PokerStars launch new Duel app for heads-up players who can’t make decisions

Amaya Gaming’s PokerStars brand has launched a new app that allows head-to-head fans to stagger their play to fit their busy lifestyle.

On Thursday, Amaya announced the beta launch of its new real-money and free-play Duel app for iOS and Android, which is currently only available to customers in Norway. Assuming the Norway test performs up to expectations, Amaya plans to roll out Duel in other markets in which Stars operates.

Based on No Limit Hold’em, Duel allows two individuals to set up a mano y mano match with fixed limits on the number of hands and number of big blinds per hand. (Play-money Duel matches last 10 hands; real-money last 20; players start each hand with 500 chips.) Hands are dealt all at once, first move of which is evenly split between opponents. Whichever player has the biggest stack of chips at the end wins the match.

Duel’s unique selling point is the ability for players to interrupt their play for long stretches without having their hand automatically folded. Duel’s time bank is measured in “hours and days rather than seconds,” making it more akin to a game of Words with Friends than a traditional heads-up poker contest.