- Rather than using the normal bet, raise and fold buttons, players use swipe and tap gestures to indicate their action.
- A swipe off the cards indicates a fold; a double-tap on the screen is a check.
- Currently available in four markets and soon to be available as a browser-based app in all markets soon.
Partypoker has unveiled a new mobile poker app, “FastForward: Special Edition,” which uses swipe gestures to control the online poker action.
Dedicated exclusively to FastForward tables, partypoker’s name for its fast-fold tables, the app is currently available as an iPhone and iPad app in the UK, Ireland, Austria and Sweden iTunes stores.
“We’re re-defining what it means to play one-handed,” partypoker announced last Friday.
“Our new fastforward: special edition poker app features a patent pending swipe-based interface that adds another gear to playing fastforward poker.”
Swipe to Bet
Rather than using the normal bet, raise and fold buttons, players use swipe and tap gestures to indicate their action.
A swipe off the cards indicates a fold; a double-tap on the screen is a check. To bet or raise, chips can be swiped in from the right.
Players can choose preset bet amounts by clicking the pot and selecting a half, three quarter, or full-pot bet. Alternatively, a slider along the bottom allows for more precise bets to be placed.
Deemed a beta test, players can access both real and play money FastForward tables, sharing the same liquidity as the dot-com network.
“An Experiment”
The new app is built on HTML5, something party calls “an experiment in new technology.”
“We engineered it specifically for mobile handset users, after thinking about how we use these devices—or should use these devices—to play card games,” it was explained.
“The game is the same, but HOW you play is nothing at all like on other mobile poker games.”
A browser-based version, which will be available in all markets that access the dot-com network, should be available soon.
It may also debut in other markets in which partypoker operates, including New Jersey, if this beta test is deemed a success.
Bwin.party’s revenue from online poker has been in decline for some time, and the group sees mobile as a key growth area—forecasting as much as 30% of poker activity occurring on mobile devices by the end of the year.
The online poker room already has a fully-featured mobile client available on iOS and Android, both of which recently added Sit and Gos to the existing cash-game offerings.
