The Cake Poker Network is currently conducting a private beta testing of a new poker client, the first major upgrade for the network since its inception in 2006. Players who are not a part of the private testing will not see changes at this time, but the rollout of the new system could be imminent. The new changes have been in part developed by Cake Poker Card Room Manager and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Lee Jones.
“We are excited to launch the private beta for our new Cake Poker client and to get some further feedback on our efforts,” said Jones. “We are delighted at the how the client is currently operating and looking forward to being able to offer an improved online poker experience to all our players.” After the private beta testing is finished, there will be a public beta test run alongside the current Cake Poker Network offering and player feedback will be incorporated through the process.
The current interface used by the rooms in the Cake Poker Network has essentially been used since the site entered the online poker industry. Players have often complained that it is difficult to navigate and that the setup has no ability to search for particular cash games or tournaments. The forthcoming changes should streamline the Cake Poker Network’s offerings and give players many state of the art features.
The Cake Poker Network is calling the new offering the “Cake Poker Client 2.0” (currently the most recent update is Cake Poker Client 1.145.0) and should be a quantum leap over its present setup. An expanded lobby screen is the first noticeable difference, with the screen expanded both vertically and horizontally. It will act more like an Excel spreadsheet and include advanced filters for game or tournament choices. For tournament players, the new client will have a feature that allows for direct registration from the general lobby, rather than heading for the individual tournament lobby, and will also show what satellites are available for the desired tournament.
Other features of the beta version of the Cake Poker client include the ability for players to mark upcoming tournaments on a calendar and be reminded of the event. For those who dislike the constant stream of upcoming tournament announcements, there will be the option to block them. Finally, players will be able to customize their experience through options like changing card backs, table felt, and background.
The Cake Poker Network is headquartered in the Dutch Antilles and has built a network of rooms that is among the best in the online poker industry. Consisting of 55 different rooms – including such popular sites as DoylesRoom and Phil Laak’s UnabomberPoker – the Cake Poker Network is entrenched in the top ten poker networks in the industry, according to PokerScout.com. The most recent statistics from PokerScout.com rank the Cake Poker Network as the tenth largest worldwide according to cash game numbers, with a seven-day average of 1,360 players in cash games.
