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PokerStars VR Available for Download

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on
Jennifer Newell

It seems as if PokerStars is always developing new games, new poker variants, fresh ways to bring players into the game and challenge those already in it. The developers and members of the poker innovation team should be well compensated for their significant contributions of time and effort into expanding the game of poker.

While different poker variants have been tested, trialed, and offered for limited periods of time over the past year, there is one product that PokerStars is hoping will be the next level of poker. And considering virtual reality gaming is the wave of the future, PokerStars VR might be right at the center of it.

Now that PokerStars VR is ready for download around the globe, it is time to wait and see how players receive and review it.

What is PokerStars VR?

Virtual reality is the name of the game. While online poker has always given players the feeling that they are at the tables, complete with interesting avatars and modern technology that make the games feel real, PokerStars VR takes it all to an entirely new level.

PokerStars partnered with virtual reality developer Lucky VR to create PokerStars VR, an immersive poker experience that combines serious poker with fun, interaction with other players, engagement with VR tools, and social poker action.

Essentially, players can choose a scene in which to play: Macau 2050, Macau Suite, Showdown Saloon, Void, and Monte-Carlo Yacht. And by downloading the game through Oculus, Viveport, or Steam, action is at the fingertips of anyone with a proper VR headset.

Players can compete at a table that feels much like real life, with the ability to handle chips and cards, look for tells in opponents, and interact verbally and physically with other players at the table. There are voice commands and interactive props to add excitement, and players can integrate their PokerStars VR with Twitch and Oculus Rift for livestreaming action.

Beta to Wide Release

It was only in September that PokerStars first announced its virtual reality poker product and sought players to beta test it. Whether online or at European Poker Tour stops like Barcelona, more than 150 people had the chance to test PokerStars VR with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

The testing went so well that the product is now available for download, free of charge in all global markets in which PokerStars operates.

PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations Severin Rasset commented, “When we showcased the product it was amazing to see people really enjoy and become engrossed in the game. We wanted to venture into the world of virtual reality because we believe it is an exciting avenue of technology to explore and something that our players would appreciate. I highly recommend that everyone tries out the game as it can only truly be understood and enjoyed by experiencing it.”

Learn About VR Poker

The PokerStars team realized that most players haven’t yet had access to virtual reality gaming, much less the poker version. The ability to play the game on such an interactive level online creates new depths and prompts players to learn more about how to improve skills in such an environment.

Courtesy of PokerStars School, the first instructive article has been posted to offer information about how to pick up tells on PokerStars VR. It mixes the essentials of online tells – the speed at which players check and bet, betting patterns – with live tells that can be seen in virtual reality, such as hand movements, looking at hole cards more than once, and attentiveness to the game and chip stacks versus time spent talking and playing with VR tools.

Win an Oculus Rift Headset

The one downside to PokerStars VR is the requirement that the player has a virtual reality headset. And that equipment can be quite pricey. Of course, the holidays are just around the corner, but there is a chance to win a headset today.

PokerStars is giving away an Oculus Rift headset with touch controllers, a high-quality product that retails for approximately $350 to $450.

PokerStars is running a contest for the headset. They are looking for new words of the virtual reality poker world. When online poker became popular, so did terms like misclick, gg for good game, nh for nice hand, etc. PokerStars wants to know what terms should become important in the new VR scene, and the best one will win the Oculus Rift headset. Players can tweet the suggested word, along with its definition and their PokerStars player ID number, to PokerStars on Twitter @PokerStarsBlog with the hashtag #VRPOKER.

 

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