Third Bullet Poker: Game Preview

	Third Bullet’s unique game interface is the product of poker players working closely with experts from the video game industry. The result is an intuitive player interface and control menu that facilitates expert play by reducing eye fatigue and user mistakes.

	Poker is a game that demands concentration on the part of any player who is in it to win it. Third Bullet’s interface was designed to alleviate the confusion of switching buttons, random pop-up interface elements and hard-to-click check boxes. The first things you will notice about the Game Control Interface are the large buttons and multiple colors. All of the buttons are color-coded to give you a quick reference as to what each button will do when clicked. Red = Leave the hand (Fold cards, sit out, etc) Yellow = No action (Check, Wait for BB, etc) Green = Pay chips to the table (Post blinds, bet, raise, etc) Action Buttons The top row has the Action buttons. When it is your turn, you can click any of these buttons to perform the action that is described inside the button. Pre-Action Buttons When you have a turn coming, but it is not yet your turn to act, the Pre-Action Buttons will appear. Clicking these will toggle an action to be performed automatically when it is your turn. Raise Area In No Limit and Pot Limit games, when you want to make a raise, you can use Third Bullet’s Slider Bar controls. You can also use the smaller buttons to change the amount of the raise or you can choose to adjust the raise by typing in the raise amount. Third Bullet’s interface has four distinct tools: Chat, Notes, Stats and Info. Each of these tools will allow the player to view different elements about the game while observing or playing at the table. This section details each of the tools. Chat Chat comes up by default and it is where you will be able to see what other players at the table are saying. It is also where the Dealer will be giving details about how the game is progressing. Much of the Chat window details are also found in the Hand History so that you can review the hand at a later date. To use Chat, simply click your mouse in the white bar at the bottom of the Chat tab, type what you’d like to say and then hit your Enter or Return key. If Chat is allowed at your table you will see it appear next to your Poker Nickname in blue. All player chat is in blue. You can change the options for your Dealer Chat by clicking the button to the right of the white Chat text entry bar. This brings up the Table Options window. There you can set the Dealer to be Silent (say nothing), Summary (just gives basic hand details) or Everything (display all available messages). You can also set whether or not you want to see the chat from other Players or from Observers (people not playing but watching the table). Notes When you want to make a note about any of your opponents go to the Notes tab. Choose their name from the drop-down menu (or right click on the opponent onscreen and select the Notes choice). Below, you will be able to write down notes for yourself to view any time you ever see that player. You can also ‘Ignore’ the selected player’s chat by clicking the Ignore button. When ignored, you will see the muted icon appear over the player’s name tag. If you do not feel like writing a lot you can simply rate a player with the Rating Icons. You can even change the descriptions of the Rating Icons if you so feel like it. Stats When playing at a table, the Stats tool will track some basic info for you. This includes the number of hands you were dealt, the number of times you saw the Flop in different positions, the number of times you have won, etc. You can reset the stats whenever you wish if you want to try a new tactic and you will be able to see how well it fares for you. Info You will see two distinct differences with the Info tool when playing Ring Games and Tournaments: Ring Games Check the Info tool to view the following information about a Ring Game table: • The number of people watching the table • The average number of people who view the flop • The average pot size • The number of hands played by the table in an hour • Your current Gold Chip status (displayed with the Gold Chip Meter) • The last Gold Card awarded publicly to someone at this table Tournaments Check the Info tool to view the following information about a Tournament table: • Information about the tournament (levels, time to break, time for level, etc) • Time Bank time remaining for player • Player’s current rank Third Bullet has created a way for all players to view their hand histories straight from our secure servers in an easy-to-read web page format. Not only can users view their hand history graphically but they can also send the hand history directly to anyone else who can then click on the link to view the hand graphically as well. Since every hand is actually it’s own web page, you can post the links on forums, websites, etc. The rewards when you share a real money ring game or tournament Hand History can also be significant, not only to brag about the pot you took down last night. Third Bullet allows you to choose from a number of different photo-realistic characters when you sit at a table. By default, the characters will sit with their hands on the table when the player is in the game or remove their hands from the table when they are sitting out. Of course, if you want, you can click on the Options and remove the characters from play. Player Nameplate When a player sits at a table, their Nameplate will have their Poker Nickname at the top and their current chip count underneath. During the game, the area under each player’s Nickname will change to reflect what is happening during each hand. Some of these states have colors assigned to them (Green = chips were put into play, Yellow = No action, Red = Cards folded). You may also see some graphics around the Nameplate. The colored icon to the top right reflects a player about whom you have previously made notes in the Note section. An icon on the top left reflects that the chat from this player is currently being ignored.