Card Riot: Poker — How to Play & Host

Card Riot: Poker is a multiplayer poker tournament you run at a live event. One screen acts as the big‑screen broadcast (the TV everyone watches), a laptop/tablet runs the Host Console (the control room), and each guest plays from their own phone. It supports Texas Hold'em and 5‑Card Draw, scales from a single table to a multi‑table tournament that automatically consolidates down to one final table, and can fill empty seats with computer (bot) players.

For entertainment purposes only. Card Riot games simulate card play for fun. They are not gambling products and involve no real‑money wagering. The host is responsible for ensuring their use complies with local laws.

The three screens

Screen Who uses it What it's for
Host Console The host/organizer Start and run the tournament, change settings, manage tables and players, play ads.
Tournament HUD Shown on the big TV The live broadcast — every table, the action, winners, and the QR code players scan to join.
Player Controller Each guest, on their phone See your cards, take your turn, and follow the tournament.

Quick start (host)

  1. Open the Host Console for your game. On first load you'll see a short disclaimer — tap “I Acknowledge & Agree” to continue.
  2. Put the HUD on the big screen. Tap 📺 Open Tournament HUD in the right‑hand rail. Display that window on your TV/projector.
  3. Have guests join. They scan the QR code on the HUD or Console, or go to hub.gig.game/play and enter the access code shown on screen. No sign‑up or name entry is needed — joining seats them automatically.
  4. Pick your settings (game type, mode, blinds, bots, etc.) — see Host Console reference below. Defaults work fine for a casual game.
  5. Start the tournament:
    • In Player Controlled mode (default), tap ▶ Open for Players. Once at least two players are in, any player can tap Start Game on their phone.
    • In Host Controlled mode, tap ▶ Start Tournament when you're ready.

That's it — tables form, cards are dealt, and play runs automatically.

Host Console reference

Top bar (always visible)

  • Status pill — the tournament's state: LOBBY, RUNNING, PAUSED, FINAL TABLE, or ENDED.
  • Stat chips — players/entrants, number of tables, current blinds, mode, and game type. When a tournament ends, the 🏆 champion is shown here.
  • Primary buttons — change with the state:
    • Lobby: ▶ Open for Players (player mode) or ▶ Start Tournament (host mode).
    • Running: ⏸ Pause / ▶ Resume, ↻ Restart, ■ Stop.
    • Ended: ↻ Restart or ＋ New Tournament.

Right rail — join & broadcast

  • Join card — the URL (hub.gig.game/play), a scannable QR code, and the access code guests type in.
  • 📺 Open Tournament HUD — opens the big‑screen broadcast window.
  • 🔊 Voice announcer — toggles spoken call‑outs on the HUD (winners, “final table,” etc.).

Settings (collapsible sections in the rail)

Format

  • Run mode
    • Player Controlled (default) — you arm the lobby with Open for Players, and a guest starts the game with the Start Game button on their phone. Tables divide and rebalance automatically.
    • Host Controlled — you manually create/rename/remove tables and assign players, and you decide when to start. Use this for structured events. (Hands still deal automatically; you’re only directing seating.)
  • Game — 5‑Card Draw (default) or Texas Hold'em. Changes take effect on the next hand.
  • Join policy
    • Open (default) — guests can join mid‑tournament if a running table has an open seat.
    • Locked — once running, new guests are turned away with a “game in progress” message until the next tournament.
  • Max players per table — 2–8. The field auto‑divides to keep tables balanced.
  • Bot players — add or remove computer opponents (marked 🤖). Handy for filling out a short table or playing solo.

Stacks & blinds

  • Starting stack — chips each player begins with. Enter a value and tap Set stack (applies next hand).
  • Blind schedule — add one or more levels, each with a small/big blind and a duration in minutes. Each level’s blinds kick in after the previous level runs out; the last level has no timer (it runs to the end). With a single level, blinds simply stay fixed. Tap Apply schedule to use it. While running, a clock shows the current level and a countdown to the next.

Timing (seconds; tap Apply timing)

  • Action time‑out — how long a player has to act before they’re auto‑folded.
  • Between hands, Street delay, Showdown — pacing between deals, streets, and after a showdown.
  • Ad length — default duration for image/audio ads.

Ads

  • ▶ Run ad now / ■ Stop ad — show or stop a full‑screen promo on the HUD immediately.
  • Auto ads — toggle on and set Auto‑run every (min) to play an ad automatically during gameplay.
  • Selected ads / Available media — add uploaded media (mp4 video, jpg image, or mp3 + image) to the rotation, remove it, or ▶ preview any item.

    Ads only play if media has been uploaded to the game and added to the Selected ads list.

Past results — final standings of completed tournaments, kept across new tournaments so you can review earlier games.

Tables & lobby (center stage)

  • Tables — a live card per table showing each seat’s name, chips, current bet, dealer button, and status (acting, folded, all‑in). The active table glows.
  • Lobby — players waiting to be seated.
  • Host Controlled extras — when in Host Controlled mode you also get:
    • ＋ Create table, ✎ rename, ✕ remove (empty tables only).
    • A dropdown on each player to move them (Lobby / a specific table / ＋ New table), and a ✕ to forfeit/remove a player. A table that’s mid‑hand shows 🔒 and can’t be edited until between hands.
    • Alerts banner suggesting when to reassign a lone survivor or consolidate the field.

Running the tournament

  • Pause / Resume freezes all tables; players see a “Paused by the host” overlay.
  • Restart resets stacks and blinds but keeps the same players and tables.
  • New Tournament wipes everything back to a fresh lobby (players are re‑registered automatically — no need to reload phones).
  • Stop ends the tournament now and freezes the standings; players are sent to the results screen.

Player Controller (on each phone)

Joining

Scan the QR code or open hub.gig.game/play and enter the access code. You’re seated automatically — there’s no name to type or “take a seat” step. If you reload or lose connection, you’ll rejoin the same seat and the hand resumes where it was.

If you can’t get in:

  • “This game is already in progress” — the host set the join policy to Locked; you can join the next tournament.
  • “The table is full” — every seat is taken.

Lobby

You’ll see CARD RIOT: POKER, a status message, the “At the table” roster with everyone’s chips, and your own chip count. In Player Controlled mode, once enough players are in, a ▶ Start Game button appears — any player can tap it to begin.

The table

  • You (top): your name, chips, and current bet, with a countdown ring on your turn.
  • Opponents: seated around the felt as pods showing name, chips, the dealer button (D), a 🤖 for bots, their bet, and FOLD / ALL‑IN badges. The player whose turn it is glows (with a timer ring for humans).
  • Center: the pot, the community board (Hold'em), the deck, and a discard pile (5‑Card Draw).
  • Your hand (bottom): your cards. Drag to reorder them; tap to lift a card.
  • Status line: game type · hand number · phase · current bet · your table and players remaining.

Taking your turn — betting

When it’s your turn, the action bar shows:

  • Fold
  • Check (when there’s nothing to call) or Call amount
  • Raise / Bet — set the amount with the slider or the quick chips Min · ½ Pot · Pot · All‑In, then tap the raise button.

No raise available? If you’re facing an all‑in and no remaining player has enough chips to cover a raise, the raise controls won’t appear — your only legal options are Call or Fold. (Going all‑in for less than the amount to call is still allowed as a short call.)

Taking your turn — 5‑Card Draw

On the draw, tap the cards you want to discard (they lift), then tap Draw N to swap them. To keep your whole hand, tap Keep all (Stand Pat).

Following along

  • 📜 Hand log — recent actions; new opponent plays also pop up as brief toasts, and a dot marks unread activity.
  • 🏆 Leaderboard — chip standings across the tournament.
  • 🚪 Leave table — leave the tournament. You’ll be asked to confirm; leaving mid‑hand folds you immediately and forfeits your chips.

Overlays

  • Ad — a full‑screen promo plays; the table returns when it ends.
  • Paused — “⏸ Paused by the host…”, shown until the host resumes.

When the hand ends

At showdown, a win overlay shows who won, the winning hand name, the winner’s revealed cards, and — in Hold'em — the five community cards (the “BOARD” row), so you can see exactly how the hand was made.

When you’re out

  • 🏆 You win the tournament! — you’re the champion.
  • ☠️ Eliminated — you ran out of chips; shows your finishing place (e.g., “3rd of 12”).
  • 🚪 You were removed — you forfeited or were removed by the host.
  • 🏁 Tournament over — the host stopped the game; final standings are shown.

Each of these screens lists the final standings.

The Tournament HUD (big screen)

The HUD is the live broadcast — no interaction, just display it on the TV.

  • Lobby: the game title, “Scan the code to join”, and the count/names of players waiting. The join QR code is drawn automatically in the lower‑left corner.
  • In play: a video wall of every table that automatically zooms in to feature the most active table, with:
    • A top scoreboard — players left, number of tables, current blinds, and a countdown to the next blind level.
    • A LIVE indicator, a lower‑third showing the featured table’s name/phase/pot, animated chips, and action call‑outs (BET, FOLD, ALL‑IN).
    • An eliminations ticker along the bottom and a pulsing ★ FINAL TABLE ★ banner when the field narrows to one table.
  • Showdowns: a winner panel shows the champion of the hand, the winning hand name, and the cards — the winner’s hole cards plus the community board — sized to the content so there’s no empty space.
  • Voice announcer: when enabled on the Console, the HUD narrates winners and milestones aloud.
  • Ads & pause: ads play full‑screen; a pause overlay appears when the host pauses.
  • Ended: a trophy, the champion, and the final standings.

How the tournament works

  • Seating & tables. Players are divided across tables (up to your max per table). In Player Controlled mode the field auto‑rebalances and breaks down short tables as players bust, consolidating to a single final table. In Host Controlled mode you manage seating yourself.
  • Blinds. Fixed, or escalating on the schedule you set.
  • Betting & all‑ins. Standard poker betting with proper side pots. A raise is only offered when another player can actually cover it; otherwise the choice is call or fold.
  • Forfeits. A player who misses several consecutive turns (or is removed by the host) forfeits the hand and the tournament; their chips are removed from play.
  • Elimination & winning. Reaching zero chips eliminates a player and records their place. The last player with chips wins the tournament.
  • Bots. Computer players (🤖) act on their own and follow the same rules, including the all‑in raise restriction.

Tips & troubleshooting

  • Players can’t join after the game starts — check Join policy; set it to Open to allow mid‑tournament joins into open seats.
  • No ad plays — make sure media is uploaded to the game and added to Selected ads; auto‑ads also need media.
  • A phone reloaded or lost signal — it reconnects to the same seat automatically and resumes the live hand; no action needed.
  • Starting a fresh game — use New Tournament; connected phones re‑register into the new lobby without reloading.
  • Solo / short tables — add bot players so hands can run with at least two participants.