So you’re on a roof top chasing a guy who moments ago stole a woman’s handbag. He’s pretty good with the parkour but your sense of justice compels you to follow him. You nearly get hold of him in the car park but he manages to leap off a balcony onto the building opposite. It’s a big jump, but your adrenaline is pumping and you don’t want this guy to get away.

What do you do?

That’s one of the questions PokerStars asks in a brand new project called Natural Born Poker Player, aimed at people who never before considered themselves to be poker players. Whether it’s having an analytical mind, or being able to make quick decisions under pressure, any number of real life attributes will help you in poker, and Natural Born Poker Player aims to demonstrate just that, and bring new players into the game.

So would you jump and follow the thief, or double back to call the police?

Well today you can find out. This rooftop scenario forms one of three interactive games on the Natural Born Poker Player website, and will help answer that very question.

How does it work?

The fun starts with three interactive games (including this rooftop adventure) each featuring a different scenario. In each one you make choices which determine how the game continues, and every decision is analysed to define the way your respond to situations, and in turn, what sort of poker player that might suggest you are.

Three games are launched today, with more games added in the coming weeks. They are…

“The Chase”: Here you attempt to chase down a free-running thief through car parks and across city rooftops. You’ll need bravery, a cool head and be able to think quickly in order to save the day.

“The Khazi”: We’ve all been there. Which is the best cubicle to choose when you’re in a busy nightclub restroom? Here you use logic, quick thinking and detection skills to make the right choice.

“The Poisoner”: Stepping back in time, you must poison the ambassador at an 18th century masquerade ball without poisoning yourself. Test your bravery, detection and bluffing skills in order to make the right decision.

Not only is this a whole lot of fun, but by the end of it anyone new to the game will have learned a little more about themselves, whether that’s a knack for making big bluffs, being calm under pressure, or maybe that they go to pieces but somehow manage to remember every detail.

After three games players receive a “Poker IQ”, which can be shared and compared with friends on Social Media. Then, after all that leaping from tall buildings, players move to The Playroom.

It’ll be a familiar scene for experienced poker players, but a first taste of poker action for anyone new to the game, a chance to put previously unknown talents to use in an interactive hand of hold’em. Not only that, but it’ll be tailored to whatever qualities emerged from the interactive games.

Curious? We were too. So were a whole host of Team PokerStars Pros whose scores we plan to get our hands on in the coming weeks to find out what kind of Natural Born Poker Player they are.

For new players it should be an eye-opening introduction to the game we already know and love, while existing players will get a kick out of the games, and maybe remember what it was like to get the first pangs of the poker bug. And hey, even the music (composed by Fat Segal) is great.

Go to the Natural Born Poker Player website to see what it’s all about, either on a desktop or mobile device. At the very least you’ll find out if you’ve got what it takes to leap off a tall building without knowing if you’ll land safely or not. Come to think of it, I did that at a poker table only last week.

Check out the Natural Born Poker Player website at: www.naturalbornpokerplayer.com

Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.

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