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Save your money - buy Hoyle Casino instead

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: November 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a review of Bicycle Casino - 21 Games. As someone who plays No Limit Texas Hold 'Em in casino tournaments, I was looking for a Hold 'Em game that I could play with at home to practice with. There are a number of problems with this game.

1) First of all, your opponents will never fold before the flop - even if all they've got is a 2,4 offsuit and there have been 3 rounds of raising and re-raising. That's simply not realistic unless your playing poker with a bunch of absolute morons.

2) This lack of un-realistic opponents makes it difficult to practice poker theory and solid betting/bluffing strategies.

3) The "hints" offered by the game are often off the mark.

4) I find that my mouse blinks the entire time I'm playing the game, which is really annoying. And that's running the game on Windows 2000 with a 1 GHz processor and 256 MB of memory.

5) I don't like having to confirm the fact that I'm folding every time I fold. That slows the game down.

If you're looking for a game that will help you play against morons that simply won't fold before they've seen 4th street, this is your game. If you want to practice poker theory and strategies, buy any of the Hoyle Casino games. I've played a lot of tournament poker and I'll tell ya the characters in the Hoyle game are very close to real poker players that you'll meet in casinos and card rooms.

Filled with bugs

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: February 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game has so many bugs in it I need to buy Raid!! The game loses the face/name of individual players on a regular basis, it locks up on Pai Gow, when playing craps in the challenge round it fails to recognize when someone runs out of money and you have to forfeit the challenge, and these are just a few of the problems with this game. I usually buy Hoyle but we decided to try this one instead...what a mistake. We have version 2.0 but will probably look to buy the Hoyle game instead. Typical Microsoft product...market it before you get it running!

falling off Bicycle Games

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: June 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Don't buy this bug ridden piece of dung, I bought the so called updated 2004 version. It crashes randomly at every turn, stats don't record right, the computer AI miss reads your hands not giving you credit for hands won. Its all around terribly buggy. Its been out for months and they still stock on shelfs all around the country even though its known to have major problems. They don't intend to fix anything, Activison is making a quick buck by repackaging an old game 2001 Bicycle from Microsoft, adding one or two new features and calling brand new for 2004, and in the process making totally unplayable. With the stores policy of not excepting open software you are stuck with it if you buy it,they are afraid of piracy. well Activision is the party guilty of piracy here in the form of robbing us all.
STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS.

Attractive, but very limited

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: September 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is quite pretty, but little more. It offers almost no ability to make rule adjustments (such as whether the dealer hits soft seventeen or how many decks are in a shoe), and worse, it doesn't offer any coaching (should I split 7s against a dealer showing an 8?). The result is a simple game that will allow you to pretend to lose money quickly, but will not improve your play whatsoever. There are far better casino games out there. If you're only looking for the basic level of play offered by Microsoft, free flash-based games are available on the internet.

Save your money.

Fun, but MAJOR INEXCUSABLE bugs ruin everything

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is actually a lot of fun. I get some weird graphics bugs (flickering w/ NVIDIA RIVA TNT2) but it's bearable. But there are INEXCUSABLE bugs during game play in the poker games that make the tournaments a miserable experience. You'll be staring at a straight flush and bet the world only to realize the computer thinks you have a pair of 4's. Guess what, you lose to a guy with a pair of 5's!!! The workaround is to hover the mouse above your cards and if the computer is misreading your hand, FOLD. PERIOD. But it's extremely frustrating.

MS acknowledges such bugs but hasn't released a patch. As far as I'm concerned, that means it's not worth buying yet. It would be like buying Flight Simulator knowing that the flight engine would force your plane into a deadly spin every few seconds... ruining the whole point of the program.

Great potential for fun here, and worth it if that's all you're looking for. But wait for an MS fix before wasting your money otherwise.

Great Games, But Got Bugs

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

For the Casino enthusiast, this is a great Casino Game Package, complete with tournaments and most of the casino card games. But, it a has a bug that causes it to lock up every few minutes and must be re-entered, however, it does not lose your "money." It is very aggravating, though, so I am ordering the Bally Casino Games that has better reviews.

Fun outweighs the bugs

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm a craps afficiando and wanted a computer game that would allow me my "craps fix" as well as teach me other casino games.

While exploring Bicycle Casino Games, I learned how to play Progressive Blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, and Let it Ride. I already knew regular Blackjack, but was scared off by the odd-looking Progressive Blackjack tables in Vegas. So, it was a lot less intimidating to sit in my comfy computer chair and learn that there's hardly any difference at all between the two games!

Other than Pai Gow, I don't play any poker at all, and it doesn't interest me ... so I can't comment good or bad on that aspect of the software, other than to say they seem to have lots of version of that popular card game available.

I've found only two problems: One is minor and one is really, really annoying! If I'm running another program while playing, sometimes the edges of my monitor will flicker in a distracting way. No biggie! But the real problem I have is when I'm playing a tournament and I end up losing. More than once, the game has locked up and taken most of my money away when I finally got back in. All that hard work wasted! This hasn't happened often, but it did happen twice and that was very irritating.

The fun, variety, and education this software provides outweighs these two bugs, and I'm happy I purchased it.

Virtual Vegas at its best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 65 / 66
Date: November 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

"Bicycle Casino" by Microsoft is the 2002 upgraded version of the "Microsoft Casino: Mirage Resorts Edition" (2000). Everything is almost identical to the "Microsoft Casino", except they have added 6 more games; and, some of the features have improved from the earlier version.

Hard to believe, but silly me bought the "Microsoft Casino" two days before I realized that there's a newer version under the name "Bicycle Casino"! Anyway, when I played the older version for the first time, I loved it! But then, I started noticing minor imperfections, such as they played the same two pieces of background music over and over. Two days later, I bought the "Bicycle Casino" and lo and behold...they added a few more tunes!

"Bicycle Casino" is a fun computer casino game that is visually pleasing. It offers a full range of casino games. You are able to enter 3 Las Vegas casinos -- Treasure Island, The Mirage and Bellagio. The games are the same in all 3 casinos, but each has a different ambience which reflects the mood of the real life casino.

Be aware that this latest version is designed for use with the most up-to-date hardware. So, you may need a better and more updated video card. It's also compatible with Windows XP. I use Windows 98 SE and it works fine. But my video card may be a little outdated, so I had to adjust the Graphics Settings under Windows System Properties to get the graphics to function properly; I didn't have that problem with the older version.

If you already own "Microsoft Casino", the improvements in "Bicycle Casino" may not be significant enough to justify spending the money to upgrade. Unless, you have a lot of cash to spare, or, if you really really really like some of the new games that are not available in the old version -- Video Slot Machines, European Roulette, Seven Card Stud Poker, Five Card Draw Poker, Texas Hold 'Em Poker and Omaha Hold 'Em Poker.

"Bicycle Casino" by Microsoft is probably the best computer Vegas game out there. It's only second to actually being in Vegas! I highly recommend this software.

Unbiased review from Gameraiders.com

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 28
Date: December 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Microsoft has set the standard in challenging your gambling skills, while providing you with an exciting casino-style gaming experience. It's the best product of its kind! Have all the fun without spending a dime in Bicycle Casino.

Gameplay

Experience the lights, challenge, and excitement of a Vegas-style adventure. Microsoft brings the whole package right to your PC in Bicycle Casino. Enter your name, choose one of many animated characters to represent you, and set your starting bankroll as you prepare to press your luck and test your gambling skills at one of three casinos: Treasure Island At The Mirage, The Mirage, and The Bellagio.

In preparation for gameplay, be sure to personalize your experience by setting the game options to suit your needs. Whether you're a beginning gambler that's new to the casino gaming industry or an expert needing a new challenge, 17 exciting games await you as you enter the casino game floor. The featured games include Blackjack, Roulette, Slot Machines, Baccarat, and various types of poker such as 5 Card Draw, 7 Card Stud, and many others. Simply slide your mouse over the table to capture the game being offered and click to play the game of your choice. It's that simple! Game rules and playing instructions can easily be accessed for each game, so you shouldn't have any problems getting started.

Play against the dealer or inviting other players to your table. Bet conservatively or risk high stakes. Play single games or challenge your skills in tournament play.. The options seem endless throughout your casino gaming experience.

Unique to Bicycle Casino is the tournament play offering. This sets it apart from other casino-style PC games. This truly sets the standard for future casino-game developers. Tournament play can be played in Casino Challenge or Freestyle Challenge. Casino Challenge takes your gambling skills to the limit by challenging you in all of the games. You must qualify in one casino to move to the next round that's being played at the next casino. Freestyle Challenge allows you to select the games you want to compete in and lets you set your own pace while still enabling you to advance in the competition.

All three casinos offer complimentary gifts as you reach specified criteria in your gameplay. All gifts must be obtained at all three casino's to be allowed to enter the prestigious high rollers' area in The Bellagio casino, reserved for only the best of the best.

This game is a must have for all casino gaming enthusiasts. It represents a myriad of beautiful colors, challenging casino gaming realism, exciting sounds, and actual casino video footage.

Gameplay Score: 92

Graphics

With vivid, bright colors, realistic re-creations of gaming tables, and authentic casino architecture, all of the graphics are very detailed. I was, however, rather disappointed with the animated characters portrayed in the game; I thought they were too mechanical and corny.

Graphics Score: 85

Sound

The sounds make you feel like you're in an actual casino. All of the background voices, sound effects, and music add to the realism of the game.

Sound Score: 90

Technical

I didn't experience any glitches or hang-ups. Installation was also easy. Gameplay was smooth, with no lockups or crashes.
Technical Score: 95

Value

This game is a must have for casino-gaming enthusiasts. Although this is an excellent game that can be played by everyone, it would most likely appeal only to a certain class of people. It's easy to learn and understand and is a great value for anyone who enjoys a challenging, Vegas-style adventure.
Value Score: 85

Overall

Bicycle Casino is the best PC casino-gambling software yet! The game's very user friendly with easy to follow instructions. The graphics and sounds add realism to the gaming environment. While the game is fun, Bicycle Casino will most likely only appeal to a limited audience; specifically those gamers who enjoy a Vegas-style gambling challenge.
Overall Score: 88

Excellent Learning Tool

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you ever wanted to know how to play all the games that are available in the casinos, this is a good way to check them out.

I've had this software for about a month now. No problems with graphics, sound or lockups. My biggest problem is that I don't yet have any strategy for playing.... :)

But really, this is a good tool for learning the games. They are all covered. You can see how easy it is to lose your money at roulette. The house edge is very big on that game. Keno is interesting. I never really paid any attenetion to it until I got this game.

There are lots more games. The only games not covered are slots, but who cares about that. I am very happy with my purchase.

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