A Hold 'Em Preview of Texas Hold 'Em

Posted Aug 21, 2006 at 6:14PM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: Exploit, Microsoft Points

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Yeah, it's supposed to be called a "hands-on" preview, but the pun was just too irresistible.

IGN's preview of Texas Hold 'Em takes us through a number of features from the anticipated addition to Live Arcade. The big draw of this game's obviously the multiplayer. There is not much else in the world that matches the sweet high of winning an all-in pot from some poor sucker when all you've got in your final hand is a pathetic low pair. Especially if that sucker isn't an AI but a living, breathing, cussing human being.

Speaking of AIs: in the event that you can't find human opponents online to play with - maybe because they're asleep, or possibly because you owned them so badly you scared them all off - there's also a single-player mode.

The Hold 'Em hands-on reviewer found the AI pretty respectable in most cases. Some AI personas were smart enough to make smart bets and bluff their way to victory. Other personas, on the other hand, wouldn't survive a two-bit kiddie game where the bets are made with Oreo cookies, but they're probably in for variety (and easy killings) anyways.

We've already mentioned in our previous update that Live Hold 'Em players will have a "persistent bankroll" tied to their Live accounts, so that players will have that incentive to make smart bets and smart plays, and not waste any of their virtual money. This preview gives us the modes available to play in, and they should be pretty familiar to experienced poker players:

• tournament,
• limit - there is a cap to how much you can raise your bet in a round,
• pot-limit - you can raise your bet only to the size of the pot, and
• no-limit - the bane of all poker players everywhere, where the other guy can say "all in," dump all his money into the pot, and leave all of you wondering if he's insane, of if he knows he's just owned you.
  

There is no option to change the rules, however - which probably is a good thing to us because what you really have to worry about in hold'em are not how to exploit the rules, but how to exploit the fears of your opponent. "Does he have a hand that will beat mine or not?" It's how you handle that fear, and tell whether the guy who made the big bet or "all-in" has you beat or is a lyin' varmint, that makes you a true card shark in poker. Especially hold'em.

The single-player game includes the game modes from the multiplayer side of the table, and throws in an additional seven scenarios to test your skills which (thankfully) won't impact your bankroll. If you want to see who's king of the card sharks (or who's got an extra amount of virtual money to burn), there are various leaderbords that will display lifetime single and multiplayer bankrolls for single-player, player matches, and tournament, as well as monthly winnings, monthly bankrolls, and average winnings.

Check out our previous and future coverage for more details on this game as they come. Texas Hold'Em is set to be released this Wednesday at Xbox Live Arcade. Free download for the first 48 hours, 800 Microsoft Points afterwards. It's a safe bet to say the Marketplace will be flooded those first 48 hours. No need to quote odds on that.

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Comments 

 

# You're not first — Annony 2006-08-21 19:16

Texas Hold'em.

B!tchin'!

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# virtual money — Guest 2006-08-21 19:58

what happens if you burn all of your virtual money? do you have to buy your way back in with microsoft points? is that how you get points in the first place? Perhaps thats why its free for a bit. Maybe the 800 MP version comes with free virtual points to start.

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# ahaahhah — Guest 2006-08-22 01:41

Is it just me, or do those graphics look like absolute ASSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSS!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! I would rather play free poker on the computer where the graphics are 300 times better. DEUCE!!!!!!

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# graphics — Guest 2006-08-22 01:51

I agree with #3, it looks like a stat sheet more than a poker game. It would be nice to see some cards on the table and maybe a comped drink or three.

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# dumb ass or what? — Guest 2006-08-22 03:40

dude tHATS JUST THE SCOREBOARD you are a sad ***** id rather play on cmpute,r my ass go get screwed and release that thts a scoreboard after the round, the actual game u can see ur hand in sweet HD gfx for christ sake

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# t — Guest 2006-08-22 05:50

I think number 5 is just a complete moron. He's probably one of those F.a.g.s that spends countless hours downloading everything there is to offer on xbox live, or he could possibly be one of those FRUITS that has played over 7,000 online matches of Fight Night Round 3... So Sad, So Sad.

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# it comes out...? — Guest 2006-08-22 13:20

doesnt it come out tomorrow morning at like 2?

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