When it comes to gambling, Poker almost rules the roost as the high stakes winner takes all past time that has made some people rich, and a lot more broke. Yet like any other card game, it can be enjoyed responsibly and happens to be great fun to play, which is why there are a number of virtual reality (VR) titles dedicated to the game. For those who want to spend real money then PokerStars VR is one of the better-known titles. And this week saw a new update launch adding several new features.
The biggest requested inclusion by fans was Sit & Go tournaments which is a one table tournament where you have a set number of chips. The blinds continually increase as the game whittles down to one player. There are four buy-in levels (5k, 20k, 100k, and 1M) and three-speed levels (hyper, turbo, and regular). Each cash and Sit & Go stake will now have a dedicated leaderboard with its own prizes and custom tiered ring to be won, from bronze to platinum depending on the stake, meaning that more are up for grabs.
Developer Lucky VR has also included Oculus’ new Expressive Avatars, up the stakes of Wyatt’s Game to a new Super High Roller $5k/$10k game, and enabled players to mute all other players’ props so they’re not disturbed or distracted and can play on in peace. The privacy bubble also allows players to keep a hold of their props so that no one else can touch any items in their personal space.
PokerStars VR is free-to-play on Steam and Oculus Store, with players gaining free chips on joining and 3 wheel spins per day. They also now have the option to buy extra bankroll if they want to. To celebrate the launch, there will be a limited-time sale, where double the usual number of chips can be purchased e.g. for $1.99 USD players will receive 20,000 rather than the usual 10,000. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
PokerStarsVR_Beta 0.10.0.0 Changelog:
- Fixed chips become unselectable and game stops progressing when use voice command while holding chips.
- Fixed Multiple issues causing pot not paying out.
- Fixed lobby wheel spin stopping at random intervals.
- Fixed default card texture sometimes appearing as Ace of Clubs.
- Fixed bet stage sometimes behaving as if there is an invisible stack.
- Fixed Card Holo Helpers not cleaning up.
- Fixed player being able to fold their own cards using the social menu friends buttons.
- Fixed main pot shows as side pot and side pot shows as main pot when there are multiple side pots.
- Fixed three of a kind announced as high card.
- Fixed Hole cards not being obfuscated when intentionally flipped in
Heads up situation
During showdown - Various UI optimizations and fixes.
- Sit & Go Tournaments
- Expressive Avatars Integration
- Massive UI expansion, new privacy options, overhauled hosting options for cash games and SNG, new browser options.
- Reduced time between hands
- Added New store section for purchasing chips.
- Added 24 new avatar presets.
- Added confirmation to player reporting process.
- Added Privacy Zone option.
- Added Mute all props option.
- 5% rake applies to cash games / 10% entry fee to Sit & Gos.
- Went from 1 global leaderboard to 9 leaderboards, each based on gametype and stakes.
- Added 45 new leaderboard rings. 5 tiers for each new leaderboard.
- Added $100k and $500k chip values.
- Optimized poker chips to help performance.
- Kicked up the stakes of Wyatt’s Game to a new Super High Roller $5k/$10k game.
- Added new Super High Roller Red Wyatt’s Game hat unlockable after 100 hands.
- $500/$1000 cash games are now available to the public to create.
- Added New Tournament Chips.
- Apparel store is now available while in the lobby