It’s finally done! Check out our homepage at http://www.pokerunderworld.com to see what we’re so excited about. We’re very proud to (at last) have the main page polished and accepting signups for the upcoming BETA launch. A lot of work has been completed in the last few weeks in preparation for the launch of the games.

Be sure to read the past updates to see what features have been added along the way. The Profile with the poker playing habits analysis is looking good, and we hope that everyone will find it useful. There are so many features we’d like to see added to the website that we have to be very picky about what we want ready for the launch and what we will add in the future.

As we continue to polish up the lobby and the games, I’ll update this blog with screenshots and details. Soon enough the Poker tables will open up and the tournaments and rankings will begin. It will be exciting to see who rises to the top of the Poker Underworld ranks and how the games will play out.

Remember to spread the word about us, and keep an eye on this page for details on the launch date.

See you then,

Ryan
The Poker Underworld Team

One important feature of Poker Underworld will be the Profile.  Through the Profile, you can communicate who you are to the other players in the Underworld.  The Profile will allow you to describe yourself, upload and activate Avatars to display at the poker table, list your friends and store playlists to listen to while playing.  You can also comment on other people’s Profile pages and search through other members.

All of this sounds a little familiar, however what makes your Poker Underworld Profile so important is that it also analyzes what type of Poker player you are.  It will keep track of how many hands you’ve played, what % of hands you see the flop on, the turn and the river card.  It will tell you what your winning % is when you make it to each round, and what your winning % is overall.  It will also show you how well you play with each starting hand and help you figure out your weaknesses to avoid playing on tilt.

For those of us who like to show off a bit, your Profile will also display your total winnings, as well how many tournaments and head to head games you’ve won.  When you win big prizes, they will be on display for the rest of the Underworld to envy.

Finally, your Profile page will be where other players will go to challenge you - but more on that later.

For a sneak peak of the Profile page under construction, check out my profile page at http://www.pokerunderworld.com/user/thenotself and be sure you’ve reserved your name by signing up because the BETA launch is around the corner.

Ryan
The Poker Underworld Team

We’re going over usability right now to determine the best way to navigate the website. We were going to use the traditional poker navigation which involves a lobby window in a popup that spawns poker tables in their own windows. This could lead to 3 or more windows open at a time and obviously wasn’t very user friendly.

Although I’ve been trying to keep the main website as basic as possible with as direct a navigation as I can manage, I’ve been experimenting with a row of tabs across the top of the site that would give easy access to Profile, Community, Leaderboards and other content. It’s also possible to put the lobby in as another tab which means all of the content is contained within the main interface with the exception of the poker tables which would have their own windows.

Click the image above to see a working demo (while supplies last) and feel free to leave comments.

In other news, the new art for the header has been inked and should be imported into Flash within the next few days. We are excited to be within a week or so from our BETA launch and your first chance to play the game!

Ryan
The Poker Underworld Team

We’ve been going over sketches for the replacement header for the top of the main site. We’re pretty close to inking a final version and we hope to have it colored and live by the end of the week in time for our official BETA launch.

Here is a preview of the header we’re working on. Please feel free to leave feedback or recommendations. Click the image for a larger version.

Remember to sign up and reserve your screen names for our BETA launch. We will have a playable demo by the end of this week and we are working on the ability to upload your avatars, playlists and profiles.

Ryan
The Poker Underworld Team