The first thing you’ll see when turning on the PTD are two options:

• Start New Tournament
• Set Preferences

I chose preferences right away and was presented with:

• Backlight
• Brightness
• Contrast

Not a whole lot to configure as far as the preferences go. It took me a few button presses to figure out which buttons actually changed an option and which one moved to the next option. The button use here was actually very confusing and the opposite of what you’d expect it to be.

After selecting to start a new tournament you’re presented to choose from one of 10 structures. Eight of the structures are preset (but still editable) and two of them are for storing user configured tournament structures.

Once a tournament structure is selected, you’ll be prompted to choose:

• # of players
• Buy in
• Addons
• Rebuys
• Rebuys/Addons end of level

The next screen to come up is the payout structure, which is editable just as the tournament structure details are. Finally after everything is set you’ll be prompted to start the tournament. As soon as you press a button, the timer will begin and PTD goes to work. The screen displays the level, time remaining for the level, current blinds, next blinds, ante, and how much time is left during the rebuy period. During the last 10 seconds a beep will come from the device every second as a warning.

What didn’t I like?

I didn’t think the device is very user friendly. I mentioned the button use during the Preferences screen earlier in the review, but there were several times when I didn’t know which button to press. For example, when ending a tournament, the screen displays “Are you sure you want to end tournament?” but it doesn’t give any options such as Yes or No. Also, when I first was choosing a tournament structure I couldn’t figure out how to edit anything, so I had to consult the manual and found the Edit option was all the way at the bottom of a long list on the screen. This should be at the top. Using a device such as this should be as intuitive as possible and the manual should be a last resort, not required reading. A little more time spent on User Interface design and the manual wouldn’t even be needed.

The buttons don’t always bring up the next screen or change an option right away.

The beep used during the last 10 seconds of a level is not nearly loud enough. I tested the PTD by myself in quiet room and I could barely hear the beeping. If you’re playing a tournament with any kind of noise at all, you’ll need to have the PTD strapped to your ear to hear it.

Overall

The Poker Ace PTD – Portable Tournament Director is a great little device to use for your poker tournaments. The biggest challenges using the device are during setup, which can be done well before a tournament. The PTD runs for $49.99 at the Poker Ace PTD web site. I think it’s very good value for the time and hassle it will save you during a tournament.

One of the main reasons they are better is because the cards last nearly forever if you take care of them. Plastic playing cards don’t bend like a paper playing card so you don’t have to worry about a crease marking the ace of spades. Since they’re plastic you can simply wipe the cards off if they get wet, which is great for cleaning the cards. This is unlike paper playing cards that are nearly useless after soaking up any kind of liquid.

The most popular name you’ll hear when plastic playing cards are being discussed is KEM. According to their web site, they’re “America’s Most Desired Playing Card.” I’ve seen KEM cards as well as other plastic playing cards and really couldn’t tell much of a difference between brands. They usually come in a set of two decks which will cost you a lot more than two decks of paper playing cards, but they’ll last you much much longer so the money is well spent. Simply do a search for “plastic playing cards” on Google and browse through the different options available.

• White – $1
• Red – $5
• Blue – $10
• Green – $25
• Black – $100

Now I have more room for poker tables in my view. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I supposed it’ll help to be able to have email or a web page open on one monitor if I want to be able to see my tables at all times. Just what I need when I’m playing online poker…more distractions.

In exchange for a month of advertising (to test the waters), Stu sent me my very own Little Poker Table. As soon as I opened the package I noticed the quality of the item. As you can see by the photos (view more), the felt is showing some wear. This just goes to show how much I use the table. My table sits right on my computer desk so whenever I’m playing online poker I can practice my tricks.

So, what is the Little Poker Table? To put it simply, it’s a very small poker table. It’s “a place to shuffle” or practice other poker chip tricks. The table is almost 12 inches wide and just over 8 inches deep, giving the right amount of space to shuffle poker chips or do most other chip tricks. The surface has a nice padding covered with green felt. Three edges of the table have a wood railing that comes up, helping to keep chips from rolling away. The top edge has three spots each capable of holding 6 poker chips. The Little Poker Table comes with 18 poker chips split between two colors, so you don’t even need your own set of chips.

I don’t remember the initial price of the Little Poker Table, but I recall it being in the $50 range. Stu has recently made some changes with the business and as a result the price has been lowered to $32.95. Taking the quality of the table and the use you’ll get out of it into consideration, I think the price is worth the buy for any poker player spending a lot of time at the online poker tables.

Get your own Little Poker Table.