Master Poker Software

Master Poker's FAQ

There are always questions left unanswered, and here is where I have posted those I'm asked most often. If you have any questions left after exploring the rest of the MP website look here for the answer. If you're still left wondering about any facet of MP feel free to e-mail me with your specific questions.

Note: There is also a small Troubleshooting section at the bottom of this page.

Q: How does the order process work, and do you accept credit cards?

A: We accept these major credit cards, direct bank account transfers, and Paypal.

We ship all orders within 24-48 hours of receiving them, to anywhere in the world. Typically, you will receive some type of advisement directly from Computer Opponents Software within 24 hours of placing your order, either a confirmation of receiving the order, or a confirmation of the actual shipment. Which one you get depends on when the order actually came in (whether during office hours or after-hours).

Unfortunately, there are many fraudulent sellers on the Internet, taking advantage of online shoppers, and making it difficult for legitimate merchants to present a credible online storefront. As a member of Paypal Financial Services (a well respected global financial institution associated with eBay), all of our orders are securely processed directly through Paypal, even if you are not a Paypal member yourself. Since your order is being placed through the Paypal Financial Network, and we, Computer Opponents Software, are an official Paypal Business Merchant, you, the buyer, are protected by Paypal (an excellent company by the way). Paypal is vouching for our legitimacy and has an excellent built-in protection policy for all of our online shoppers.

Q: Is there an Instruction Manual for MP?

A: Yes. It is called 'MP Readme' and is located in the Master Poker programs directory on your Windows Desktop. For Windows XP click the 'Start' button, highlight 'All Programs', highlight the 'Master Poker' directory, then left-click the 'MP Readme' file. It is in HTML format so it can be read with any browser, and easily printed if desired.

I have found that very few buyers actually read the manual before diving right in to play. For this reason I typically include a Quickstart Sheet with your package to get you off and running--at a minimum, take a few moments to GO OVER THE QUICKSTART SHEET! You will not regret it.

I also highly recommend taking the time to read the manual to get all you can out of your purchase. Master Poker has many hidden features, some of which are very important. My favorite, betting with the keyboard (multiples of the BB, percentages of the pot, etc) ... check it out!

Q: Are all the players in my tournament actually playing behind the scenes?

A: Yes, they are actually playing every hand, just as you are. Master Poker does not use fill-in arrays or standby player lists to draw from when a seat comes open at the human player's table, as this would not create real-world conditions. In MP, each active table out of your view plays a complete and legitimate hand each time you push the Deal button. When players fill the empty seats at your table they are being pulled from other active tables which are being broken down as the total number of remaining players dwindles. The players you eventually meet at the final table, whether weak or tough, have actually earned their way there, just as you have. This is all part of the overall MP concept of making your event as close to the real world as possible.

Q: I love the ability to change table backgrounds, is there anywhere we can download more?

A: Not currently. I am giving more thought to it and may opt to provide more choices in the future, but I think the current (12) options will hold most players over for a long while.

Q: Is there a way to see the size of the average player's chipstack at any point in a tournament?

A: Yes. On the Table Screen, left-click the yellow Leaderboard label and hold the mouse button down to see a breakdown of all of the following running data:

Total Chips in Play
Average Chipstack
Your Chipstack
Your Overall Share (of Total Chips in Play)
The number of Big Blinds left in your stack
Your current 'M' Factor (for Harrington fans)
The current Pot-To-Stack ratio (if your turn to act)

Q: Is there a way to make dealing of the next hand automatic (after I Zip) or do I have to press the 'Deal' button each time?

A: You must press the 'Deal' button each time. This allows all tables out of your view to complete their hands before the next hand may be dealt. For those players really pushing through hands at single table events I will likely add a construct to do so in the next version of the software.

Q: Can I turn off the dealing animation to make play faster?

A: Yes. Turn off the personal preference 'Show cards being dealt' (remove the check). This should eliminate the dealing animation and instantaneously start all dealt hands in front of each player.

You can further speed up the game by also adjusting the preference 'Turn off AI Realism Delays' (check the box). This pref kills the delay where the computer players seem to be 'thinking' about what to do (when their name is flashing in gold letters). Both the dealing animation and the AI thinking delay were installed for players looking for a casual game with a relaxed pace. Power-players need not apply.

And finally, you can further speed your game by reducing the 'AI Action Delay' (on the Main Sign-up Screen) to the lowest possible setting.

For me personally, these adjustments allow an average of more than a thousand hands played per hour. That's a bunch.

Q: What is the maximum number of players allowed in tournament play?

A: Playing 10-Seated tables, and opening 500 tables, the current maximum tournament size is 5000 players (each with a unique screen name). At the time of this publication only the World Series Main Event has ever exceeded 5k players. If there is a genuine need to increase this number in the future I will of course do so.

Q: Does Master Poker allow me to see an AI Player's cards even if I fold the hand?

A: Of course. Not giving you the option to view an AI player's cards (at any time) would be like blacking out the stars in a photograph of the moon landing or the space shuttle. It just doesn't make sense unless there's something to hide.

On the Table Screen, as you play a hand the gray button on the far right side of the command button bar will read 'Review Action'. Clicking this button at any time during the hand lets you see a running text review for all action that has occurred up until that point in the hand. Once the hand has completed (in this case when you folded) this button will change to read 'Review Hands'. Clicking it now will graphically display the starting hands of all players at the table, whether they stayed in the hand all the way down or not. Clicking it a second time will display the running text review for the entire hand from start to finish.

Q: Why should I buy home software when I have the Internet to play on?

A: The Internet is certainly a boon for poker and an excellent place to play ... for money. It's not an excellent place to play if you play for fun, for practice, or for real, but lose more money than you win (be honest with yourself). Even if you're already an Internet or regular live player consider these reasons as to why you should invest in good poker software to play at home:

Saves you money while you practice/perfect your game.
Unless you already play multiple tables online you can easily play 15-25 times more hands than online play in the same amount of time. Excellent for building experience in a short time period.
Allows you to test and improve upon your theories, or those concepts you're reading in poker books, or your own personal ideas, all without the time or pressure constraints of an online or live game.
Allows you to perfectly simulate your regularly played events, then play them over and over in a fraction of the time, in order to become more comfortable with specific stakes, or blind structures, and to give yourself an accurate idea of what type of results you can consistently expect in that type of event (ie. WSOP Main Event, your local Sunday online tournament, your weekly home tournament).
Allows you to quickly warm-up your poker mind, before playing online or local live events (very important).
Allows you to step away from your game at any time to cook dinner, handle a phone call, check on crying kids, take out the garbage, or respond to your spouse, without concern for losing chips, or being dealt out of a hand, or missing your turn to act.
For students of the game, allows you to take all the time you need to analyze any given hand more closely as it occurs, without the pressure of a time clock.
For novices, allows you to increase your skill and knowledge without embarrassment or negative interaction, and without pressure to act within a time limit (as in online play).
For beginners. A much better substitute for Internet 'play money' or penny games, which can not only fail to give you the proper practice to develop good skills, but will often provoke the development of bad habits (such as impatience in starting hand decisions).
If you're an online player, think about no more flashing ads, or annoying chatter, or guys screaming that the website is out to get them, while you're trying to concentrate on your game.
If you're a live player, think about the driving time and the gas you will save, or the nagging you won't have to suffer every time you want to leave the house to go play.
You'll no longer have to put up with unruly players, bad attitudes, smoke-filled rooms, bells ringing, and bands playing in the background, unless you're really in the mood.
You can play anytime you wish, even when the Internet goes down, without having to warm up the car, get fully dressed, or wait for a seat in your desired game.
If you're a cash player, you won't have to pay another real life rake until you're certain you're going to be winning many more pots than you're losing.
There's never a problem finding just the right game to suit your mood; the perfect event, the perfect number of opponents, the perfect stakes, the perfect atmosphere, and at any time day or night in the safety of your own home, office, dorm, hotel room, airplane, truck cab, park bench, cyber cafe, wherever.
The purchase price for Master Poker is much less than a single losing session in a .50/$1.00 cash game. Think about that.
And finally ... It's fun!

The only players who may not benefit from quality home software are those who already spend the vast majority of their day winning money playing poker online professionally. And even then, there might be a few reasons for you to own it anyway:

Since you can easily play 15-25 times more hands than online in the same amount of time it allows you to test and improve upon your new theories without needing to risk any real money.
For tournament players, it allows you to perfectly simulate a new event structure with which you might not be familiar. For example, if you're going to the Aussie Millions you could get the actual structure in advance, input it into Master Poker, and play the tournament over and over again to get a solid grasp of what actions will be needed at which stages during the real deal.
For cash players, it allows you to practice at a new level before moving up in stakes. Though computer players are not likely to exhibit the precise changes you will experience in the next level up it does allow you to get familiar with the specific betting levels, etc., which can be expected.
You can play while traveling if bored, or to keep your mind sharp; in the airport, on the plane, while sitting in that foreign hotel room with no Internet connection, whenever.
Allows you to quickly warm-up your poker mind, before playing online or local live events (very important).
Allows you to sometimes play only to relax, as opposed to juggling a half dozen tables for eight straight hours in an effort to squeeze every penny out of your game.
And again ... It's a one-time cost of less than a single losing session in a .50/$1.00 cash game.

Believe it or not, these are just the reasons off the top of my head. I'm sure if motivated, you can probably think of a dozen more reasons that apply to you personally. For poker players who already risk any amount of money a the tables, even just small change, there really is no down side. And we should all pray that our governing fathers resist the ludicrous urge to make Internet poker illegal (an obvious game of skill, not gambling, to anyone who pays attention). If that happens this list might grow too large to safely download.

Q: Do Master Poker's AI players use a different style when playing in Cash Games as opposed to Tournaments?

A: Yes. While a good Hold'em player can probably survive in either environment there are definite differences between cash games and tournaments. MP's AI players know how to adjust their playing style to suit the current event, whether a large Tournament, a one-table Sit and Go, or a Cash Game.

Q: Does Master Poker have a Heads-up play option?

A: Yes, and a pretty good one. The primary AI (artificial intelligence) is geared toward a full table of players (9/10). While it is still strong as the number of players at a table are reduced, it reaches a point of critical mass at less than 6 seated players. Strategy and tactics for the game change dramatically from this point on down to Heads-up play as each subsequent player leaves the table. It didn't take long to realize I would need to write an AI addendum for Shorthanded play (3-5 players) and a fully dedicated AI for Heads-up play. I did exactly that. After working rather extensively with the Heads-up AI I feel pretty confident that it will give even most advanced players a solid run for their money (and properly annihilate weak competition). A good Heads-up opponent was one of the original demands I placed on myself back when the software was still intended only for me. To play Heads-up simply adjust the appropriate slider on the Event Setup Screen to two players.

Note: You may play all events with anywhere from 2-10 players (including yourself), and as players are removed from the table the remaining players will evenly spread out to other seats around the table. For example, when you play Heads-up your opponent will be seated directly across the table from you, not to your immediate right or left.

Q: Does MP have the ability to save a tournament in progress so I can finish it at a later time?

A: Yes. Master Poker allows you to save any type of event, whether Tournament, Sit and Go, Survivor, or even Cash Games if you wish, at any stage in the event to return to it at a later date. Even after saving your session, you will have the option to quit at that point, or continue playing right where you left off.

Note: MP will even temporarily store your played hands if you had the 'Record Every Hand I Play' preference checked, allowing you to pick up right where you left off when you continue the event (with no need to save them separately just because you saved your session).

To save the current game you have a couple options. Either click the little asterisk button on the far left of the gray button bar to bring up the Options Menu (you can also hit the Escape key to do this), then click on the 'Save Game' button. Or, you can use the F6 Key on your keyboard. If you hit F6 it will tell you 'Game saved' without bothering you with the Options Menu. To resume a saved session you will find a 'Resume' button under the 'Play' key on the Main Signup Screen.

Q: The command button bar has options to raise-minimum, raise-pot-size or push all-in, but are these the only choices? I don't see how to simply raise by the amount that I want to bet (e.g. twice the Big Blind). Is there any way to do that?

A: Yes. There are three primary ways to enter your wagers in Master Poker. They are as follows:

The Gray Command Bar buttons:

These are the buttons you're referring to above--they simply provide some simple mouse shortcuts, but won't be used often by most serious players once you have grown accustomed to the software.

The Betting Bar:

When it is your turn to act, simply move your mouse cursor over the area just above the gray button bar and to the right of your cards. A green betting bar will automatically pop up allowing you to bet any amount you wish. It possesses not only a slider to make sizing your bet very easy, but also several sets of up/dn arrow keys to make precise adjustments. At the start of each session attention is drawn to this area with bright yellow letters reading 'Place cursor over this area for betting bar' (until you use the bar for the the first time). Look for those yellow letters when it is your turn to act (they are grayed out when it's not your turn).

The Keyboard Number keys:

My favorite, and soon to be yours too (highly recommended). There are three ways to use your keyboard's number keys for precise betting patterns:

1) Preflop: Using the 0-9 number keys you can raise a precise multiple of the Big Blind (0=10). For example, the action gets around to you and no one has yet opened the betting. By hitting the 2 key on your keyboard you will automatically raise the Big Blind by precisely 2 more BB's (for a total bet of 3x's the BB). If you hit the 3 key, your initial raise will be 3x's the BB, etc.

2) Postflop: If you're the initial bettor in any round after the flop, you can bet a percentage of the pot by using the same 0-9 number keys. For example, if you hit the 5 key you will automatically bet 50% of the pot. The 7 key would bet 70%, etc. ...

3) Preflop/Postflop. Any time there is a raise, you can use the same 0-9 number keys to make a reraise of the current raise by a multiple equal to the number key you push. For example, If a computer player opens the hand for a standard 3xBB wager (he has called the BB and raised 2 more BB's), you can hit the 2 key to reraise twice the amount of his initial raise. If you hit the 3 key, you will automatically reraise 3x's the amount of his initial raise, etc ... This works against all raises both Preflop and Postflop.

It's highly recommended that all buyers take a few moments to go over the 'MP Readme' file (Instruction Manual) in your Windows Programs Menu (under Master Poker) for specific details on the full use of your keyboard and other hidden features. This is the only way to be sure you're going to get the full benefit of all of Master Poker's powerful feature set. From your Windows Desktop click the 'Start' button and 'All programs' to see your programs menu.

Q: The Starting Hand Guide's comments seem to be aimed at a tight/aggressive style?

A: Yes, they are. The SHG is meant primarily for those players who are not yet comfortable with their playing style, their starting hand choices, or their actual level of expertise. I believe the priority of new or novice players should be to become comfortable in their starting hand decisions under dynamically changing table conditions, while developing a tight/solid style that provides protection against aggressive players.

The SHG is very powerful, and structured toward furthering these goals. If you're a new player to the game, or don't feel you have a solid grasp of the games basic-to-intermediate concepts the Starting Hand Guide alone will be worth the price of the software. Don't miss out!

Q: The Dead Money players in MP don't seem to be so weak as their name might imply. It's tough to win a tournament even with 100% Dead Money. How bad are they, really, compared to real world players?

A: The truth is, MP's Dead Money players are actually pretty good when compared to the multitude of really bad players out in the real world, both online and in the brick and mortar cardrooms. The poker community has coined the term 'Donkey' to describe a truly BAD player. With hindsight, I probably should have included another level of player personality below my Dead Money known as Donkeys. The problem is, the intention behind Master Poker is to make you a high quality poker player by putting you into real-world confrontations with solid opponents, not opponents who literally throw their money at you. In the end your MP successes will be measured by the level of competition you've faced. Most users will gain far more confidence, experience and satisfaction doing well in a tournament against 50% Dead Money players (meaning the other 50% is Tough), than if they were to win a tournament that possessed 100% Donkeys.

While it's true you do need to learn to play against Dead Money players (it's much different than facing skilled players), you do not necessarily need experience playing against Donkeys. Let's just say MP's Dead Money players are aimed at simulating the vast number of players who know enough to get themselves into trouble, but don't know enough to get themselves out of trouble. A Donkey is another beast entirely.

Q: What's the smallest game I can play as far as chip denominations?

A: The smallest chip denomination in MP is 1 chip (or $1 in Cash Games), which means the smallest game possible will have blinds of 1/2 (in chips or dollars). The largest single denomination chips allow games in the hundreds of millions of dollars, should you desire.

Q: Why does my player (the human player) ALWAYS get his higher card first?

A: As I tediously tested the software I found it much easier to read the hands quickly if the larger ranked card were placed first. I figured most players would prefer to have them delivered in this manner for the same reason, particularly those power players who found themselves zipping through large quantities of hands. All computer hands are sorted in the same manner for when they are displayed to you (for ease of view). As the inner workings go--Master Poker d eals out all hands in a completely random manner, then arranges them in order of rank within each player's hand, then displays them to the User.

Q: I average about 60 hands per hour when playing online. How many hands per hour would you say I can play with Master Poker?

A: I think most any player would agree, your experience level in No-limit Hold'em is directly related to the number of played hands you can tuck under your belt. Using MP's Zip function (to zip to the end of hands you don't want to play), playing a tight/aggressive style (about 12-14% of the hands dealt), and using an AI Action Speed of .2 seconds (one notch below maximum speed), I regularly book between 900-1000 hands per hour. Even at the low end that's 15 times the number of hands you will see in online play, and more than 25 times the hands you would see in a live game. As any experienced player knows, any time you're playing with other humans the vast majority of your time is wasted watching cards being dealt as you wait for the next playable hand.

Q: Are you saying I can't learn to play good No-limit Hold'em on my X-Box or Playstation?

A: I would agree with that, yes, and it's not just the gaming consoles. While many do produce excellent visual effects (and graphics of your favorite poker heroes) you can't learn to be a good player if you're playing against bad competition. This applies to the outside world, the Internet, or any poker software. Yes, you can learn the mechanics, and perhaps some basic strategy, but your playing skill will never reach a winning level unless you're faced with the challenges provided by solid competition. As I've said before, the AI can only be as good at poker as the folks who programmed it. If you're serious about improving your game, invest only in serious software written by actual poker players who are also dedicated students of the game. Just because you see a player's likeness in the game, or a picture of a famous player on the packaging it doesn't mean that player actually had direct input into how the program's artificial intelligence functions. I can't imagine too many pros giving up many months of their valuable time to sit down and work out each possible situation with the game's programmers. That's just not realistic.

Q: The blinds in my local tournaments go up in timed intervals, how is this handled by Master Poker?

Equivalent to mnutes per blind level (online) A: In a real-world or online tournament a clock typically determines when to implement ante/blind increases (for example, every 15 minutes), but in the real world you are expected to sit in your seat until you are knocked out. Since MP has no need to impose such strict time guidelines on you, we use a 'hands-per-level' clock to determine when blind increases should be implemented. Online poker deals approximately 60 hands per hour, therefore we can simulate time by saying 1 hand equals approximately 1 minute of real time. After playing approximately 60 hands you have been playing the equivalent of 1 hour's real time. This means if you wish to have the blinds increase every 15 minutes, you would set the 'hands-per-level' slider to raise the blinds at the end of every 15 hands. This system allows you to save the game, answer the door, empty the trash, or get something to drink at any time during your tournament while still maintaining an accurate real-life tournament time structure.

Q: Does MP track the human player's tendencies and save this data from session to session?

A: Yes, and no. Yes, MP tracks your tendencies as if observing your play at the table and uses that data for the current session. No, MP does not save this information from session to session. There are many reasons for not relying on this tracking data for future session decisions:

Tracking your tendencies from one session to another will give a false reading on the intelligence of the AI. Any poker software could use this information to make it appear as if the AI players are smarter than they are, when in actuality they had to start collecting data on you in order to be smart. MP's AI players have no need to build a running database on you. They're already smart, and they will adapt to whatever moves you are making today.
The reality is that you're not likely playing the same (9) players every single session (except perhaps a regular home game). If the software uses this saved tracking data in each new session your opponents are going to always be proactive against you, basing their actions on your past actions. They are not going to need a chance to study you and react to your current style of play as they would have to do in the real world. A good example is in tournament play, where you're very unlikely to be met with a table full of players who already know exactly how you play. This would not be a realistic playing field. Your opponents should have to study you early on from event to event, just as you should have to study them.
As you improve as a player this saved data is going to be quickly out of date. Since there is no way to turn that type of feature off your AI opponents will then always be at a distinct disadvantage, as they are being forced to use a style of play against you that is no longer relevant. Then what?

When the AI is allowed to adjust to your most recent tendencies from session to session you will consistently receive the most accurate and realistic response from your opponents. When your style changes, or when your skill improves, Master Poker's tough players will adapt and adjust their styles against you. This way you will always get the most competitive and realistic conditions possible.

Q: Can I build a brand new blind structure from scratch to match my current home game?

A: Yes. MP comes with nearly (40) built-in blind structures, but these are included just to make your life easier if you'd like to play something like the World Series Main Event. The true beauty of the MP Custom Blind Structures is that you never have to cross your fingers and hope for a pre-made structure that matches your needs. In MP, if you know the structure, you can quickly build a precise custom structure to match it (in less than five minutes). And down the line, when your home structure changes, it's even easier to update your custom structure to match the new changes, so it's never out of date or inaccurate.

As a player, what I like most about this construct is that I can go to a new Internet poker site and look up, for example, their special Sunday tournament. The blind structure for this new tourney is likely to be unfamiliar to me, but ... I pull up the tournament's blind structure and input it into MP's Custom Structure template. Five minutes later, I'm practicing tournaments with the precise buy-in, structure, and blind level intervals as the real thing. By the time Sunday arrives, I'm ready. You could do the same thing with any home game you're invited to for the first time, or perhaps a local casino tournament where you're spending the weekend.

Q: Can Master Poker teach me to play Texas Hold'em if I don't know anything about the game?

A: No. MP contains many features that will help you become a better player (ie. the Board Observer and Starting Hand Guide), but it is not a poker tutor per se'. It can not teach you to play the game from the ground up.

While an intelligent person could figure out the rules over time, you will probably want to learn the basic rules of Hold'em before purchasing the software. The good news is the Internet has a plethora of websites dedicated to exactly this, teaching you to play basic Texas Hold'em, which can be done in maybe 20 minutes. Just make sure you pick a site that teaches No-limit Hold'em (like on TV). The basic game is actually very simple. As television commentators like to say, it takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master.

Q: Can I also play Limit Hold'em with Master Poker?

A: No. MP is dedicated exclusively to No-limit Texas Hold'em. There is currently no option for Limit, or Pot-Limit play.

I'm asked all the time why Master Poker does not contain the option to play Limit Hold'em. The answer is simple; as the AI is concerned, they are two entirely different games, just as Razz or Omaha might be. Since programming a truly powerful AI is such a difficult quest (particularly with NL) I've chosen to have Master Poker excel at it's intended specialty rather than be sullied by weak additional game options.

Users must also realize there are games within the game. As far as the AI goes, Master Poker must also consider the type of No-limit event being played. There are distinct differences in play between large Tournaments, Sit and Go's, and Cash Games. Then within each type of event, AI players must also make adjustments for full tables, shorthanded play, Heads-up play, and even their own inherent playing styles (both general and individual), all essentially mini-games within the overall No-limit AI blanket.

I could have fairly easily added Limit and Pot-limit options, with decent AI's, just to be able to list them in Master Poker's feature set, but I believe if the AI for these games was not as strong as the No-limit AI it would have tarnished the overall product. That's not to say a future version of MP will not contain solid Limit and Pot-Limit options, but for now, I'm dedicated exclusively to strengthening MP's overall NL intelligence. A monumental task in itself, but one I believe to be worth the time and effort considering the shortage of quality No-limit software on today's market.

Q: I can find and exploit patterns in any poker software I've ever played. Are you saying there are no exploitable patterns in Master Poker?

A: I don't believe any poker software designer can make that guarantee without being deceptive. This game is so incredibly sophisticated it would take an army of No-limit specialists to even come close to a product that could make a guarantee of that type, but ...

Being an admitted perfectionist and lifelong student of the game myself, this is a rather large pet peeve of mine, to eliminate all discernible patterns from the AI, and I have spent a great deal of time working specifically on this issue. I want my buyers to be confident that I have only their best interests in mind, and will continually strive to keep Master Poker on the cutting edge of AI performance for the foreseeable future. If any type of 'flaw' is found in my AI and brought to my attention (including any recognizable patterns) I will immediately fix it in all future versions of the software. If a needed fix is ever deemed significant I will immediately release a patch for all those folks who are already part of the MP community.

Note: All that said, I can tell you I do receive emails from buyers recommending future options to the software, but I have not yet received even a single email complaining about Master Poker's artificial intelligence not living up to the claims you see here. Not one. How cool is that?

Q: Master Poker sounds too good to be true.

A: LOL. In my opinion you just can't do any better on today's market for No-limit software, and certainly not at this price. I've been on a focused mission since the day I decided to take my project to the public (years ago). That day I made up my mind that if I was going to do this I was going to do it right (for poker players, not gaming enthusiasts). That meant:

I wanted to include most of the prominent features of the most popular competing software, but upgrade them to be better, faster, more convenient, and prettier.
I wanted to include new features that I, as a poker player, found myself yearning for in all those other competing software packages.
Despite being aimed directly at students of the game I wanted to include features that would encourage and empower novice players to not only be comfortable using the software, but to help them take their game to a more competitive level.
I wanted the final package to be smooth, clean, complete, useful and fulfilling to my poker brethren.

Master Poker is certainly not perfect, but I'm content I met those goals, and more. This should, in turn, translate into a pleasurable and satisfying experience for all of my end users.

Troubleshooting

Q: When I press the 'Play' button to start a new game Windows displays an advisement that I'm missing a needed file. I can ignore it, which lets the game start, but then it comes back the next time I play a new game. What gives?

A: This issue is almost always related to Microsoft Office. The impression is that Master Poker is missing the specific file, or is somehow tied in to the requested application. Neither is true.

In typical Office installations, the application makes several registry entries on your computer for features that will 'Install on Demand'. Office then installs a small startup program to watch for when these files are needed (you can verify this by checking the list of apps that start automatically when you boot your computer-look for anything with 'Office' in it). When Master Poker, which uses a database file to store your preferences, starts up, Office can sometimes mistake this for a call to use it's own database application, resulting in the query for you to insert your Office CD.

This circumstance has been known to occur during both the initial installation of Master Poker, and when you press the 'Play' button to start a new session. The easy fix is to simply fulfill Office's request, and let it install the file it thinks it needs. That will forever clear the file request and let you get down to what's important--playing cards.

Note: If for some reason you don't have the Office CD you might be able to fix the problem by clearing the check from the Office program running in your startup programs (not allowing it to start when you boot your computer).

Q: When I run the program the text seems too large to fit on the screen, running out over the edges of the table. How can I fix this?

A: People often like to use higher screen resolutions for their Windows Desktop because it makes your graphics look sharper (particularly on laptops), but Windows text defaults to a very small font and it can be difficult to read for some folks. To remedy this Windows gives us an option to use larger fonts when displaying text, and you may have found and activated that feature. Unfortunately, it looks like that feature is not user-friendly with Master Poker. It does indeed increase the size of your Windows fonts, but this makes them out of proportion to MP's graphics. Hence, the text stretches, the graphics do not.

To fix: You'll have to set your default Windows Font size back to 96 dpi (standard size) for your sessions, then switch it back again when done playing. Not a real big deal, but I apologize for the inconvenience. You can set/reset your Windows XP font DPI by following these steps:

Right-click your open 'Desktop', then click 'Properties', then click the 'Settings' tab. This is where you set your screen resolution. Now click on the 'Advanced' button to the right of the screen settings slider. You're looking for an option called 'DPI Setting' and should put this at 96 dpi. With both my NVIDIA and Radeon cards it is under the 'General' tab, which is the first tab displayed. If I were to guess, you currently have it set at 120 dpi to cause this issue.

Q: When playing at 800x600 resolution the taskbar at the bottom of my Windows Desktop is covering some text and graphics at the bottom of the Table Screen. Why is this happening?

A: You likely have your Windows taskbar locked. Normally, it should drop out of view when you run MP (or any other program), unless the User or another program intentionally locks it. For example, you might want to be able to access your music media player while playing poker. If you tell the media player you want it visible at all times it will often reduce itself to your taskbar and lock the taskbar in place.

To unlock the taskbar in WinXp and previous, right-click on the taskbar itself and uncheck 'Lock the taskbar' option. This should clear your screen.

Q: The program seems to hang up once in a while during play of hands (the Windows hourglass will appear for a few seconds), then will return to functioning normally.

A: This is usually the result of some other software or process running in the background on your Windows Desktop (usually virus software). Windows needs to use the CPU and your computer puts MP on hold for a few seconds until it's done.

Simple fix, turn off the offending software while you're playing poker (especially if you're power-playing lots of hands with the Zip function). Turn the offending software back on when you're done.

Q: Fast-clicking the Deal button with the mouse: Some folks report the 'Deal' button does not click properly when they're quickly clicking to Zip ... Deal ... Zip ... Deal ...

A: This issue seems to occur only in the Demo and usually happens for one of two reasons:

1) Some folks just click their mice very quickly and the click sometimes doesn't register with the application (I call it Triggerfinger). You likely do it in all of your software but it's easier to detect while playing poker because you're clicking rapidly on one button and expecting an immediate result, or,

2) When playing multi-table tournaments, you're clicking the Deal button before all AI players on the tables out of your view finish their hands. In Master Poker those unseen tables are actually playing hands just like you are, and the current hand must be finished for all tables before the Deal button officially becomes enabled again for the next hand. Power players can eliminate this tendency by using the keyboard keys Z and D to Zip ... Deal ... Zip ... Deal ... (instead of the mouse). You will find this is preferable to the mouse anyway and provides very smooth game play when zipping through hundreds of hands at a time.

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