Alpha tester

PokerStars is currently alpha testing a new game they've developed, called Power Up. They've invited some of their play money players to be alpha testers. I got an invitation, and played my first Power Up tournament on Friday night. The PokerStars client kept crashing on me, forcing me to restart it continually. Bugs like this are to be expected in alpha software, but that doesn't make them any less annoying.

Power Up is essentially a mashup of NLHE with online games where players use special powers to change the outcomes of a battle. With all the crashing of the PokerStars client, I was only able to invoke a power successfully twice. Both times, it was the power that lets a player nuke one of the board cards. I have to say, it felt great to invoke this power! Both times I used it, I nuked a queen.

I'll give Power Up another try tonight.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

POW   NLHE     2125   375       3     ?       3    1     2        0  
MTT   NLHE    16500  3500       9    86     514  108     0        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   108     120   30     9   162000

delta: $198,000
MTT NLHE balance: $2,635,748
2017 balance: $666,100
balance: $12,083,930