Show HN: I made an app to take the pain out of playing poker in person (smartdealer.poker)

3 points by phillippcorreia 2y ago ↗ HN

Ever felt like you were the designated poker dealer in your friend group? Frustrated with the clunky, old-school home game experience? Well, I did too. Years of playing poker left me wanting more than just shuffling and dealing. That's why two friends and I decided to change the way we play.

We've built an app to streamline your home poker games! Think automated dealing, easy chip management, and features to keep things exciting. We're in beta now, so if you love poker nights, we need your help. Check out the app, give us feedback, and let's change the game together!

3 comments

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phillippcorreia 2y ago ↗

I've been hooked on poker since 2007. I've dabbled with online games, played semi-professionally for a couple of years, and even upped the stakes considerably for a while. But there was one thing that consistently killed my enthusiasm: home poker games.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good poker night with friends. The problem was, I always ended up 'working' more than playing. With my experience, I'd be the default dealer, sorting out chips, explaining rules... it got to be more of a chore than a good time.

That's why we built Smart Dealer Poker – to take the pain out of playing poker in person with friends. It handles the dealing, the chips... all the fiddly bits that get in the way of fun.

gregjor 2y ago ↗

For me part of the fun of home poker games comes from the tipsy players making mistakes and joking about it. If I want a serious game I go to a casino. Reducing a social activity with poker as the vehicle rather than the goal seems retrograde to me -- the last thing I want to do with a bunch of friends is stare at our phones together.

phillippcorreia 2y ago ↗

I totally agree with you in terms of having friends staring at their mobile phones while being in person and that's exactly what would happen using the existing Poker platforms out there. However, this app is really different because it tries to keep the social experience pretty much the same as it is today in home poker games. Players can leave their mobile phone at the table, focus on having a great chat with their friends and when it is their turn, they perform the actions on their mobile.

In addition to improving the social experience of playing live poker, this solution unlocks a whole new world in terms of live poker data and management that has never been possible before with the traditional silver case poker set.