Hiding and revealing in online poker games

Poker is largely a game of social and psychological information. However, online card room interfaces do not support the subtle communication between players that is integral to the psychological aspect of the game, making the games less authentic and less enjoyable than they could be. We explore how card room interfaces can better support the psychological aspects of the game by critiquing the dominant methods of visualizing players: with generic avatars, and with text-only handles. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.3 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: Group and Organization Interfaces – collaborative computing, synchronous interaction. General Terms Design, Human Factors. Keywords Poker, identity, avatar, handle, reputation, socially interpretable information.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: CSCW
• Authors: Scott A. Golder, Judith S. Donath
• Keywords: Card Room Interfaces, CSCW 2004, Online Card Room, Psychological Aspects, Social Sciences