  We introduce PokAR, an augmented reality (AR) application to facilitate poker
play. PokAR aims to alleviate three difficulties of traditional poker by
leveraging AR technology: (1) need to have physical poker chips, (2) complex
rules of poker, (3) slow game pace caused by laborious tasks. Despite the
potential benefits of AR in poker, not much research has been done in the
field. In fact, PokAR is the first application to enable AR poker on a mobile
device without requiring extra costly equipment. This has been done by creating
a Snapchat Lens which can be used on most mobile devices. We evaluated this
application by instructing 4 participant dyads to use PokAR to engage in poker
play and respond to survey questions about their experience. We found that most
PokAR features were positively received, AR did not significantly improve nor
hinder socialization, PokAR slightly increased the game pace, and participants
had an overall enjoyable experience with the Lens. These findings led to three
major conclusions: (1) AR has the potential to augment and simplify traditional
table games, (2) AR should not be used to replace traditional experiences, only
augment them, (3) Future work includes additional features like increased
tactility and statistical annotations.
