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Finally an Excellent poker game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: October 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Let me begin by stating that this is, by far, the best poker video game on the market. I had all but given up wasting my money on the absolute garbage that is produced in this casino/poker genre of video games. If you read my review concerning the World Series of Poker for X-Box, you would have instantly noticed how utterly disappointing that game turned out to be. World Poker Tour for Playstation 2, however, is everything World Series of Poker is not. Super AI, excellent graphics, easy to utilize interface, along with many other multifaceted options are just some of the highlights to this game. The commentary is actually relevant to the game play. If solid professional poker is your interest, you will find a very realistic tournament structure in no-limit Hold-em. If, however, imagination is your thing, you can create just about any poker variation that you can think of, complete with wild jokers. The only downside that I could find with this game is that there is no control over the speed at which the showdown takes place. One of my major complaints about World Series of Poker was that they shot the cards out so fast, you could barely comprehend who was winning with what hand, leaving no room for suspense. While World Poker Tour does slow this down a bit, it is still a little too fast some of time, especially when playing Omaha or if you are all in against more than two players. Overall though, my greatest complements goes out to 2K Sports for finally developing a poker game that is worth every penny of the cost! Avoid World Series of Poker at all cost. Buy World Poker Tour instead!!!

This poker game is the best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: November 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I can't put this game down. This game has a lot to it. I also play this game over the internet and it is a blast. You can create your own poker games which is quite fun. The game looks great and the computer players are really hard to beat but I'm getting better. The announcers are just like on the tv show. There are also lots of stats which is great when trying to figure out the other players. I highly recommend getting this game.

Slow at times,but great variety and good presentation make up for it!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: July 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

INTRO:This is basically the same game as the first World Championship Poker game,but this time with many of the World Poker Tour(WPT)pros,WPT presentation, better A.I.(doesn't check the nuts on the river,if last to bet)and the ability to alter the rules of any of the 15 poker games and add a few variations of your own.Play the WPT career mode and advance to play tougher opponents in 100 player tournaments.(Offline review only)
*See UPDATE at bottom for comparisons to 3 other PS2 poker games(WSOP,STACKED and WCP2).

PRESENTATION:8/10
Just like watching the Tv show.It even includes actual tv footage(including the lovely Shana Hiatt),as well as the actual Tv dialogue of announcers Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patton before each tournament begins.Easy to use menus,though it can be a bit confusing to start playing as a PRO when you first start.Be patient.Choose 2nd slot and press button that says choose pro.

GRAPHICS:8/10
A beautiful looking game with vibrant colors.The cards are the biggest and easiest to read,as compared to any of the current poker games.You can even choose to use a 4 color deck(just like WSOP game also has),making it even simpler to distinguish diamonds(blue) from hearts(red),etc.The bet amounts are also big and easy to read.

Though the pros(such as:Evelyn Ng) and regular characters look all right(Stacked has a more realistic looking Evelyn Ng,but she stares blindly ahead like a zombie),they still have a scarecrow look to them that's just too freaky.You can create your own characters,though it's tough to keep them from looking like freaks.

AUDIO:7/10
All the voices of the real pros are used,EXCEPT for Mimi Rogers.Yes,there is a lot of repetition and sometimes what the characters say doesn't match the actual play,but I still enjoy some of the dialogue and it's a nice touch to hear the real pros speak.

Whenever the announcers comments do match the actual play,it can seem like you're watching the actual Tv show(at least for the first few hours anyway).Though,it sure sounds silly to have Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patton announcing a game that they are actually playing in themselves.As well,many times in the created games only, they will incorrectly identify the winning hand,perhaps as "He won with a 7 high",when it really was a 6 high,etc.

GAMEPLAY:8/10
Be warned that because of the actual Tv footage,it takes about 40 seconds or more to load up or start a saved game,making this the longest loading of any of the poker games(still worth the wait).

Winning special coins for specific hands you win with etc.,to buy clothing etc is rather dull,but still good enough.The expressions you can make with your character do nothing as far as I can tell,but if you want to see what your freak character's ugly teeth look like while smiling,knock yourself out.

One of the truly great things,only this game does,is to let you see at any time during the hand(press start to access menu choices),an actual hand summary-who bet what etc.Sometimes,it stops mid-hand and thus you might have to rely on your own memory from time to time,but it generally works 95% of the time and is a welcome extra.

You can also see how many people are left in the tournament but you can only see the chip totals for your table so you don't know if your in first overall or near the bottom.

Also,though you can't speed up the opening deal or the Cpu players betting,which does slow the game down,at least you can choose 'Fold and Skip' and jump right to the next hand without being forced to watch the Cpu players play without you(Note:if instead you choose the 'Fold' option you WILL be forced to watch them play,so be careful-there is only a maximum of 5 CPU players per table,so it doesn't take too long anyway,in case you make the mistake or WANT to watch them play the hand).

Though the Cpu players check and call too often to be considered realistic,it still makes for a relaxing and less stressful style of play.You can usually make the smallest of raises and get all but perhaps one of the Cpu players to fold.Though,in later rounds,the Cpu plays more aggressively,so it happens a bit less often.

Also,if you don't raise or make a big bet on the flop,one of the Cpu players usually seems a little too eager to keep playing along even with a garbage hand(and no match with the flop).However,you can still get even the pro players(like Phil Laak with $1200)to sometimes FOLD A-K offsuit(pre-flop),by making just the minimum raise($20 in this case),making it only a $40 bet for him to call(not a realistic fold,I know);or sometimes get the Cpu player to fold it's pocket Queens if an Ace hits on the flop and you raise about 30% of its stack(I know this because I saved and then re-loaded back to the same spot to learn what the Cpu hole cards were).That fold,however,is a realistic one.

It's also nice that,even if you make the exact same bet,(with everyones hole cards still the same as before and with the exact same flop-I used the save and reload trick again),the Cpu players don't always do the same thing(just like in Stacked).They will,however,often go all-in with garbage like 4-2 offsuit at any time(just like WSOP PS2 game),making it possible to win a 100 player career tournament faster than usual.

Still,even if you cheat by saving instantly(very handy and simple to do,just press start and choose save),before you go all-in,it can still take 90 minutes to win the tournament.You even get to see the win-tie percentages during all-in situations(though sometimes you have 0% chance to win or tie,yet it says 1% or 3% chance)but only after a card or the flop is turned over,so you will never get to see the pre-flop win percentages for example.

The BEST thing about this game and the reason the gameplay gets an extra 1.5 points,is that you have the ability to alter the rules of any of the many card games offered here.You can change 7 card stud to 6 card stud with wild cards,or play Eight or Better Texas Hold'em,etc.
Pass the Trash and Follow the Queen rules can also be added to ANY game (like Omaha etc.).

Though,you can't change the number of cards you start with for Omaha or Texas Hold'em,and still are forced to follow the basic rules of having to play only two cards from your hand in Omaha,etc.,the various changes you CAN make are still extraordinary.You can play the created games against just the pros or against up to 200 tournament players(not in career mode though)if you desire.It's absolutely amazing!

The Cpu plays all the created games wisely EXCEPT for 6 or 7 card draw.It plays those games like 5 card draw or 5 card Deuce-to-Seven lowball,by sometimes choosing NOT to draw cards as a bluffing technique,which is NEVER necessary or correct in 6 or 7 card draw.

OVERALL:8/10
Truly worth buying just for the ability to alter the rules of the large variety of poker games offered here and then save them to your memory card,for easy access and editing at a later date.

Even without the created games mode,the big cards and bright color of this game make it a great choice for your first poker game or even as a good extra one.

If you already play a lot of poker but can overlook World Poker Tour's much too frequent check happy A.I., the somewhat slow pace of the Cpu players betting and also would love the chance to alter the rules for many,if not all of your poker favorites,then at least rent this game and you might get hooked like me.Shuffle up and at least try!

UPDATE: Poker Game Comparisons:(WSOP,Stacked,WCP2)

WORLD SERIES OF POKER(WSOP):The WSOP PS2 game plays a much more realistic(has a maximum of 8 Cpu players per table and even up to 6000+ players in a tournament) poker game than WPT due to it's more aggressive raising and more callers per average hand(except for the all-in bets-it's just as stupid as this WPT game)than WPT has.

The WSOP game,however,has smaller cards(similar to WCP2 and Stacked),washed out colors,slightly less detailed players and more repetitive and annoying character phrases than WPT does.Also,none of the real pros speak!

You also usually get a birds-eye view of the table so it's easier to see where each bettor is in relation to the dealer button and blinds(even if they have already folded).This way,it's easier to determine whose hand is probably stronger.The earlier someone bets,the stronger the hand usually is.

You can also speed up the Cpu player's betting for a SUPER FAST game! However,for some reason you CAN'T speed up the Cpu betting in any OMAHA game(the PS2 probably needs more time to calculate what to do-since uses four hole cards instead of just two).

I like playing WSOP when I'm in the mood to play the most realistic poker(not counting the lame all-in A.I.),and it's a good compliment to the slower paced WPT game.

STACKED:Has the most realistic all-in A.I.(after 5 hours of play,because it learns from your play),but it's Cpu players(even its 7 pro players)fold too often(to even the minimum raise or reraise,when the blinds are small-which is most of the time)which makes the game at times even duller than the check happy WPT Cpu players can be.

You CAN save in the middle of any career tournament(maximum 90 player tournaments-though due to the tight Cpu players it can take longer to win a Stacked tournament than even a 2000+ WSOP tournament-due to its many stupid all-in calls).

To save a Stacked Career tournament just ignore the first screen(says you will lose progress if leave) after you leave table and choose YES anyway.Then the next screens will be the save screens.

Also,it's easier to make mid-range bets with the LEFT Joystick(the more you press upwards,the faster it goes),than with the sluggish d-pad and you can only speed up the Cpu betting AFTER you've folded.

Major slowdown also occurs(PS2 version only-due to limited PS2 memory)in large 45 or 90 player tournaments,but goes away once you reach the final table.

Due to scheduling problems,Jennifer Harman was NOT able to add her VOICE to her in-game character,but all the other six pros have some funny and cute sayings.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POKER 2(WCP2):This is the ONLY one of all these poker games that DOESN'T let you save in the middle of its career tournaments(game will sometimes even freeze during a 200+ player tournament-go to Crave website:Click Support for cheat codes to advance)and it's career mode is too repetitive and boring except when you play at a single table against all the 7 pros.

Anyone of it's Cpu players will usually bet about 4 times the big blind (almost every hand) if you don't raise,which can also make for a ho-hum betting affair(even though realistic).The Cpu all-in's are generally realistic and are only second to Stacked's realism.

The character's audio comments are also the most annoying(they even make yawning noises that make me sleepy)of the current poker games.As well,of the 7 pros in the game,only Clonie Gowen and Amir Vahedi DON'T speak! The other five pros do have some cute sayings and are NOT annoying like the regular characters are.

You can also speed up the Cpu players betting(at any time)by pressing the X button.You CAN'T,however,speed up the dealing of the flop.It also has player table position radar(but it's fairly small and hard to see),that shows where every player is,in relation to the dealer button and blinds at all times.

The mini betting game you have to usually keep playing after you bet is also annoying and a waste of time for the most part.

Definitely a rental only(use the Crave cheat codes).The new one is coming out later this year anyway.

Best so far.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've bought and played 4 poker games for my PS2 and this is the only one I'm still playing. It's very fun. The only complaints I could have with it are minor ones. The graphics aren't all that great, but who plays poker games for the graphics? The AI isn't the best either, but playing it in professional difficulty mode helps a bit. I still think the game has room for improvement, but I'd recommend this one for those who don't care about graphics so much and just want to have fun playing some texas hold'em.

Could've sold better.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

World Poker Tour is a very good game, no doubt about it, but there is one thing missing. Decent advertising. If, and this is a very big if, they would've had more advertising, this would've been reviewed more, and most of them would've been good. It would've also contended with the WSOP video game. That's why this game is less reviewed. Not many people know about this game. Through the last 4 months, I've seen 1, maybe 2, commercials for the WPT game. For the WSOP game, I've seen about 100 commercials for it. That's why it's more reviewed. To the review, this game excels at preety much everything. Features like Quick Draw, WPT Season, Net-Poker, Create-A-Star, and Create-A-Game make this game good. Some cons are that seasons are hard, but if you find cheats, you will win every tournament. I won't tell you any, but go to www.gamewinners.com and you'll find one VERY, VERY helpful cheat. Another con is the graphics. They don't really make the game stand out, but they're acceptable. One of the biggest cons is the loading times. It takes 30 seconds to load a game compared to about 10 seconds for WSOP. Nonetheless, these flaws, except for the loading screens, don't matter. This is a very good buy for only $20. I recommend you try it. WPT Fans, buy it.

The Ultimate Crap Shoot

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: November 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have every poker game available, and WPT 2k6 is one of the worst. I have played through an entire season, made 3 final tables, and I still have not played or seen one pro. The structure is ludacris as the blinds double every 3, 6, or 9 hands, usually 6. So its wait for one good hand and push allin hoping it holds. Also, you will always get called preflop, so there is no preflop bluffing. It is not fast paced enough as you have to wait for the dealer to dish out each card, and I have never seen a live dealer deal as slow as the computer dealer. The season begins you in amatuer mode, where you can not play the pros, and you are restricted to the smaller buyin events. You are not able to advance beyond the amateur season untill you finish in the top 6 of the 100 tournament players for the whole season in money winnnings. This is not an easy task, and I believe it will take a very long time before anyone sees a pro in this game. The commentating is dry, and universal, as the commentators do not react to individual cards or hands, its just very generic commentating. It is painfully obvious that the publishers and creators were in a hurry to get this game out, and the results could have been much better. Out of all the poker games on the market, I have found the World Series of Poker the most realistic, challenging, and fun.

fun online game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

this game is not very fun playing tha computer, but is def a great game online. for the price you pay for this game. pretty good deal i think.

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