Poker In The Media: Telltale Texas Hold ?Em Poker
by Bodog Poker | Sep 6 2010
Poker In The Media: Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em Poker
by Deke Marston | Sept 6 2010
Poker was one of the first casino games ported into computer gaming when the home PC revolution began in the 1980s and was part of a tradition that stretched back to the earliest days of computers. It’s natural, of course: computers, particularly in the early days, were the domain of mathematicians and in general, that particular branch of science is fascinated by Poker. In fact, the first strip poker computer game was written by German Dieter Eckhardt in the late 1970s, who used the computers of an astronomical observatory near Düsseldorf to render women in the altogether and over the years, there have been any number of games that are designed to recreate the table experience against digital opponents.
Surprising some, the online poker revolution has not singlehandedly killed single-player poker games and may, in fact, have contributed to the success of some of them, either as a stress-free training ground for the more timid player or a way to relax and enjoy the game in its purest form. Branded editions debuted, incorporating famous players or events such as the World Series of Poker and while they offer a good view of the game, they rarely are very much fun for the casual player, instead focusing on game mechanics.
Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em, however, is a departure from the norm, giving you the chance to play against four very funny opponents who each have a unique playing style and slough of dialogue that’ll keep you on your toes. It’s not a tutoring program or realistic simulation, but it is a great way to introduce your friends and family to the game with a more-than-decent poker game that varies very nicely from session to session.
On the surface, it’d be easy to criticize the game, which is a download of less than 25 megabytes from the Telltale Games website. For instance, You’re only competing against four opponents. However, each player you go against has a personality and playing style to match: Harry Weinhead is a sharp businessman who’s learned the ins and outs; Boris Krinkle, a tough guy “with a heart of pure lead” and a playing style to match; Theodore Dudebrough, a slacker par excellence and Grandma Shaky, an elderly woman who should actually be called Grandma Sharky. The programmers and writers obviously worked long and hard to craft these four personalities and even after hours and hours of play, you’ll still hear new things coming out of their mouths.
The animation is similarly strong, with some very nice touches packed into the small download. While it does a fantastic job of simulating Texas Hold ‘Em in an easy to understand and fun to play format, however, it is a shame that there’s only one mode of play. It seems that with all of the work that went into making the core, they could offer at least Omaha Poker as an alternative. Of course, then, the game wouldn’t be called Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em, would it? Still, it’s easily worth the sub-$10 price tag and it’s a good game to use when you’re wanting to play poker but not feel too much stress over your bankroll or running into people you’d rather hide away from for a bit.
