where you sit in where there is an open seat. The interface is simple and there is nothing strange here although I think the buttons could have been a little bit larger.
The options offered in the lobbies (main lobby and tournament lobbies) are: a simple guide to how to use the interface, the cashier, support and a table search function where you can search for specific types of games or players by their screen names. In the drop down menus you find links to a range of web material and a options. You can request hand histories but there is no online statistics on your game available.
The tables feature simple and clear graphics (although by no means beautiful) with avatars that are not configurable and thus fill no real function. A set of check boxes that appear and disappear depending on whether or not they apply at the moment let you define your actions before it is your turn to act. These options are available in most clients but they are not always as easy to use as here. The action buttons are large with clear text and the mouse pointer turns into a hand when you move the mouse over so there is no doubt what is clickable and what is not. In a similar fashion, the pointer turns into a cursor when moved over the box where you can manually enter bet amounts in big bet games. A quick click and drag marks the current bet and you can just type the new amount in and see the text on the action buttons change accordingly. The slider on big bet tables is distinct and doesn’t produce weird fractions and you can click in the interval to move it, although it doesn’t move as quickly as I like it to.
The focus shifts smoothly around the tables when you play many tables and in addition the activity field window indicator flashes which makes it easy to locate a table where it is your turn to act. Also, if you are currently looking at one table, discrete bars will appear to tell you when your action is needed on another table. You can simply click these bars to bring up the table – a function that I haven’t used a lot but that I imagine that many find useful. It could have been a bit more visible whose turn it is to act: a small arrow flashes beside the seat of the player that is in turn to act and this can easily be missed when a lot of tables are open. You can sit down at a maximum of four tables at the same time.
All in all, the iGlobalMedia client has everything that you could ask for and it will serve you well. Considering the mind boggling amounts of money that Party Poker must make every minute one could maybe ask for some more options though: maybe a simple client for those who just want a fast bare-bone poker machine and a high-tech true-to-life version for those who enjoy nice graphics. Party Poker should be able to cater to most players’ needs but on the other hand, it’s hard to argue with success. |
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