Blinds Up is not just a Blinds Timer! Having purchased and used nearly every Poker Tournament Timer on iTunes I was frustrated with not finding an App that did what “Poker Manager” did before that App became worthless due to iOS updates and abandoned support from the developer. Most apps were simply Tournament Timers. I did begin to look at computer software to support my Tournaments but found that most were VERY confusing and not “Host” friendly.
With Blinds Up! you can literally manage all aspects of your Tournament! The ability to customize virtually all your settings is what makes this App worth every cent.
Tournaments can be played as individual tournaments or be set up as a Championship where consecutive tournaments are attached to a “Championship” where Player’s Rankings can be sorted out over the course of several games. You even have the ability to attach your own personal points formula to rank players. Rankings can also be exported to Excel directly from the application.
Rounds can be individually input or can be generated. Breaks can be inserted as desired.
Players can be added with personal details, pictures, nicknames, etc. Player’s stats can also be tracked. Buy-ins, add-ons, wins, bounties, etc…
Tables can be personalized as to how many players are seated at each table, the order those tables are “closed” as players are eliminated, table balancing can be auto generated or manually done, and player’s seating assignments can be printed too!
Prize pools can be auto generated or input manually.
A very easy and cool feature in this app is the ability to display your personal chips that will be in play. The app can use the iPad camera to take the picture or use your photo library to select the photo. (I personally prefer taking the photo myself, editing it, and having the app use that photo.)
Sounds are another great feature. An excellent selection of sounds and professional voice sounds are available to announce breaks, time remaining, blind levels, etc. Personal sounds can also be input.
Bringing all of the above together is the Layout portion of the app which is how your Tournament Timer will be displayed. The degree to which the user can personalize the Layout brings the entire app together beautifully! Backgrounds, Fonts, colors, “Elements” (Tournament Name, Countdown timer, # of players, players left, rebuys, chip counts, averages, chips displayed, etc.) make the personalization endless!
The display screen can be connected to an external monitor via a cable or you can use the airplay feature to connect wirelessly if your monitor is connected to AppleTV. This allows the Host to keep the iPad with them to remove players, pause play, etc. without leaving their own playing position. (I believe that a remote iphone feature is in the works as well which will be a huge addition to this already great app!)
The customer support for Blinds Up! is outstanding. A forum is set up to report bugs or ask questions and the responses are normally within a day or two.
I am currently using this App in a Championship setting for my 10 game 9 month tournament with 20 players. It has been very well received and has allowed me the ability, as Host, to concentrate more on my game while providing an even better experience for my players.
I highly recommend purchasing the Full App to unlock all the features. The “free” version has limitations.
Review by @Redbelly
With Blinds Up! you can literally manage all aspects of your Tournament! The ability to customize virtually all your settings is what makes this App worth every cent.
Tournaments can be played as individual tournaments or be set up as a Championship where consecutive tournaments are attached to a “Championship” where Player’s Rankings can be sorted out over the course of several games. You even have the ability to attach your own personal points formula to rank players. Rankings can also be exported to Excel directly from the application.
Rounds can be individually input or can be generated. Breaks can be inserted as desired.
Players can be added with personal details, pictures, nicknames, etc. Player’s stats can also be tracked. Buy-ins, add-ons, wins, bounties, etc…
Tables can be personalized as to how many players are seated at each table, the order those tables are “closed” as players are eliminated, table balancing can be auto generated or manually done, and player’s seating assignments can be printed too!
Prize pools can be auto generated or input manually.
A very easy and cool feature in this app is the ability to display your personal chips that will be in play. The app can use the iPad camera to take the picture or use your photo library to select the photo. (I personally prefer taking the photo myself, editing it, and having the app use that photo.)
Sounds are another great feature. An excellent selection of sounds and professional voice sounds are available to announce breaks, time remaining, blind levels, etc. Personal sounds can also be input.
Bringing all of the above together is the Layout portion of the app which is how your Tournament Timer will be displayed. The degree to which the user can personalize the Layout brings the entire app together beautifully! Backgrounds, Fonts, colors, “Elements” (Tournament Name, Countdown timer, # of players, players left, rebuys, chip counts, averages, chips displayed, etc.) make the personalization endless!
The display screen can be connected to an external monitor via a cable or you can use the airplay feature to connect wirelessly if your monitor is connected to AppleTV. This allows the Host to keep the iPad with them to remove players, pause play, etc. without leaving their own playing position. (I believe that a remote iphone feature is in the works as well which will be a huge addition to this already great app!)
The customer support for Blinds Up! is outstanding. A forum is set up to report bugs or ask questions and the responses are normally within a day or two.
I am currently using this App in a Championship setting for my 10 game 9 month tournament with 20 players. It has been very well received and has allowed me the ability, as Host, to concentrate more on my game while providing an even better experience for my players.
I highly recommend purchasing the Full App to unlock all the features. The “free” version has limitations.
Review by @Redbelly
