TableNinjaFT Launches Commercial Release

TableNinjaFT for Full Tilt Poker, brought to you by the same company as Table Ninja for PokerStars, is preparing for a commercial release. TableNinjaFT has undergone an extensive beta test and is now ready to see the light of day. PokerSoftware.com sat down with Table Ninja’s Alex Sutherland to discuss the brand new commercial release. As a side note, the program is still available in beta for another one to two weeks.

PokerSoftware.com: Thanks for joining us. Tell us about the set of features included in TableNinjaFT.

Alex Sutherland: We’ve managed to get it to have a similar feature set as Table Ninja for PokerStars, which was a bit of a challenge because last July, Full Tilt redesigned its whole software. The one major feature that TableNinjaFT does not have is a sit and go opener, but other than that, it has basically every feature. If you use our PokerStars program, you’ll be at home with TableNinjaFT.

One of the core features is the default bet amount. I don’t think any other program has that reliably right now. We were fortunate in that the engine was one we were able to bring over from the PokerStars version. It’s something you can count on never to crash or make a mistake. A lot of scripts don’t work all of the time.

PokerSoftware.com: What is involved in the final stages of bringing a program like TableNinjaFT out of beta and into a commercial release?

Alex Sutherland: The biggest thing for us is taking care of any kind of outstanding reliability concerns. Full Tilt Poker has 30 settings you can toggle, Windows has hundreds, and there are lots of languages as well. It’s all about making sure your program works in every case, which is a major challenge. Our program is unusual in that we’ve had beta tests that went on for months. We really try to take every single bug report seriously. Right now, we’re also making new tutorial videos and new documentation.

PokerSoftware.com: How do you recruit beta testers?

Alex Sutherland: We put out an open call for beta testers. We have a specific testing group, who are volunteers from TwoPlusTwo mainly, and they e-mail or PM saying they want to test. We never send a version straight to the public unless it’s an emergency; we always run it by our testers for a few days. They get early access to all of the new versions and submit feedback before the software finalized. They’re all volunteers and the community is quite involved.

PokerSoftware.com: Is TableNinjaFT compatible with Rush Poker?

Alex Sutherland: Everything works with Rush Poker. The “fold” hotkey will also quick fold for you. For a lot of the other programs, there was a big difference in how the Heads-Up Display (HUD) worked. Table Ninja does everything in real-time, so for us, it wasn’t too different.

PokerSoftware.com: Talk about partnering with Holdem Manager.

Alex Sutherland: It’s been a really great relationship. One of the real challenges we face is that we’re a two-man team. There’s a lot to getting a website up, getting forums, and getting a support team. We still write our own software and manage our own projects, but now we have access to all of these other resources. If we need help with payments or graphics, they’ll help us out. We have a lot of new users who probably wouldn’t have heard of us unless they found the program in Holdem Manager.

PokerSoftware.com: Remind us of the pricing for TableNinjaFT.

Alex Sutherland: Both Table Ninja and TableNinjaFT will be $60. We’re going to sell a combo package for $100, so you can save $20. Everyone gets a 30-day free trial and it will automatically kick in once the beta ends. We don’t want anyone to buy the program and end up not wanting it. We try to make our trial process easy and hopefully people feel it’s a fair price for the program.