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You’ve probably heard of virtual reality (VR), a gaming technology that stands for virtual reality. You are transported into the game’s world, and instead of using a keyboard and a mouse to issue commands to your character, you are transported into the game’s world yourself, and you control what happens by moving your head and your hands.
The PokerStars VR experience whisks you away to a virtual casino where you can stake your claim at one of the game’s tables. As you play the game, you may notice the avatars of the other players seated around you. Because avatars are now little more than a head and a torso with hands attached, they can be imagined floating in midair.
PokerStars Virtual Reality
PokerStars VR is not yet available for real money play, and the company has no plans to introduce real money cash games or tournaments in the near future.
Despite the fact that it is currently accessible to the game’s main player pool, the Virtual Reality environment is still in some stage of testing. My educated guess is that it will be some time before Stars decides it is ready to start offering real money games. Although the game is free to play, you will need to invest some money to get the most out of it.
PokerStars VR requires VR eyewear, so you’ll need to buy either an Oculus Rift or an equivalent alternative to play. This will cost you between $200 and $300. It’s likely because VR technology is still quite expensive that poker rooms aren’t quite ready to go all in with it just yet.
To develop a sustainable economy, you need a fairly large player pool, and the number of people willing to pay several hundred dollars just to play virtual poker is still a relatively small fraction of the total population.
Of course, you can use your smartphone and Google Cardboard, which acts as a holder for your smartphone and allows you to interact with a virtual reality (VR) set, but this will undoubtedly detract from the overall experience.
Enter the PokerStars Virtual Reality World
The idea of playing poker in virtual reality is extremely appealing. You can choose your own avatar and play in a variety of environments, including the Monte Carlo Yacht, the Showdown Saloon, and Void, a pitch-black environment where the focus is entirely on the game and no interruptions are permitted.
You have some freedom to move around, and the graphics aren’t bad, but if you’re looking for a challenging experience, PokerStars VR isn’t really a viable option right now. This statement is made for several reasons. For starters, people aren’t used to this strategy, so they’ll focus on other options like throwing your chips across the table, smoking a cigar, or having a virtual beer. Second, people aren’t used to seeing this approach used.
If you’re looking for entertainment, you won’t be disappointed by how much fun it is. Second, these are games that are played with virtual money rather than real money.
Because players are not risking any real money, they do not need to be concerned about losing their stacks. You should not expect to play serious poker with them because they can always reload the game and keep messing around while throwing virtual objects at you.
An Examination of the Social Aspects of Virtual Poker
Even if PokerStars VR isn’t the best option for serious gamers, it does an excellent job of elevating the social experience to a whole new level. When you were playing online, you couldn’t do things like see your opponents’ avatars, gesture at them, talk to them while drinking a cool drink made of the finest pixels, or even give them virtual high fives. In fact, the virtual environment allows you to act however you want because there are no consequences.
If you were playing in a real casino, your opponent would most likely be offended if you threw a bottle of beer at them. In any case, you have complete freedom to act however you want in the PokerStars VR environment. There are some “physical” signals that you should be able to pick up on from your opponents if you want to focus more on poker, which you can do if you want to.
You will be able to observe their hand gestures, where they are looking, and when they check their hole cards. This can help you earn more virtual money and provide you with a wealth of useful information.
However, to be completely honest, it is difficult to imagine this being the primary motivation for someone to participate in the activity given that the emphasis is more on the enjoyable aspects of it. When the novelty of the games wears off, they can begin to take themselves more seriously.
PokerStars VR controls and instructions for going all-in
Your cards are displayed on the screen, and you have access to a number of sliders and buttons that allow you to change the size of your bets and perform actions like checking, betting, and folding. There is no such content in PokerStars VR. You must interact with your chips and cards in the same way that you would in a real casino.
PokerStars Virtual Reality
As a result, when you are dealt a hand, you must physically pick up your cards and examine them before proceeding. The good news is that it makes no difference how you choose to carry out these actions. Even if you raise your cards as high into the air as you possibly can, the other players will still be unable to see them. When it comes to heads-up pots, you have the option of showing either one or both of your cards to your opponent. You’ll need some practice, especially if you want to show only one card at a time, but you’ll get there in the end.
You and your chips can have a comparable level of interaction. You can pick them up, hold them in your hand, rearrange your stacks, and do other things with them. Chip tricks are not currently available, but they will most likely be in the near future. When it comes to betting, the chips are quite responsive.
As you continue to search for your stack, numbers will appear on the screen. These numbers represent the total number of cards you have collected. When you’re finished, all you have to do is pick up the chips and toss them around like you would at a real table.
You are free to agitate the pot as much as you want
You are free to toss your chips all the way across the table if you wish or if you want to scare your opponent. When the coin is finally placed, the software will add all of the wagers to the prize pool. What happens if you want to use all of your chips in PokerStars VR?
Simply collect all of your chips and place them at the top of the stack. Depending on how high the stack is, you may need to use both hands to complete the task. However, there isn’t much of a difference between what you do here and what you’d do in a real casino. If you want to add to the ambiance, you can easily go to the store and get a wide variety of items to add to the table, and doing so is very simple.
Only a few of them make sense, while others are completely illogical. A mug of coffee, a pint of beer, a can of high-octane energy drink, a cigar, or even a baby donkey are all welcome. The donkey, on the other hand, is alive and wants to do its own thing, which makes it quite entertaining to watch.
Is Playing PokerStars VR Worth It?
Concerning PokerStars VR, I have mixed feelings and thoughts. On the one hand, it’s quite amusing and entertaining throughout. On the other hand, it doesn’t feel at all like a poker game. It’s more typical of everything else. Again, this is most likely due to the novelty of the concept, which makes it difficult for people to concentrate in the same way they do when playing traditional online poker. Furthermore, money games are rarely taken seriously or in a truly competitive manner (the VR aspect aside).
As a result, I don’t think it’s worth it to spend a few hundred dollars just to play poker in virtual reality. On the other hand, if you’ve been thinking about getting virtual reality goggles anyway, or if you already have a pair, you should give it a shot. Furthermore, if you can convince a couple of your friends to join you in the game, you can almost guarantee a good time. One of the clever ideas that comes to mind is to host a virtual reality video game night at home with a few close friends. If you all agree that it should be taken seriously or if you back it up with some incentives, it has the potential to be a very exciting and novel experience for all of you.
The developers did an excellent job, so you won’t feel too awkward even if it takes a while to figure out all of the controls. However, it may take you some time. After a few rounds, you’ll have no trouble getting the hang of it. People who have never played poker in person may find that playing online provides a beneficial learning environment. You will, at the very least, have the opportunity to observe and become accustomed to certain aspects of live poker in advance, which can be extremely beneficial. As a result, you should avoid attempting any of the virtual reality tricks in the real world. It may be amusing to watch on the internet, but spilling your beer all over the chips and felt will almost certainly get you kicked out of any decent cardroom in the world.
Virtual Reality at PokerStars: The Way of the Future?
The real question here, I believe, is whether virtual reality in general will become the norm in gaming in the future.
When one considers recent patterns, it is possible that this is the case; however, it appears that it will be at least a few more years before virtual reality completely takes over. There are both advantages and disadvantages to playing poker in virtual reality.
It’s a fun experience to be able to “see” your opponents, talk to them, and play with your chips and cards all at the same time. It contributes to the overall quality of the experience if you are looking to have some fun. Professional grinders, on the other hand, should avoid virtual reality poker.
Live games are notorious for moving at a snail’s pace, and you can only play at one table at a time. Because players at virtual reality tables are free to do whatever they want, even a single hand may take a significant amount of time to complete. As a result, if PokerStars implemented full virtual reality gameplay tomorrow, it would have a significant impact on the player population.
Many professionals would have no reason to participate, and many recreational players would be unwilling to spend the extra money required to participate in online poker (which is costing them money already).
I believe that PokerStars VR has a future, especially as VR technologies advance and become more accessible to consumers. We’re likely to see some genuine, high-stakes gaming in virtual reality at some point in the future.