Texas Hold 'Em
	Genre: Casual Developer: Unknown
Publisher Region Released Unknown NA 08/23/2006

Your Account Options

You currently have no privileges related to this game profile because you are not signed into an HonestGamers account. Please log in, or click to register for a free user account.

More Reviews by ghostyghost
	Halo 3 (Xbox 360) “It's what you all been waiting for ain't it”
	Pariah (Xbox) Pariah is a bad first-person shooter that no one should be forced to play. It starts out boring and only manages to get mindless, repetitive, dull, and tedious....
	Elite Beat Agents (DS) What are the odds that a quirky and comic style music game released by a little known developer would be the best DS game of 2006? Well apparently very good, if...
	Gears of War (Xbox 360) “Boomers!” Dom yells from across the courtyard. I press A and slam Marcus into cover. The massive Locust creature fires a rocket that thankfully flies over my h...
	The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Xbox) The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay successfully ties the game to the movie and beautifully combines elements of almost every genre. Throwing in ...

Best Xbox 360 Games
	Mass Effect 3 Average Rating: 10.0; Reviews: 2
	Batman: Arkham City Average Rating: 10.0; Reviews: 2
	Mass Effect 2 Average Rating: 9.7; Reviews: 3
	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Average Rating: 9.6; Reviews: 5
	Saints Row: The Third Average Rating: 9.5; Reviews: 2
	Red Dead Redemption Average Rating: 9.5; Reviews: 2
	Assassin's Creed II Average Rating: 9.5; Reviews: 2
	Hitman: Blood Money Average Rating: 9.5; Reviews: 2
	Earth Defense Force 2017 Average Rating: 9.5; Reviews: 2
	Trials Evolution Average Rating: 9.5; Reviews: 2

Looking for a good read?
Check out a selection from our database of more than 8000 reviews! overdrive has weighed in on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the Xbox 360 and figures it rates 8 out of 10. What do you think? Read the review, then be sure to leave feedback or chime in with one of your own!

User Review

Review by ghostyghost
September 16, 2006

A few years ago, the average person wouldn't have known that Texas Hold 'Em was a type of poker game. Over the last ten years it has skyrocketed in popularity and can be watched all around the world. Due to its popularity, the game is now available on Xbox Live Arcade. If you were one of the many who downloaded it for free during the first 48 hours then lucky you. Because it now costs a hefty 800 Microsoft points, which is about 10$. Hold ‘Em isn’t perfect by any stretch because of poor AI, only decent online competition, and long waiting times. Hold ‘Em a fun way to spend a few hours in the chair though and you’ll be praying for those winning cards.

Texas Hold ‘Em does an excellent job of teaching you how to play. Basically, you receive two cards face down that no one can see. Two “blinds” are posted small and big, and following the betting, five cards are placed face-up on the table. You combine your two cards with any of the five to make the best five card poker hand. Hand strength varies from high card to a royal flush, the latter of which is virtually impossible to get. Of course, you bet as the cards come-up, and because it’s no limit, you’re free to bet as many chips as you want.

Betting is important because in Hold ‘Em, risks pay off. The goal is to take away all of your opponents chips, and naturally you won’t be able to win every hand unless you’re able to bluff your opponents. Bluffing involves making bets when you have a little hand, giving them the feel you have a large one. It’s easy to practice bluffing, because the AI. isn’t all that great. On almost every hand, a big enough bet will cause your opponents to fold. The AI. is only aggressive when it has a strong hand. You’ll play against the AI. in the single-player mode, which has a set of eight scenarios, four tournaments, and pick-up games. Due to the length of a full game of Hold ‘Em, it takes about twenty hours or so to unlock most of the single-player achievement points.

Thankfully, the game packs a nice multiplayer component. When you’ve honed your skills in single-player you can log onto XBL and take on opponents from around the world. Using chips you’ve won in single-player, you can take on opponents from around the world. It’s advisable to play tournaments with friends, because then you can ensure quality play. The open tables have a few problems though, like the quality of opponents and time to get onto a table. On open tables, opponents tend to abuse the ‘all in’ option, which eliminates the fun of bluffing or making an excellent re-raise to take the pot. Additionally, you have to wait for the big blind to enter, and opponents losing out can change the blinds, making it a long waiting time. Fortunately, the online play is smooth and fun to play, with the tournaments having the best play of all.

The smooth and simple gameplay is evenly paired with the sleek and crisp graphics. No matter which floor or table design you choose, they all seem to have soft carpets and smooth felt or velvet. Yet, it’s odd that there are no character models, because even the free PC games include basic models. Furthermore, the cards are easy to see, but the names are hard to read because the text size is ridiculously small. With that said, the menus are easy to navigate, and are complimented by light tunes and chip stacking sounds. Yet, the same song plays over and over, eventually wanting you to smash the guitar. Nevertheless, like all X360 games you can enable custom soundtracks to play over the default tunes.

As a whole, Texas Hold ‘Em is one of the better poker games available for consoles. Even at 800 points it’s cheaper than regular console poker games, and is easy to use and fun to play. It has some great graphical touches, decent sound, and long lasting value. If you’re one of the many poker players in the world, you’ll enjoy Texas Hold ‘Em.

Rating: 7/10

Feedback

Facebook()

Forums(0)

You can click the tabs on the above bar to choose whether you wish to read comments from visitors who have posted on Facebook, or from registered site users who have left feedback on the forums. Please leave a comment of your own if you have anything to say!

Info | Help | Privacy Policy | Contact | Advertise

© 1998-2012 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site--from reviews, guides, cheats and editorials to message board posts--may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Texas Hold 'Em is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Texas Hold 'Em, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors.