Texas Hold’em for Kindle

I’ll open here by being completely honest and saying that I don’t get single-player video poker games.  If you’re playing against other people, it’s a matter of knowing the game, but even more a matter of knowing the people and the psychology.  I can appreciate the skill involved.  That aside, however, it seems that EA has uploaded a fairly well executed game of this type for the Kindle.  Here’s what I know, mostly unedited from a fan of the new game and the genre, since I personally don’t have much of a frame of reference.

Two Single Player Modes:

“You can start up either a practice game or enjoy a progression in Career Mode.  Career Mode is obviously a bit more involved and will track your winnings on an ongoing basis.  You get a chance to move through tournaments and can find yourself singled out if you do particularly well.  There are six distinct player  personalities included in the game, and up to four at any given time can join you at a table.”

Three Difficulty Levels:

“This one is obvious on the surface(always nice to have a level to learn the game at when you’re new), but harder to quantify.  I lost rather impressively on my only attempt at the highest difficulty mode, but I’ve found the medium setting to be a lot of fun.  I think it would be nice to have some more variety here.  On easy mode, it seemed like the built-in advisor was pretty much always right, which took some fun out of it for me personally”

Stats Tracking:

“As anybody who plays a lot of poker knows, stats are your bread and butter.  You have to keep track of all sorts of details if you’re gonna up your game.  This one gives you more info than you think it will and lets you work things out as you go.  Big plus.”

Multiplayer:

“Interesting idea, but the pass ‘n play concept is really dated.  I tried a few hands with some friends, but it was slow going.  I’m not saying other people won’t like it, but it’s just not for me.”

Overall, I’d say that’s a pretty positive review.  I think it’s all going to boil down to whether or not you’re a video poker fan.  If you already like these games, this one will be a great addition to your Kindle media.  If not, you might be better off passing in favor of something more puzzle-ish.