Nothing raises the pulse at a poker table quite like a high stakes showdown! Arguably the most important part of any round, showdowns epitomise the tension and risk that comes with not knowing what your opponent is about to reveal. With Poker Club we aim to capture the tension of this key moment, bringing it to your home poker experience. In this Dev Diary, we’re talking about the improvements we’re making to showdowns to take them to the next level.
The showdown is the end to a round of poker, in which any remaining players show and compare their hands to determine the winner(s). In Poker Club we break this up into two main stages; the reveal, in which each remaining player takes turns showing their hand, and the winning hand, at which point we find out who won the round.
When designing showdowns we have three key elements in mind; efficiency, clarity and excitement. We want this to be a fun ending to any round, building tension while keeping pace, where it’s always clear who won and why. All images and current design are WIP and are subject to change before release.
The reveal
Our first step is speeding up the entire process, keeping you in the game with fewer pauses and more action. During the reveal, the camera no longer switches to top-down, instead, you’ll see each player turn over their cards which will also be recorded against their position in the player list on the right.
The community cards are always visible in the bottom left, making it easier to read the game, no matter where you sit, or which camera you choose. (We’ll cover this in more detail in an upcoming dev diary!)
Winning Hands
The key focus for us here is simply ensuring that the winning hand is always crystal clear.
When there is a single winner, the camera will frame the winner and the UI will clearly show their hole cards alongside the community cards, then call out the winning hand.
In a situation where there is a split or side pot, there is a very similar process. All of the winning hands will be displayed, again highlighting which cards are used from both the community and hole cards, as well as the result they got and how many chips are won from the pot. This also keeps the results clear and concise on one screen, speeding up the process.
That’s it for this Dev Diary, thank you for reading and we hope you’re excited to get a sneak peek at some of the awesome updates coming to Poker Club! This is just the first in a series of changes, so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming Dev Diaries, to see what else is in the works.
Do you want to be part of our community of players, actively helping to shape the future of the game? Join us on Discord and share your ideas and feedback with us.
