1. The document provides feedback from a UK community member on ways to improve their experience playing online poker at PartyPoker. 2. Key suggestions include adding new betting slider options, improving the lobby and table interface for both PC and Mac users, adding more options for filtering tournaments, and improving the loyalty and tournament structures. 3. The feedback focuses on small changes that could create a more enjoyable player experience, such as allowing players to save favorite tournaments, message friends, and adjust cash out currencies and tournament blind levels and structures.

1. 1
UK Community Feedback
July 2015
Since my recent return to full-time online poker I have noticed changed which have overall brightened the
experience of playing at PartyPoker. These have mostly been small changes, such as having 'Live Events'
under Game Type along with the introduction of multi-table sit-&-gos.
Some have been more dramatic, such as the introduction of the 'Game of the Month' and the
transformation of the loyalty scheme which I found to be the best of all. Alike each of these, the
suggestions presented are for creating a more pleasurable experience - the introduction of 'Saved
Tournaments' and the 'Double Buy-in' being prime examples, allow me to demonstrate...
1. Bet Slider 2
- Small blind Slider
- Greater Choice with Tabs
2. Lobby and Tables 3
- Background brightness
- Mac software
- Individual buy-ins
- Non-turbo Filter
- Saved tournaments
- Messaging Friends
3. Loyalty Scheme 3
- Bridging the Silver-Gold gap
4. Re-buys 4
- Double buy-in
5. Cash-out Currency 4
- GBP, Not Euro
6. Sit-and-Go's 4
- Regular Qualifiers and Steps
- Multi-Table: 12 and 18
7. Tournament Structure 5
- 12 Minute Blinds
- More minutes for bigger blinds
8. Satellites 6
- Packages
- Popular Satellites

2. 2
9. Game of the Month 6
- Huge Potential
Positive Feedback
10. Loyalty Scheme 7
- Tickets
- Pokerfest
11. Tournament Structure 7
- Extra Blind Levels
12. Prize Structure 7
13. 5-Max Sit-and-Go's 7
14. Lobby 8
15. Casual Cash Games 8
16. Missions 8
17. UK Facebook Page 8
18. Tony Dunst 8
19. Conclusion 8
Bet Slider
Small Blind Slider
I can say with utmost confidence that being able to adjust the bet slider by the small blind would be highly
appreciated by players. As a player would likes to multi-table, I find having to type in a raise too
distracting and time consuming, consequently betting x2 and x3 the blind even when I deem this to be too
little or too much. Being able to click and bet 100 or 150 (my default betting size) would make playing so
much simpler.
Greater Choice with Tabs
In addition to this, having a wider selection of pre-flop tabs would also be helpful, x2.5 and x3.5 being the
most notable examples. Also being able to change the 'All-in' button to another option would be useful as
it simply creates more choice and allows the player to decide what they would ideally want. On top of
this, adding an extra tab option would be highly appreciated for the same reasons, altogether creating a
smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience.
My ideal tab:
Min x2 x2.5 x3 x3.5 x4
Min 1/3 1/2 2/3 3/4 4/5

3. 3
Lobby and Tables
Background Brightness
One of the issues I continue to suffer from is presence of a bright screen at night, especially after a long
session. Having the ability to do something as basic as change the hue of the background will resolve this
problem to large extent as I could then have a blue silver background which is less strenuous on the eyes
as well as pleasant to look at.
Mac Software
As a Mac user my interaction with PartyPoker has been an issue simply because it isn't as good as the PC
version. I originally countered this by installing Parallels, but due to the memory it occupies I have
reverted back to using the Mac version despite the frustrating it causes in not having an instant hand
history, the same selection of filters or the ability to shrink the lobby to a more smaller size.
Individual Buy-ins
Further still, being able to select individual buy-ins, i.e. $10, $20, would be very useful in filtering out all
the unwanted tournaments, i.e. $5, $50, making the selection of tournaments so much easier, especially
when participating in both Low and Medium stake tournaments.
Non-Turbo Filter
I like every format of poker except for the turbo, though when I click on 'Regular' it filters out the bounty
tournaments, and when I click on Bounty it includes all the Turbo tournaments. If there were a 'Non-
Turbo' button then this would resolve such complications.
Saved Tournaments
I highly approve of the 'My Tournaments' filter but it could in fact be upgraded to a 'Saved Tournaments'
filter in which you were able to save your favourite tournaments (with the 'Save' button located in each
tournament lobby) so that you didn't have to look for them every time you played, making this process so
much easier.
Messaging Friends
What would be really great is if we could message our Friends on PartyPoker as a way of getting in touch
and staying in touch with other players, so not just those you regularly see at the virtual felt but also those
you meet in person.
Loyalty Scheme
Bridging the Silver-Gold Gap
Having a loyalty level of 50 points I consider to be very rewarding for new and present players alike,
although the difficultly is once micro and low stakes players have achieved this status by engaging in say,
15 $5 games each week, it means they would have to either increase their buy-in to an average of $75 or
increase their game play to 225 per week in order to reach a Gold status, in other words, a multiple of 15
is just too much.
Players would be eager to achieve a Silver status but then switch-off thereafter and simply remain as a
Silver player, there's no extra drive to increase game play or buy-in and become a Gold player. This
completely contrasts with the difference between Gold and Palladium which is only x2.67.

4. 4
The ideal thing to do would be to introduce an additional status which bridges the gap:
'Chrome' 50
Silver 250 (x5)
Gold 750 (x3)
Palladium 2000 (x2.67)
A status is more so an achievement and a form of identity than a means to a bigger bonus, whatever minor
financial lost is experienced in having a slightly more rewarding level will be outweighed by the
satisfaction and credibility that players feel in being a higher status player.
Re-buys
Double Buy-in
One of the annoyances that I regularly experience is when the table fails to transmute my second buy-in
before the tournament begins, which becomes even more frustrating when I am presented with a strong
hand which I have to then fold as I would much prefer to re-buy. The same can be said for when I win a
pot before realising that my second re-buy hasn't gone through.
This can be countered with the double buy-in so that after clicking on 'Register now' you are presented
with an extra option:
Select a buy-in option:
1 ticket $5 Buy-in
2 tickets $10 Double Buy-in
Cash-out Currency
GBP, Not Euro
Even though the currency of my account is in GBP, my default cash-out option is in Euros, which can be
unnerving as on several occasions I have come close to clicking the cash-out button without changing it to
GBP, in fact the one I did was when I made a cash out for £1000 and due to the poor exchange rate offered
by Paypal I ended up losing £60.
Sit & Go's
Regular Qualifiers and Steps
I find the concept of Steps and sit-and-go qualifiers very exciting and would engage in them constantly if
the blinds were available in 8 minutes, the only thing deterring me from playing them is the fact they only
exist in turbo which is a huge factor in terms of game play and profitability.
Multi-Table: 12 and 18
Multi-table sit-&-gos are a good idea, the only downside is the fact they only exist in 18 and 36 when
really it should be 12 and 18 as players will not be willing to wait hours for a table to accumulate,
deterring them from even registering in the first place.
I would further argue that extra blind levels would need to be installed in order to accommodate the longer
length of the tournament, ultimately delaying the crapshoot that occurs when the blinds reach 200/100:

5. 5
Levels Blinds Min.
1 20/40 8
2 30/60 8
3 40/80 8
4 50/100 8
5 75/150 8
6 100/200 8
The overall structure of the sit & go is good for shorthand games, but I find that even for the full-ring
games it doesn't provide enough leverage for an equally profitable and satisfying tournament.
Tournament Structure
12 Minute Blinds
One alteration I have noticed is the use of 12 minute blinds which I completely agree with. And so in
respect to this I feel more tournaments are better acquainted to 12 minute blinds - the $1,000 and $1,500
deepstacks for example (12:30, 13:30 BST). There are typically 60-70 and 80-90 players for these
tournaments with each player starting with 5000 chips and the blind levels set at 15 minutes. For such a
small tournament it really does consume a great deal of time.
On the other hand, the $5 Rebuy (16:30 BST) attracts 250+ players but only has 10 minute blinds. Having
recently won one of these and final tabled another I can say with confidence that once the blind level
reached a certain point (500/1000) it mostly becomes a crapshoot that requires winning all-in after all-in
in order to advance in the tournament.
Thus I believe the 12 minute blind level would best suit both of these variety of tournaments in order to
create a better balance between the length of the tournament and the size of the tournament.
More Minutes for Bigger Blinds
One alteration which could in fact be implemented in all tournaments is to have the minutes increase
when the blinds reach a particular level. With the recent introduction of new blind levels during the early
stages (60/30, 50/25), you could potentially have a tournament structure such as this:
Levels Blinds Min
1 - 6 10/20 10
7 - 16 50/100 12
17+ 500/1000 15
However, this is merely a demonstration as in actuality for a game that starts with 10 minute blinds, it
would be more practical to increase the blinds to 12 minutes at Level 17 in order to some of pressure off
and allow players to enjoy the experience of being in the late stages of a tournament.
The funny thing about poker is that the biggest gamble is always at the end of the game when the prizes
are most significant and players have been playing for hours, should this not be the other way around?
Could we not have a structure with 3 different blind levels in order to fashion a tournament with a similar
length, but with greater emphasis being placed on the later stages of the game? Its certainly an idea thats
worth exploring.

6. 6
Satellites
Packages
Satellites have really seemed to grow in popularity lately, the only suggestion would to be introduce
packages for each live event, like WPTN Vienna, Valkenburg and every other European event. They
would all be of strong interest to myself amongst many others, except there no packages available to
provide the finances for competing in such an event.
Popular Satellites
The second would be to increase the number of satellites as their popularity increases, WPTN London
being a prime example. There was one satellite each day which attracted a wave of players, occasionally
amounting to two seats ($640), signifying that I, along with many others, would be eager to participate in
a second satellite, because playing a live event is something that players are determined to do.
Game of the Month
Huge Potential
For such an epic notion it really doesn't carry any weight of its own. In fact the ideas I have come across
were not epic at all. You would think that for such a big thing it would have a Game Type of its own with
an array of different tournaments across all buy-ins, when really there are 2 a day, both with a minuscule
guarantee. Truth be told, the only times I have competed in them was because of 'why not' disposition
rather than one of curiosity. I was able to correctly anticipate the dynamics of the game so there was no
imagination factor.
This is the essentially because the tournament differed so little from a standard tournament, with one
structure simply being rotating minutes of 3, 3, 3, 6, 6, 6, 9, 9, 9 as though this would have a notice impact
the dynamics of the tournament, which it didn't.
And to create a new game each month is extremely ambitious, so another way to approach it would be to
create a wild and exciting format every few months in which each format has the potential to gain
momentum and become part of the poker room ecology if it grows in popularity. That being said, it would
require serious software development as in order to design a radically new format it would have to
embrace momentous ideas such as having the blinds levels literally change from hand-to-hand, so that it
could be 30/15 one hand then 300/150 the next.
An idea such as this would grip players' attention as the table dynamic can change drastically from hand
to hand. It would further change the way players approach the game, for example when a player loses
most of his chips during the late stages he would not be in the danger zone as he has the privilege to play a
normal game when the blinds fall to say, 80/40 or less, though he would remain in anticipation of the
blinds, praying it doesn't sudden spring up to 300/150.
One interesting aspect is that when the blinds are 300/150 in the first hand (which would be 10% of the
time), every player is in the 'danger zone' (10bb or less), though really they are not in danger as they have
the ability to fold a marginal hand and play a smaller blind level next hand.
So the question is, would it be possible to develop a game in which the blinds switch between 10 different
levels (20/10 - 300/150) every hand? What about every orbit? Its not as radical but is still interesting.

7. 7
Positive Feedback
Loyalty scheme
Tickets
As a Palladium player I can now achieve a rake back of 30.8% through the purchase of a $150K Sunday
Major ticket which I am completely ecstatic about.
I also agree with the notion of being able to only purchase one ticket a week in order to combat players
who save up their points (myself being one) before spending them all of them in store when they reach a
higher status.
Pokerfest
The tickets for Pokerfest are also brilliant, notably because they come at a discount. Instead of having to
wait until I achieve Palladium status I am more than happy to purchase a Pokerfest package. I'm not even
a fan of Mega Satellites but its value is very much worth it. The only shortcoming may be in terms of
choice, as some players such as myself may only be interested in playing medium and high stakes
tournaments, so while the 'All $10 events' is a winner, having one for $20 events or medium stakes would
be perfect.
Tournament Structure
Extra Blind Levels
One improvement that has certainly caught my attention is the addition of extra blinds level in the early
stages of the tournament - 60/30 and 50/25 - proving to be an excellent addition to games with blind levels
of just 10 and 12 and especially with a player count of 100 and upwards, simply giving them the space
and time they need in order to play a fruitful game.
Prize Structure
The tournament prize structure was a topic of great commotion when it was transformed from the
traditional 12% to 20% which inevitably caused the top prize to shrink from 1/5 of the prize pool to 1/7.
However in recent months I have seen a gradual transition towards a middle ground which I believe
achieves both a selection of lucrative top prizes and a higher number of paid places, as demonstrated
perfectly in the most recent $150K Sunday Major (26th
July) in which 14.2% percept on the players were
paid (117/823) with the payout beginning at 153% ($306) of the $200 buy-in. I couldn't agree more with
this structure - a payout of 12-15% which coincides with a starting prize of 150% the buy-in.
However some tournaments do still adopt this 20% payout structure, with the daily $2K Guaranteed
paying 22.6% of its players (54/239) when 36 would be a more suitable number (15.1%). That being said,
it only seems to be the low stake tournaments which continue to do this, which with their high degree of
recreational players is perfectly understandable.
5-Max Sit-and-Go's
Reducing the shorthand $50 sit-&-go to a 5-max was a really good idea because not only does it require
less players to begin, it also promotes action and increases hands per hour which is almost vital in the $50
games where players tend to be more reserved. Subsequently, it may be beneficial to change the multi-
table sit-and-go's to 10 and 15 entries. The only downside to it is that because the game will not last as
long, it means that it is more expensive, though it is a small price to pay.

8. 8
Lobby
I have noticed small additions that have made interacting with the lobby that little bit easier, the Live
Events filter being a key example, extra instalments such as these will always be well received. Perhaps
my favourite improvement was the introduction of colour coded tournaments making them easily
identifiable in lobby, the purple coloured live satellites being the one helped me the most.
Casual Cash Games
For a reputable recreational site the installing of casual cash games are nothing short of genius, I myself
take advantage of this by engaging in a game after I've been knocked out of a tournament or two. Though
players may find the single game rule restricting, it wouldn't be the same otherwise. In fact the only
complaint would arise from professional cash game players who are effectively losing out in their 'fish',
but even they would agree with such a move. And having not come across this format elsewhere, it gives
PartyPoker greater significance and more reason for people to play there.
Missions
Missions are an excellent way to entertain as well as encourage recreational and profitable players alike.
But most of all, a great way entice new players, it opens the door for great marketing as advertising this
could really grab people's attention. It adds a whole dimension to the gaming experience, I'm not just
trying to win a hand, I'm trying to win it with 72!
On a similar note, 'My Profile' is also a nice idea, listing my Achievements, my Best Hand and my Hands
Played, it adds a personal quality to the experience and also allows you to compare yourself to other
players.
UK Facebook Page
Having recently joined the UK Community Forum on Facebook it has demonstrated terrific community,
not only between players but between PartyPoker and its players. How the team manage to find the time
to take part in so much discussion is admirable.
For a game thats as competitive and seclusive as online poker it is a truly inspiring page with the freerolls
and freebies they present creating a strong bond between the site and its players. It eradicates the business
persona and exchanges it for a personal connection. The most recent freeroll to catch my attention was the
leaderboard promotion to win a WPT500 Nottingham seat as it carries the allure of a live tournament with
all the fun competition that comes with being on a leaderboard.
'Meet the People' is also a wonderful idea and have sought to read every post. 'Caption This!' is also
amusing and a joy to take part in.
Tony Dunst
I said it on the Facebook page and I will say it again, it is an honour to have a player as talented and
delightful as Tony Dunst as a representative for PartyPoker. He is without doubt one of the best
commentator in poker. I've read his articles on playing hands and I couldn't agree more, they are as
insightful as they are digestible.
Conclusion
Not only does PartyPoker continue to improve, it continues to better itself in its improvements. With its
new loyalty scheme, prize structure and the team at PartyPoker who strive to connect to players, I have
total faith in the site and will continue to play there above all others for the rest of my days.