Poker DealMaker ICM Used to Chop Aussie Millions

This week, the Poker DealMaker ICM iPhone application was used to broker a chop of the $4.1 million prize pool of the Aussie Millions, which were held in Sydney. With millions of dollars on the line, Poker DealMaker ICM was the center of attention. It's quite literally an ICM calculator right in your pocket. PokerSoftware.com sat down with the program's developer, to learn more about what separates Poker DealMaker ICM from the rest of the pack.

PokerSoftware.com: Tell us about why the ICM was developed.

PD ICM: I am an experienced professional poker player with over $300,000 in career tournament earnings. I have been playing in poker tournaments for over 15 years and one of the biggest mistakes I see people making over and over again is making deals at the final table.

Initially, I was reluctant to write this application because I've made a lot of profit over the years from deal making at final tables of tournaments and satellites and I didn't really want to educate my opponents. I thought about it more and realized that it would be like most other poker books and tools out there. The best players would use it and everyone else would ignore it, so it would be fine. Also, it makes me feel good to give something back to the poker community that I have been a part of for over a decade.

PokerSoftware.com: What feedback have you received from users of the program so far?

PD ICM: The feedback has been extremely positive. I have shared this with several well-known pros who have given it high marks. Basically, it's a tool that has been missing from the poker player's arsenal and the iPhone has made it possible to carry it in your pocket and never make a mistake again when striking a deal at the final table! That's pretty powerful. Even though the app is relatively straightforward, it's one of the rare iPhone apps that makes you serious money every time you use it. I think people are really appreciative of that aspect.

PokerSoftware.com: Explain the challenges of building apps for the iPhone.

Fernandez: There are quite a few challenges in building iPhone apps, especially if you want to build an app that is easy to use, intuitive, and works the way people expect. I think the biggest challenge for new iPhone developers is just getting up to speed learning Objective C and the iPhone APIs. Objective C is not a language the most people have ever programmed in, so there is a learning curve there.

Overall, Apple has done a pretty good job with the APIs for the iPhone, but some aspects are still a lot more primitive than I would have expected. For example, you still have to manage memory yourself, which is a pretty old-fashioned way to program. Languages like Java have had automatic garbage collection for years, so it’s kind of a step backwards to have to worry about that low level of detail when coding.

I think the biggest challenge is fighting feature creep and really polishing the UI. The apps that seem really simple and easy to use are, a lot of times, really hard to program behind the scenes. Especially on the iPhone which such limited real estate on the screen, you have to be very careful about what features you implement and really polish the ones you do.

The motto I have for iPhone development is "Do one or two things really well.” Users expect apps to launch fast, do their tasks fast, and then quit fast so they can move on to the next thing.

PokerSoftware.com: What developmental setbacks did you have and how did you overcome them?

One of the biggest setbacks was just making sure that I understood how the average player would use this app. One thing I discovered is that sometimes when you are playing at a final table and someone proposes a deal, it is rejected. However, later on, a player busts out and then players again start talking about a deal. During the heat of negotiation, time is of the essence and you don't want people waiting around while you try to figure out a deal. So, we implemented a feature that some people may not even notice because it just works the way you would expect it to, which is automatic saving of your data. 

For example, say you are playing at the World Series of Poker where they have a no cell phone at the table rule. So you look at your cards, fold, and step away from the table to start entering prize pool payouts into the Poker DealMaker ICM app. Before you can finish though, you notice that the next hand is about to be dealt. So, you put your phone back into your pocket, sit down, play your next hand, and then get back up to finish entering the data. Your previous entries will still be there waiting for you. In between hands, you are able to enter the data without missing any action and now you have an advantage because you know exactly what each person's chips are worth in dollars at that moment.

Another really cool thing is that once you have the default deal done, you can play around by seeing what it would look like if one player was busted, one player doubled up, or any number of scenarios.

PokerSoftware.com: What future features do you have planned?

At this point, I'm waiting to hear from users about what they need. So far, I've had two interesting suggestions. First, have a preference for not displaying the color indicators so that if you show the deal to your opponents, its less obvious who is getting more and who is getting less than the default deal. Second, introduce the ability to e-mail the final deal to yourself. I would love to hear other suggestions from poker players who are using it.

PokerSoftware.com: What do you foresee in the future?

Fernandez: I really see apps on the iPhone as being powerful tools now and in the future. If I can have an app like Poker DealMaker ICM in my pocket at all times, it gives me a huge leg up on any of the other players who don't have it.

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