Full House Poker hands-on

Simple and sweet is the name of the game with Full House Poker - more so in the presentation than the actual gameplay. For example, your Xbox Live avatar will be automatically uploaded into the game, giving you an instant connection to the events going on at your table. Single player modes are available, but since this is an XBLA title, playing against real human opponents is the best way to play this hand.

Head-to-head duels and thirty player tournaments will be included, so if you want to try to be the best Hold’em player, you’ll certainly have the opportunity to test your mettle against equally challenging foes. Experience is gained through simple online play, but it’s also garnered by performing appropriate actions with your character. Fold a poor hand or get away with an excellent bluff and you’ll see yourself gaining extra points to level up your avatar.

Although overall game rankings and leaderboards haven’t yet been thoroughly explained, they will exist to some extent. That said, the developers of the title have gone into detail on their fairly robust addition to standard Texas Hold’em tournament play, which they’ve dubbed Texas Heat. This mode will enable players to cruise quickly through a tournament setting, going from an “easy” table to a “hard” table, designated by diamonds on their center, as they move up in chip counts or bust out.

Unlike their Facebook and stand-alone site counterparts, Full House Poker will not only offer players a connection with their precreated avatar, but it also gives them different options in terms of what kind of poker style they want to play. Full House Poker was the gem that Microsoft’s CES event was centered on, and it certainly deserved its place there from what we saw.

Jan 26, 2011