Playstation Poker

Published: Monday, November 07, 2005 Online-Casinos.com

PLAYSTATION POKER

WPT opens up another avenue of interest

World Poker Tour and 2K Sports have launched a fascinating new poker-related entertainment using the very popular Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Microsoft Xbox as the medium.

As a video game, World Poker Tour presents all the attributes for which it has become globally successful - big names, glitsy venues and exciting camerawork - with the huge attraction that of the player being able to directly participate, choosing his or her own playing avatar.

There's a good choice of games that covers the popular No Limit Texas Hold 'Em or one of the 14 variations and other poker games, such as Omaha Hold 'Em, Five Card Draw, Seven-Card Stud, Pineapple, Tahoe, Shanghai and Billabong poker.

There are avatars of Phil "Unabomber" Laak, Antonio "the Magician" Esfandiari, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Erick Lindgren, these A.I.-controlled virtual players even resemble their real-life counterparts, right down to characteristics like stretching, shrugging and impatiently tapping fingers on the table.

Adding to the ambience, the instantly recognisable voices of World Poker Tour hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten deliver play-by-play calls and typical background commentary in six casino settings that include the Aviation Club de France in Paris, Bay 101 in San Jose, Calif., and the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantaucket, Conn.

The game also offers the opportunity to play against others on the Internet, provided they have a copy of the game, too.

Developed by Coresoft for 2K Sports, the game is available at retail outlets in the States for just on $20. The game includes minitutorials on rules, table etiquette and chip management, and at any time during the game a list of rules and a chart of winning poker hands can be called up onscreen. For turbo players, there's even a "fast forward" function!