Behind the Scenes of PokerCube with Jamie Nevin

Jamie Nevin, the founder of PokerCube, answered a few questions for a behind-the-scenes look at the software. For those of you who aren't aware, PokerCube is a tool for Texas Hold'em players and includes a cloud-based HUD, hand replayer, social networking tool, and hand storage tool all in one.

PokerSoftware: What were the main reasons to redesign PokerCube?

Jamie Nevin: PokerCube was originally developed as a social tool aimed to enhance player enjoyment by permitting them to share hands directly to Twitter, Facebook, and privately with friends. Although this feature and others have appeal, we realized only a minority of players would download PokerCube for those features alone. Ever since this realization, we've been working hard to add primary features such as the HUD and cloud-based tracking.

PokerSoftware: Can you tell us more about the HUD and cloud-based tracking?

Jamie Nevin: The HUD is clean and scalable. All of the stats can be fully configured and reordered from the PokerCube "Settings" menu too. One of my favorite features is the "Fast-Forward" button where users can cycle between stats inside the HUD. This feature ensures great use of space and means that the relevant stats are always nearby.

Cloud-based tracking is simple: Wherever you go, you can download PokerCube, log into your account, and the application will import all of your historical stats and hands. Users can also log into their "My Account" area at PokerCube.com, view all of their historical hands, and run reports.

PokerSoftware: Are there any other differences between the old and new versions of PokerCube?

Jamie Nevin: Aside from the features already discussed, there will soon be a bet feature where users can prop bet each other. Aside from that, there are lots of refinements (smoother setup process with walkthrough, new settings menu, etc.) and a lot of bugs have been solved.

PokerSoftware: How much time and manpower were needed for the initial design of PokerCube and the subsequent redesign?

Jamie Nevin: Quite a lot: The team developing the application has been between three and four people strong working full-time for well over a year. The web design and design of the application itself has accounted for around six to nine months of work.

PokerSoftware: What are some of the future plans for PokerCube?

Jamie Nevin: We are white-labeling our hand converter and replayer for poker communities and forums like PocketFives. Going forward, I'm sure the PokerCube replayer will be used by sites around the world and hopefully become the default way for users to share hands. Aside from that, we will finalize our pricing model and continue to improve the application by listening to user feedback.

PokerSoftware: Were there any adaptations needed for the PokerCube replayer to work successfully in a third-party environment such as PocketFives?

Jamie Nevin: The replayer was built with third-party environments in mind, so apart from the re-skin, there wasn't much other work to do other than ironing out some bugs and addressing the great feedback raised by the PocketFives community.

PokerSoftware: Are there any synergies between PokerCube and any of your other product offerings?

Jamie Nevin: As our other sites like PokerVIP and PokerTube have active communities, there are definitely some natural synergies. The PokerCube replayer has been implemented on both sites and, of course, PokerCube is available for download in the PokerVIP store. However, it's important to us that we keep in mind what is best for each site and don't give the fact that we develop PokerCube too much weight when it comes to deciding how it should be marketed on our other sites. For example, on PokerVIP, Hold'em Manager and PokerTracker are displayed alongside PokerCube in our store.

PokerSoftware: Are there any future plans for other new poker-related products?

Jamie Nevin: It really depends what the future holds and how our products perform over the next three to six months. Our portfolio is very heavily weighted toward poker products and although there is definitely room to innovate in the market, it's always nice to try something different.

I think there is a need for a player database that merges online and live tournament results while providing a slightly nicer interface than the sites already out there. The same goes for a site focused on poker room traffic. I can't say I feel the current sites are particularly user-friendly. I'd recommend that anyone interested in launching a poker-related site looks at both of these niches.

Visit PokerCube for more details.

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