Miscellaneous online poker annoyances, part 2

(For part 1 of this occasional series, see http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2008/01/miscellaneous-online-poker-annoyances.html.)


1

I hate people who use pictures of their children as avatars, on the sites that let you upload your own (Poker Stars, Absolute, etc.). I think it's your social obligation to other players to give them something that is at least marginally interesting to look at. No baby photos pass that test. The situation is made infinitely worse when the accompanying screen name is something like "KaitlynsMom." What's the problem--you have no identity of your own beyond that of being your kid's parent?

(By the way, isn't it amusing to think that 70 years from now, the nursing homes will be crowded with all of the Kaitlyns and Caitlyns and Katelins of today?)

2

I hate how some online sites show bet amounts with cents displayed (e.g., $525.00), when it's a tournament, and the smallest chips in play are $25. What's the point of that? I'm talking to you, Ultimate Bet.

3

I hate how some sites (Poker Stars and UB, are you listening?) can't manage to remember my preferred window size. Why do I have to manually expand it every time I start a new session? Really, I won't mind the extra 1 kb of memory (or whatever it would take) as a cookie for you to remember this little piece of information automatically, and save me the trouble. Your competitors have managed to accomplish it. What's wrong with you?

4

I don't get why the sound levels are so vastly different from one site to another. It makes it functionally unbearable to have two sites open at the same time, because if the alerts from one are at a normal volume, the alerts from the other will be either deafening or inaudible.

5

I can't stand people who type "thank you" (or "ty") in the chat box after winning a hand, as if you have given them a gift of chips. It's so smarmy.

6

There's a little glitch on Full Tilt Poker's software that occasionally makes the piles of chips bet obscure the displayed amount of the bet. Get that fixed, will ya, guys?

7

Most online sites don't allow you to show your cards if you're the last one to fold. UB does, and the others should follow their lead. It's sometimes a useful friendly gesture as a means of requesting the winner to show his cards, too. It's also sometimes useful to show a bully that you're folding not because of his aggression but because you had 7-2 offsuit, with the implication that you'd mix it up with him if you had anything playable.

8

There's too much time wasted on stupid animations, such as pitching the cards. This happens even on otherwise first-rate sites, such as Stars. Yeah, it's only 2-3 seconds per hand, but multiply that by 9 players and a hundred or so hands per hour, and it adds up to a whole lot of man-hours wasted. Just have the cards instantly appear. We are not fooled by the animation into thinking that there are actual cards being actually thrown.

9

Since I've been playing more razz than hold'em online lately, I've noticed that nearly every hand is slowed down by there being at least one player who isn't using the "auto-ante" feature. I don't understand why the sites even make that an option. It should be mandatory. If somebody doesn't want to play the next hand, he can use the "sit out" button. If he's going to play the next hand, he's going to have to put in the ante, so why not make it automatic?