Texas Hold 'Em Poker on XBLA
Update: Played some multiplayer yesterday. Interface is a bit clunky ... you can pick a competitive match, but if you pick Quick Match, you have no idea how large a bankroll it will require until you are rejected for not having enough. Needs a bit more logic there.
As for showing your cards, you are given the opportunity to muck your calls, or show your cards when people fold to you. I know a lot of pros frown on the practice of ever showing your cards (you're giving away free information), but I consider it an important part of poker strategy, and I'm glad that it's represented.
Online games are a bit slow, and it's still annoying to have someone who's headset is constantly picking up background noise and conversations, and who won't mute their mic no matter how many times you ask them.
Casey The Beagle got me up early this morning, bless his heart. He remembered that the Texas Hold 'Em game for Xbox Live Arcade was free starting today (and going through 1AM PST Friday).
Downloaded very fast (it's under 30MB), and proceeded to get my feet wet with some of the single player scenarios. Next thing I know, it's an hour and a half later, and I've got three achievements and a few scenarios finished. I don't know that I'm crazy about the Poker AI in the single player mode. At least whe going through the scenarios, the AI would make some strange decisions (I witnessed one AI player call an All-In bet on the Turn [fourth community card] with only a Deuce-Seven off-suit and no pair), and generally seemed to be less polished than I might expect.
The game could use a little work in terms of features, so hopefully there's a chance for some updates later. I'd like the ability to show my cards, and perhaps you can do this in multiplayer mode (which I haven't tried yet). The game also moves just a tad slower than I care for in Single player. These are fairly minor issues, though, and I kind of like that the game is fairly no-nonsense when it comes to frills and chrome. You can change the type of table, and you can change the carpet, and that's pretty much it.
You get separate bankrolls for single and multiplayer, so you can practice alone before you jump into the online fray. One thing that bugs me is that the game features support for the Xbox Live Vision Camera. Um, this is a POKER game ... I can't see any serious player actually using an optional accessory that could hinder their game play (allowing people to see your tells).
Overall, it's a pretty solid game, and not bad at all for a free download!
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