I’m looking for a quality “Texas Hold 'Em” poker video game. You know, quick action, great graphics, etc. I have had different Casino games in the past and there were obviously some that were better than others. I’d like to avoid any duds if I could.
What would you recommend?
For Texas Hold 'Em, there is only one: Masque’s “Casino Game Pack” featuring the World Series of Poker. Apparently created in conjunction with Binion’s Casino. The graphics ain’t fancy, but they’re good enough.
ISBN 1-882586-51-4
I got mine at Walmart or Target for 10 bucks in the discount rack. It runs on my Windows XP machine.
This link ( http://www.masque.com/cgi-bin/hazel.cgi?action=SERVE&item=wsopdelx.htm ) is to what appears to be a newer version with better graphics than mine.
Uh, no. There are plenty of Texas Hold’em games.
Do you want a game that actually plays well? Well enough that you could actually learn some poker strategy?
If so, the only one on the market worth playing is ‘Turbo Texas Holdem’ by Wilson Software.
Writing a computer poker player that plays well is extremely difficult. A more difficult challenge than writing a computer program that plays chess well. A friend of mine is doing his Ph.D in computer poker, and their team has been working on the problem for years.
The only commercial game I’ve ever played that could even come close to ‘live’ play is the Wilson software stuff. All the other games out there are ridiculously easy to beat.
Another alternative - you might try the poker channel on IRC. You play for free, you can download a free graphical front end, and there are some very, very good players there.
I totally stand corrected. Listen to what Sam Stone says. I’m a poser.
I’ve never played the Wilson game, so I can’t comment on that. But I agree with that second sentence. I’ve played a few, mostly the Hoyle version (someone at my old job had the CD), and if poker was that easy in real life, I’d be a millionaire.
Aw, there’s nothing unusual about being caught bluffing on a poker thread. 
There’s a fairly interesting article on [Texas no-hold-'em] poker’s metaphorical similarities to warfare, and its enduring popularity among American military and political leaders: “The Poker of War: How Military Strategy was Born at the Gaming Tables,” by the author of a soon-to-be-published book on poker at Binion’s.
Just thought I’d toss that into the pot.
Sam Stone, do you know who wrote the Wilson Software game? An engineer who used to work with my dad wrote a Hold’em game that was considered extremely good, and I’m wondering if that’s the game.
Sorry, I don’t know the author’s name. You could follow the link I posted above and E-mail the company. I’m sure they’d be happy to give you the information you need.
I recently bought my Mom a copy of ‘Hoyle Casino 98’ in a bargain bin for $5 (packaged with Hoyle Game Room, which has darts, pool, etc.). It has Texas Hold 'Em, Omaha Hold 'Em, 7 Card Stud, the latter two including a Hi-Lo variant. The AI seems odd sometimes (i.e. folding while only holding 3 cards), but it’s entertaining, and there is an option to play it online though I have no idea if anybody still plays this game online.