Online Home Poker (2 Viewers)

[LotsOfChips]

I'm in the process of setting up a couple of games for my local groups as well (Poker Mavens). While there are several who already play online, a few others are skeptical. What I planned on doing was having at least one "fun money only" game to let people get comfortable with the application/platform prior to putting any real $$$ on the line.

That is what I did, and it went very well. Rave reviews from all of the players about the platform, and it allowed me to work out a few kinks. Most of the players who played in those games signed up for the real money games. Now if I can just get them to show me the money...

 

[jazzV3]

That is what I did, and it went very well. Rave reviews from all of the players about the platform, and it allowed me to work out a few kinks. Most of the players who played in those games signed up for the real money games. Now if I can just get them to show me the money...

Last week a couple new players were able to get P*'s PA downloaded, but one couldn't figure out the geocaching and couldn't play (it should be automatic).
The other was adamant that he would NOT deposit using the ACH option when PayPal and Visa failed. We're on the phone playing and he's telling us "hold on, I have to run around the corner to 7-Eleven and have them scan my barcode".....

 

[LotsOfChips]

Last week a couple new players were able to get P*'s PA downloaded, but one couldn't figure out the geocaching and couldn't play (it should be automatic).
The other was adamant that he would NOT deposit using the ACH option when PayPal and Visa failed. We're on the phone playing and he's telling us "hold on, I have to run around the corner to 7-Eleven and have them scan my barcode".....

Not sure which emoji to select for that - laugh, wow or sad.

 

[boltonguy]

I'm in the process of setting up a couple of games for my local groups as well (Poker Mavens). While there are several who already play online, a few others are skeptical. What I planned on doing was having at least one "fun money only" game to let people get comfortable with the application/platform prior to putting any real $$$ on the line.

That is a good idea - our first game is tonight and I just updated the group with 30 minutes play money option. Thx!

 

[grantc54]

Isn't that the truth! Players that I've played wth live have expressed disdain for online poker in general or the platform I'm using (Poker Mavens) in particular. Even those that seem eager to join in are super slow to actually commit by visiting my site/creating an account/transferring the buy in, etc.

I'm running a set of games this weekend (Cash Game Friday and Tournament Saturday) and have nine players supposedly committed, but three of them haven't visited the sight to create their account, and nobody (other than me) has put up their money yet. Hard to know how many players will actually show up, but I guess that is the nature of hosting. I remain hopeful.

I'm actually having the same experience with Poker Mavens. I was evaluating it to use for cash games, so far of my group of 26 players on Pokerstars home, 2 have signed up.

I think PokerStars may be the only way to go as it is a trusted brand among those who are ok playing online (there are those that will never be convinced to play online).

 

[LotsOfChips]

I'm actually having the same experience with Poker Mavens. I was evaluating it to use for cash games, so far of my group of 26 players on Pokerstars home, 2 have signed up.

I think PokerStars may be the only way to go as it is a trusted brand among those who are ok playing online (there are those that will never be convinced to play online).

How do you deal with the rake issue on P* for cash games? I assume you are playing for play money and then refund on an equal or proportional basis?

 

[grantc54]

How do you deal with the rake issue on P* for cash games? I assume you are playing for play money and then refund on an equal or proportional basis?

I don't play cash on P* HG for that reason. My home group is all about tournaments, cash is always a post game activity. I was going to try a single table cash setup on Poker Mavens but so far very little interest. I may wait until my game tomorrow to bring it up on discord.

 

[Jeevansluck]

(there are those that will never be convinced to play online).

 

[jazzV3]

How do you deal with the rake issue on P* for cash games? I assume you are playing for play money and then refund on an equal or proportional basis?

We decided that it was just easier to play with the rake (and have a wider choice of games if you don't want to JUST play Hold Em).
The entry fee on Tourneys is also just $2/player.

We figured that was a whole lot cheaper than we normally spend depending on who's hosting the live game.
Host usually picks up tab for dinner delivered and more than a few bottles of wine etc... can easily run $200+ to host live game.

 

[boltonguy]

First game with Poker Mavens tonight just wrapped up. We started at 8pm EST and sorted out technical difficulties and then played with "play money" until 9pm so everyone could get comfortable. Played $0.25/$0.50 NLHE until midnight with six players. Handled buy-ins with Venmo. Five players are letting their balance ride until our next game - one cashed out via Venmo. Using videoconferencing made the game 110% - I think without it noone would want to play again. Everyone had such a good time that we're taking our monthly game and going weekly online. Hope you all have fun!

 

[SendThatStack]

How do you deal with the rake issue on P* for cash games? I assume you are playing for play money and then refund on an equal or proportional basis?

Just split it evenly at the end of the night.

 

[BGinGA]

Might have missed this if covered, but any advice for Pokerstars single table tourney (9) using starting stacks of 1500?

5 min blinds? 10 min blinds?
Looking for it to last approx 2 hours.
Preferred not to use huge starting stack (10k - 20k).

I know that @BGinGA is the master on the subject.

Any particular reason you want to use small stacks?

Based on several years worth of data from PCF tournaments on pokerstars (mostly NLHE, PLO, PLO8, and PLHE/PLO mix):

A single-table game (up to 9 players) with 20K stacks and 5-minute levels will run roughly 2 hours on average. Longer for 10K stacks with 10-minute levels. Settings for Hold'em or Omaha events using smaller stacks will run significantly shorter.

We have run PLO8 T2000 stacks (with re-buys) using 10-minute levels that ran around 2 hours.

Fixed-Limit games (HORSE, Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Stud, Stud8, Badugi) with 10K stacks and 5-minute levels run about 2 hours.

 

[The Nuts]

There is a lot there in Poker Mavens that you can configure, for sure, but that is part of what makes it a great program. To get it started really isn't too hard, complexity in setting up the actual games varies from super easy (just use the default settings) to mildly challenging (fully customized deep stack Bounty/Re-buy/Add-On tournaments with custom blind levels/payout values/blind times/etc.).

Briggs Software has a great help page/user manual that explains every different configuration field: https://www.briggsoft.com/docs/pmavens/PMHelp.htm

For getting it running, follow the Getting Started section:

Getting Started: System

• License key - If you bought the program, then you received this in an email. (not required for Trial version).
• Site name - Name your site!
• Site description - Leave it blank (or not).
• Site password - Do you want anyone to be able to connect and join, or only people you invite? If only by invite, use a password and tell your friends.
• Site news / Site FAQ - Leave it blank (or not).
• Directory listing - Do you want people to be able to see your site on the Poker Mavens directory? If yes, yes. If no, no.
• Support email - Leave it blank (or not).
• Support web site - Leave it blank (or not).
• Internet IP address - Critical!!! Google "what is my IP" and find out the address of your router (different than the IP address of your computer). That is the address you enter here. Your firewall may ask to allow or block traffic from Poker Mavens at this time (Select allow).
• Auto lookup IP - Ask your ISP if it assigns you the same IP address every time, or if it can change. If it can change, select Yes. Otherwise the progam may not work if your router resets (like after a power failure).
• File port - Leave the default value of 8087.
• Packet port - Leave the default value of 8088.

Getting Started: Firewalls and Routers
Probably the hardest part for people unfamiliar with computers and networks, but fairly simple if you understand it.

• Most firewalls will ask you if you want to allow a program to allow access to the Internet, and usually restricts it so that your computer program must initiate all connections. In the case of Poker Mavens, you need to allow outside users (your players) to initiate the connection. The Firewall software (McAfee, Norton, etc.) will have a list of all programs that have ever tried to access the Internet (Firewall - Settings - Internet Connections For Programs, or some such thing). Find Poker Mavens Server in the list and set to "All Devices" or whatever your firewall term is for allowing outside devices to initiate connections. You may need to try to connect to your Poker Mavens site from a different IP address (like your smart phone or a friend) to test this out, but it also may not work until you do the next step).
• Your Router (the thing that your ISP gave you) needs to convert the Internet address (the address you programmed earlier by googling "what is my IP") into the your Computer Address (go to Start - Run - CMD , which opens a small window. Type ipconfig into that window to find your IP and Default Gateway addresses). Each router is different (google for a guide to your particular model), but in general you need to log into your router (the Default Gateway address from above, username/password is usually admin/admin) and set Port Forwarding from (Internet Address:8087 to Computer Address: 8087 and Internet Address:8088 to Computer Address: 8088). Things should now work properly!

From there you should be able to follow the Poker Mavens Getting Started guide to run a table with the default game settings. Follow the guide's sections on Ring Games (cash) and/or Tournaments to configure the type of poker (NLHE, PLO, etc), blinds, buy-ins, etc. to what you want . This section is pretty easy and intuitive, especially for cash games. Note that you need to make the game inactive (off line) in order to make changes.

Enjoy!

Can also configure the chips!

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/custom-poker-chips-for-online-home-game-pokermavens.54874/

 

[LotsOfChips]

Can also configure the chips!

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/custom-poker-chips-for-online-home-game-pokermavens.54874/

Only available in Pro and Gold versions of Poker Mavens, not Lite , I believe (unfortunately, as this is what I am running).

 

[BearMetal]

A word of warning for anyone running a tournament with Poker Mavens. If you have rebuys enabled and someone goes to click on it after busting out, they'll need to have enough in their account too cover the rebuy.

If they don't, they're automatically booted with no 2nd chance. On my game, I'm letting everyone go negative in their balance (it's a system option) so that they don't mistakenly lose their rebuy.

The only other option I see is to ensure they don't hit rebuy until you've put more money in their account to cover it. You only get like 60 seconds too...

Then again, they could just buy in for more than the tournament costs, assuming they'll need to rebuy.

 

[LotsOfChips]

A word of warning for anyone running a tournament with Poker Mavens. If you have rebuys enabled and someone goes to click on it after busting out, they'll need to have enough in their account too cover the rebuy.

If they don't, they're automatically booted with no 2nd chance. On my game, I'm letting everyone go negative in their balance (it's a system option) so that they don't mistakenly lose their rebuy.

The only other option I see is to ensure they don't hit rebuy until you've put more money in their account to cover it. You only get like 60 seconds too...

Then again, they could just buy in for more than the tournament costs, assuming they'll need to rebuy.

I set it up so that rebuys or add-ons are covered in the cost of buy in ($40 per player is $20 entry plus $20 rebuy OR $20 add on). Yes, if player busts after first rebuy, goodbye.

Another option is to ask (tell) players to transfer enough at the start of the game to cover anticipated rebuys. If someone thinks that they may want to rebuy three times, then collect the entry and three rebuys as the cost of playing. Refund unused rebuys later.

Rebuy option time is set to the turn (action) time (default 30 seconds, configurable).

 

[BearMetal]

I set it up so that rebuys or add-ons are covered in the cost of buy in ($40 per player is $20 entry plus $20 rebuy OR $20 add on). Yes, if player busts after first rebuy, goodbye.

Another option is to ask (tell) players to transfer enough at the start of the game to cover anticipated rebuys. If someone thinks that they may want to rebuy three times, then collect the entry and three rebuys as the cost of playing. Refund unused rebuys later.

Rebuy option time is set to the turn (action) time (default 30 seconds, configurable).

Yup, either they put enough in initially and they'll get it back if they don't use it, or let them go negative. My players are untrusting of online poker, so they'd never just put more in. They're all local dad's, so letting them go negative isn't a big deal.

I was just surprised. I figured they'd click rebuy and it would hold their spot until funds are transferred. Booting them immediately and ensuring they can't rebuy was a shock and seemed harsh. That's why I just wanted to let people know of that quirk.

 

[MrCatPants]

Could someone post how they opened up the appropriate ports on their AWS server/handled security to allow connectivity? I've got my instance up and running, and mavens installed, and can connect to it locally on the virtual machine, just not from the internet.

 

[BearMetal]

Could someone post how they opened up the appropriate ports on their AWS server/handled security to allow connectivity? I've got my instance up and running, and mavens installed, and can connect to it locally on the virtual machine, just not from the internet.

There are two places you need to poke holes:

• AWS console
• Windows Firewall

Ports 8087 and 8088 in Windows Firewall as well. Or you can just open the firewall up to the entire program.

 

[MrCatPants]

There are two places you need to poke holes:

• AWS console
• Windows Firewall

View attachment 433878

Ports 8087 and 8088 in Windows Firewall as well. Or you can just open the firewall up to the entire program.

Got me up and going - TY!

 

[power13]

I think I could use some help with setting up Poker Mavens on AWS. I set up an EC2 instance successfully, accessed it using Microsoft Remote Desktop, and downloaded/installed Poker Mavens Pro successfully on the server. I made the inbound rules in security groups that @BearMetal suggested a couple posts above. I built a couple NLH tables. I pressed "Play" to turn on the software, and...now I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do or how to know if it's working. How can someone access the club from their browser now? I tried typing in the public IP address of the EC2 instance but that doesn't seem to work. I've never done any of this and TBH I'm pretty impressed I got as far as I did!.

 

[BearMetal]

I think I could use some help with setting up Poker Mavens on AWS. I set up an EC2 instance successfully, accessed it using Microsoft Remote Desktop, and downloaded/installed Poker Mavens Pro successfully on the server. I made the inbound rules in security groups that @BearMetal suggested a couple posts above. I built a couple NLH tables. I pressed "Play" to turn on the software, and...now I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do or how to know if it's working. How can someone access the club from their browser now? I tried typing in the public IP address of the EC2 instance but that doesn't seem to work. I've never done any of this and TBH I'm pretty impressed I got as far as I did!.

You can test it out by going to http://public.ip.address:8087

Also don't forget to allow the app through Windows Firewall

 

[power13]

Thank you! On the second point, can you tell me how to do that within the EC2 instance? I was playing around with the privacy settings I could find and think I locked myself out of remote access! I'm going to just launch a new instance but could use help on what I need to do to allow through the windows firewall. Thanks again.

 

[BearMetal]

Thank you! On the second point, can you tell me how to do that within the EC2 instance? I was playing around with the privacy settings I could find and think I locked myself out of remote access! I'm going to just launch a new instance but could use help on what I need to do to allow through the windows firewall. Thanks again.

I'll post some images in a minute, but in general:

• Open "Windows Firewall" from your start menu. You can just type that in and it will search for the right thing to open
• You want to create a new Inbound Rule
• Create a rule for ports 8087-8088 and allow it for all zones.

 

[LotsOfChips]

Something you may need to configure in Poker Mavens for cash games is sit out time. Default time is 10 minutes, and default setting of no relaxed sit out will remove a player from the table regardless of whether other players are waiting for a seat or not.

Last night a player had to sit out for 12-15 minutes, and were kicked off after 10 minutes. When they came back they had to buy back in at the table. Because of the max buy in setting I had enabled, they had to leave a whole pile of their winnings from earlier off the table (inadvertent rat holing). I've since enabled relaxed sit out (won't kick a player off table unless another player is on the wait list) and extended the sit out time to allow for longer breaks.

 

[Himewad]

We played a 9-person (full table) tournament on pokerrrr2 last night. Once we were all able to get in, it went pretty smooth. But getting in is a problem on Friday and Saturday nights. We are having discussions about moving to a different night (or nights) and avoiding the heavy traffic times.

 

[BearMetal]

We played a 9-person (full table) tournament on pokerrrr2 last night. Once we were all able to get in, it went pretty smooth. But getting in is a problem on Friday and Saturday nights. We are having discussions about moving to a different night (or nights) and avoiding the heavy traffic times.

Yeah, we hit connection problems with pokerrrr as well; We played a 10 person tourny last night on Poker Mavens and it was totally smooth.

 

[LotsOfChips]

We played a 9-person (full table) tournament on pokerrrr2 last night. Once we were all able to get in, it went pretty smooth. But getting in is a problem on Friday and Saturday nights. We are having discussions about moving to a different night (or nights) and avoiding the heavy traffic times.

Yeah, we hit connection problems with pokerrrr as well; We played a 10 person tourny last night on Poker Mavens and it was totally smooth.

That is one of the many benefits of Poker Mavens - you control the traffic (how many players you are hosting), and because it is YOUR site, you never have to wait because the site is over crowded.

 

[Himewad]

That is one of the many benefits of Poker Mavens - you control the traffic (how many players you are hosting), and because it is YOUR site, you never have to wait because the site is over crowded.

But it's CPU only, correct? I don't want to sit at my computer or have my laptop on my lap. I'd much rather have a mobile device.

 

[BearMetal]

But it's CPU only, correct? I don't want to sit at my computer or have my laptop on my lap. I'd much rather have a mobile device.

Poker Mavens is an HTML website. It runs on your PC, Mac, Tablet, Phone, Kindle Fire, etc ... Last night, I had Zoom in gallery mode on my PC while I had my Android tablet in landscape mode running Poker Mavens on my desk.