User Reviews (1 - 8 of 8)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Are there any good poker games out there?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I took advantage of the low price and bought this piece of garbage. I got taken big time. I am new to poker having watched Moneymaker on ESPN a couple of years ago. So, I am no expert. But, this game makes it ridiciously easy to win and all the players play basically the same way. If you are patient you are basically guaranteed of finishing in the money in every tournament and I am winning about 30% of the tournaments. This despite a lot of really bad beats.

The computer players inevitably give away when they get any kind of pair pre-flop by raising. Then as the hand moves on if they have a good hand they will slow play it trying to sucker you in to betting more. Additionally, they will try and bluff and have no brakes when doing so leading to a plethora of all ins where you take the computer players money without them having even a pair.
Finally, the graphics and presentation are quite ordinary and repetitive. You get to play in different casinos, but except for the opening shot outside the casino, none of them show you any differences inside to give the game some flavor. The computer opponents also have no personality. Since the AI is so bad at least they should provide us with fun interaction with the computer players, but it does not happen.

I suggest to all that they avoid this game. I can't give a reccomendation for any other poker games out there either. Does anyone know of any good ones?

PISS POOR GAME

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

took me about 30 minutes to realize the AI players never fold after a flop..... online play is horrible, expected dozens of people and games in progress... nope.. saw 2 others online. SAVE YOUR 20 BUCKS AND BUY SOMETHING ELSE.

A Really Sorry Poker Game - That Cheats, too

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: August 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I wish I could have given this game "minus" stars. I would have done it. I have played games before that, after I had played them a few times, I could beat them every time. I haven't figured out how to get into this game's good graces, because it seems when it wants me to win I win and when it doesn't, I don't. The cards, obviously, are not dealt at random. I lost count of how many times I have gotten the same pair of cards (like 5 of clubs and deuce of spades - I use this combination because that is the one that seems to turn up most often) on consecutive hands. I don't know how many times I have held a good hand - say queen high flush - and been beaten by a king high flush or other such nonsense. I'm not saying it can't happen in a real game, just not with the regularity it does in this game.

There are many other flaws mentioned by other reviewers that I have encountered at one time or another. When you put them all together, they make for a really sorry poker game.

lousy beginning levels

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: May 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The beginning level players call trip all ins without a draw and catch more often than not, leaving you broke. Therefore it is almost impossible to get to the tournaments and frustrates players honing skills.

Is this realistic ?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have a freind who plays Texas Holdem all the time. I thought I should brush up on this game so I wouldn't go broke on poker night.Not ever playing this game with real people I was wanting something very realistic. All though the cards are pretty hard to see; unless your sitting right on top of your monitor. I slowly progressed up the ranks to season mode. Like your other reviewer stated. As long as You stay patient You can easily place/win money in the season modes. The closer You get to playing " Chris Moneymaker " the more your opponents cards are drawing trips and full houses almost back to back !! Good poker players always say that there is so much skill involved in texas holdem. But there really is quite a bit more luck involved than they would like to freely state.In this game You can get cash prizes for placing seventh in a table of ten? If You can't place seventh out of ten players,please don't play Texas Holdem for real money.Unless the buy-in is $5.00 Tim

The PC game on the market

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game from an Office Depot and needless to say, they refused to give me a refund after opening the package. I wasted $20 on this crap and please don't do the same. The game is so slow, my mouse was always at least 5 seconds behind my last movement and it never moved fluently...I'm not making this up, this will drive you nutts. I couldn't even complete one hand of poker before I took the game out of my computer and uninstalled it. There is no excuse for software gliches like that. Oh yeah, it took almost 30 minutes to download, what PC game takes 30 minutes to download?...Finally, the "create a character" mode only has about 4 different body types and 4 different faces....All of the faces look like 40 yr old axe murderers and old fat ladies. This GAME SUCKS...DON'T EVER BUY IT...I just left mine at the office depot customer service desk, I don't care what they do with it....Just don't buy it.

Worst purchased software product I have ever loaded

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Moneymaker himself wouldn't play this game. Why? He'd be embarrassed getting knocked off the first table or repeatedly bluffed off hands when AI players call pot-sized bets for half their stack with nothing and will re-raise you with just a K.

I went to the web-site to see if I could download a patch as apparently this game shipped without any logic. I'm amazed that some sites give this product a 3.8/10 rating - based on what? Afraid to upset the poker community?

worst.game.ever

Fun to win, and a good test for whether you are a dummy. But: Vista problems. Get Wilson Software for the real thing.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For a 'real' poker simulation see Tournament Texas Hold'em by Wilson Software. But here is my cure for the poker itch. a. Win the Moneymaker game a few days. b. Thus feel good about winning, overcome fears about risks, and maintain basic skills. c. Get bored with poker and get back to real life for several months. Just realize that real players never play this way! As I say, see Tournament Texas Hold'em by Wilson Software for a real game. If you prefer a different form of poker, search Amazon for all "wilson software poker" games.

Vista problem: can play, but can not see the stack levels of the opponents. I.e., usable on Vista--but better to find something else.
Feature problem: no 'large cards' or 'hot keys'. I.e., not so easy on the eyes or fingers. I get by with using my keyboard to click.
Strategies that this game encourages that also often work well in real life: a. If you have nothing on the flop, fold. b. If you have anything on the flop, and are playing a frequent bluffer, call.

After losing everything a few times, I figured out the game. Then I won $50,000 in a day playing Hold'em in the Moneymaker 'casinos'. Then moved on to win 5th place in a low tournament to win $175,000. Then the 'season' tournament with a $50,000 buy-in to win first place twice, netting about $3,000,000. Binion's here I come!

The basic 'casino' strategy is: a. always try to risk the buy-in with high pair or better, b. seldom risk more than the buy-in.

1. Set 'display options' to 'fast play.' Uncheck 'full screen' mode, which prevents you from doing anything else on your computer. Experiment to find a screen sizing that works best. (Most of them don't work at all.)
2. Track your total balance in your 'profile.' Never play at a casino with a buy-in greater than 1/3 of your total balance. Otherwise, play at the highest level you can.
3. Only play with these pocket cards: any pairs, any suited cards, any two cards 8+, and an ace with anything.
4. Watch the blinds! Leave the game the moment that you do not have at least 15 times the big blind.
5. They always slow-play a good hand. So if an opponent stops betting, do not bet yourself unless you have a fantastic hand. He has a good hand himself, and might make a big raise if you bet. But he will check to the end if you do not bet. (Big glitch.)
6. Never bet first. Firstly, if you have something and the robot has nothing, then if you bet he will fold, but if you do not bet then he will bet and you can call down a probable win. Secondly, if the robot has a very good hand he will slow-play forever, in which case again: never bet first.
7. Exceptions. a. One-on-one, you have nothing and nobody raised the blind, try a small bet on the flop and the robot may fold. b. Similarly, he may fold to a minimum bet on the river. Try this if you missed your draw and do not have a face card. Otherwise, do not bother. Probably, he either has a good hand or you will win with high card. c. If you have a fantastic hand, and the robot is not betting, then just bet high on the river. If he has nothing he may fold regardless of your bet size. If he has a mediocre hand he will raise, meaning you have won. With a fantastic hand, he only calls. (Big glitch.)
8. When few players are left, and you are first caller on the blind, raise slightly, they will probably all fold. So don't do this unless you have a lousy hand. With a good hand, you don't want them to fold. So only raise the blind with a lousy hand--and if by chance they reraise, then you better fold your lousy hand.
9. Otherwise, never bluff. They will either fold to everything or they will never fold.
10. If you do not already have high pair or better, fold if anyone raises... because you know that whoever bet first will now re-raise, and whoever raised will then re-re-raise... So if you call, you'll risk your stack. Half the time they have nothing... but why risk it?
11. It's only re-raises that you need to worry about. Each single robot raise is almost always small, and never all-in, thus allowing you total control over risk levels. (Big glitch.)
12. If you have high pair or better, then usually try to risk the buy-in amount by the end of the game. If by the river you are facing a possible flush, a board pair, or a one-out board straight, then you still are probably a winner, but perhaps cut the target risk in half.
13. In case a good flop is spoiled, wait till the river before raising the pot. Generally they will either fold to anything, or will raise anything with anything, even on the river, even with a failed draw. (Big glitch.)
14. If you have nothing on the flop, fold.
15. If you have anything on the flop, even a pair of two's, call so long as there is no raising. You have about a 2/3 chance to win. But if there is any raising, then fold unless you have highest pair to the board or better. ('Probably' you will win but why risk your stack, when you will 'definately' win big soon, with high pair?)

For 'tournaments': target the maximum risk according to the situation. Usually I target my risk at $10,000 per hand with high pair or better. This means a. taking several big risks at the beginning, so as either to drop out or to win a stack of $20,000 or more. b. once you have that big stack, seldom risk over $10,000 of it. However if the game drags on, the blinds can get very big, and you must adjust accordingly.

Please note that the advice in Chris Moneymaker's 'tips' section is not very workable here: to play every hand and to avoid all-ins early in a tournament. In 'real' tournaments, you start out with a very small rake relative to your stack. Not so in this game. Also, in non-major online tournaments, I just as soon take my risks early, so as either to have a serious chance at winning, or to drop out and enter another tournament. Less time wasted. However, I certainly would not go all-in with a low blind and only high pair, as I do in this game. Also, blind raising with AA etc. is useless here, because the robots are set either to 'call to anything' or to 'fold to anything.' I.e., que serra serra. So as I say, might as well wait till the river, then raise to the target risk if your pair still looks good.

Some people say this program is 'cheating'? Quite probable that the algorithms are less than perfectly random, but I get my quads, A-high colors, and houses occassionally, and so do the bots. 'You are cheating.' 'You are a robot.' Yadda yadda yadda. Play online and get ready to hear that complaint all the time. No offense but this game is not cheating, it is stupid, and there are some real players who play like these robots, only better, and who will beat you if you are not wise to their game. If you can't beat this game, then that is not a valid reason to toss it.

I picked up the Moneymaker program at Staples for $5. This is good to keep me in practice for No-Limit Holdem. I just as soon not to use a good program and get serious about poker, because then there goes my life... The Moneymaker program is fun, maintains basic skills, and actually might be a bit challenging if only they would fix those 'big glitches.'

Review Page: 1 

Actions