Tournament Poker: No Limit Texas Hold'em

I've never been a big card player, generally limiting my playing to occaisional games of solataire, spades and blackjack on my Hoyle card games and casino software. But like many others, I have been suckered into Texas Hold 'Em from watching the myriad of poker shows on television. I wanted to learn to play this game and I wasn't satisfied with Hoyle's version (I hate the characters)!I found this software and thoroughly enjoy it. It's bare bones; no cute characters, no fancy graphics (although they are more than fine), but it gives you great playing options. I'd never played Hold 'Em before until recently, so I welcomed the options to slow the game down, view the other players cards and to play all the community cards, even if the hand ended before getting to the river card. This gave me the confidence to get comfortable with the game itself. I've turned most of these options off for now to try to get a better feel for the game. I still leave the odds window open (this lets you know the odds of improving your hand to say, two pairs or three of a kind) as this helps me determine when it's time to get out of the hand.The games comes with many different game options including satellite tournaments and the World Series of Poker 2003 and 2004 (2003 has about 800 entrants, 2004 has about 2,500 entrants). For fun, I tried the 2004 WSOP after winning a couple of small tournaments. I made it through about 400 hands before finally losing and finishing in the top 1,000 - I'd say I played a good 3 hours so it can test fatigue as well. I didn't think it was that bad for a first effort.I don't think I'm ready to empty the bank account and head for Vegas yet, but I have had a lot of fun. And the pricetag for the product is pretty darn good as well.

Given the recent resurgance of poker's (specifically Texas Hold 'Em) popularity, many people are looking to try their own skill online, at home games and in casinos. Many of these people will soon discover that it's easy to play poker poker from the couch when TV shows you everyone's hole cards and calculates success odds for you. Playing in the real deal will require practice and that's where this game becomes a valuable asset.I had no troubles installing the game on two different XP PCs (one XP Home and one XP Professional edition) - very quick and clean.When you dive into play, you'll see that you're given a lot of control over the structure of the game, i.e. blind structure, re-buys, add-ins, etc. If any of these terms are foreign to you, the help section is adequate to define key terms and teach you the basic rules and flow of a no-limit hold 'em game. There is a lot of flexibility here, but only within the structure of no-limit hold 'em (more on that later).Once play begins, you're pleasantly surprised with an attractive interface devoid of any unnecessary nonsense on the screen. There are no chatty cartoon opponents or phony animated casino backgrounds - just an overhead view of a ten-person poker table. During play, the game provides just the right amount of visuals: each player's position displays his/her chip count and an icon indicating his/her most recent action, i.e. fold, check, raise, re-raise, etc. It will help a novice player keep track of what's going on while no distracting more advanced players.The opponents' AI is one of this game's real strengths. There are three different skill levels you can choose and each are pretty distinct. Unfortunately, there is no "mix" option where you get a table with some sharks and some know-nothings. Players bluff, bully and check-raise when appropriate. You can also turn on any combination of cheats during the game in order to see hole cards and "rabbit hunt" the remainder of the board - this is very helpful for players trying to apply the strategies that they've learned and see exactly how they play out in a real hand. Toggling cheats on and off is a bit clunky; I wish there were keyboard shortcuts to do so.My only true complaint about the game is that it hypes its own tips on strategy. I've examined the help file over and over again and can find nothing of the sort. Aside from the game calculating pot odds for you (but ironically not defining what they mean or telling you how to use them), there is no strategic assistance here at all. So, if you're looking to kill some time at the airport and solitaire just doesn't do it for you anymore, then this isn't an issue. But, if you're looking to take down the competition at your neighbor's house next Friday night, you'd better throw a couple of books on your order as well (as an aside, I recommend the new Phil Gordon book for absolute beginners through intermediate players and Sklansky/Malmuth's "The Theory of Poker" and Brunson's "Super System" for a concise poker library)A secondary gripe is that the game's focus is just what the title says - no limit texas hold 'em. Given the wealth of options when setting up a tournament, I was surprised and a little disappointed to find no ability to create any sort of limit game (after all, if you're taking your poker act to a casino, this is what you'll be playing unless you're hoping to lose everything that you own in one night). Plus, there are no other variations such as omaha or razz that people who have a regular poker night like to throw into the mix.The game includes a real-time tournament manager that displays a timer and what the current and next blind structure is, but this is a bit of a gimmick. Is it really worth it to hold your poker game in your den or else have a laptop on the table when an egg timer or wristwatch can do the same thing for you?PROS* Generally good opponent AI that plays at distinct skill levels* Straightforward interface with none of the cheesy junk that is typical of PC casino games* Gameplay is fast-paced addictive funCONS* Very overstated expectations on strategic tips* Lack of any additional poker variations such as Omaha, razz, etc.In conclusion, if you're looking to practice your poker game in preparation for more serious competition, this game is a very good tool to use when applying concepts learned elsewhere. It's also just plain a lot of fun, so it's highly recommended in my book.

This will not finish installing on my Vista. Wont let you cancell, locks up , must restart to get out of the install. this is a 2004 disc. Went to website for help. No support for older versions now, they offer a free online version download, but you have to be online to play. Defeats my wanting to play off line. No way to directly contact, or e-mail website to ask questions for help on older versions like this. Seller says for windows vista, but I think it only works on 98 up to XP, not vista

i have a technical problem but not with the program but with my computer so again i need to work on this but not later now.

This game is marginally better than that Hoyle Casino joke, but it has no resemblance to a real game. The AI is OK, but there are WAY too many great hands, that seem to ALWAYS beat you on the river card. I've played hundreds of hands, and when I cheat to see what all the community cards are I end up missing my straight, only if I fold first. I NEVER hit it when I'm digging for it!!! EVER!!! Can't tell you how many times I've been sunk by a boat when I do hit my flush. Hole cards are awful for my hand, but every one around me is getting AA, KK, OO, JJ, AK. I think this game is poor, and only gave it 2 stars because Hoyle's was my only comparison, and it's palin awful!

I used to play a very good DOS version of Hold 'em years ago. Since then I've searched for a good Windows game. After buying and chucking about 10 other poker "games" (Bicycle, Hoyle, etc.), I finally found a decent computer Hold 'em program.I bought this software about a month ago, and I've played it for 40-50 hours so far. I have to say it is the best buy for the money. I really like the fact that the game is fast and challenging. You can improve your poker skills in various game formats--Cardroom, Heads Up play, one table or multi-table Satellite tournaments and the 2003 (839 players) and 2004 (2576 players) WSOP Championships.The games have quite a few options, including the skill of the "computer players" and reviewing the other players' cards after you fold.The Turbo Texas program is supposed to have more options and better AI than this, but I am not ready to shell out $90 until I can consistantly beat all the games on this one.