Hold 'Em Poker + for Prizes!
Thanks to the celebrity editions of poker tournaments of Bravo (did you see the one where David Cross creamed Scott Stapp?), Texas Hold 'Em has become the new game of choice amongst the twentysomething set. Atlas Mobile, no bunch of dummies, zeroed in on this trend and has prepped a poker game of its own for its groovy For Prizes! lineup of skill-based games.
Features:
Pick your own cards
Compete aginst human players
Head-to-head/progressive tournaments
Practice game
Now, Hold 'Em Poker+ For Prizes! is not Texas Hold 'Em. It is a variation on the game of poker that does indeed share some similarity with Texas, but is also a very different game altogether. Based on ThwartPoker (by ThwartPoker, Inc.), Hold 'Em Poker+ For Prizes! levels the field by allowing players to pick their cards after viewing a three card flop.
Huh?
Sounds odd, but after a few practice games, you'll start to get the flow of Hold 'Em Poker+ For Prizes!. After the three flop cards fall on the table, each player can select from the remaining cards in the deck, trying to build the best hand. Here comes the catch. No two players can choose the same card in each draw. Should you select the same card as another player, neither of you get a card during that draw.
This introduces a dual level of strategy into the game. Not only should you be wary of going for big, obvious hands like a flush every turn, but you should also consider which cards you might draw to screw the other players out of good hands, too. The game gets mean, quick. Get greedy and start playing for full houses, don't be surprised when somebody takes the pot with a measly three-of-a-kind.
Hold 'Em Poker+ For Prizes! is not just addictive -- it is scary addictive. Thank goodness there's no money involved, or you'd be chasing it within ten games. Instead, players that enter into Atlas Mobile's series of tournaments compete for prizes like Target and Starbucks gift certificates.
The game is presented with a simple, but appealing interface. All of the cards are easily read. Each character has its own avatar. Atlas Mobile has mentioned that there are possibilities for branding these avatars in the future -- so, instead of playing as the old dude or space alien, one day you may sit across the table from Grimace and Mayor McCheese.
Closing Comments
It can get suspect when people continue to lavish praise on everything a company does (like, say, Apple fanatics), but the simple fact is, games like Hold 'Em Poker+ For Prizes! prove that Atlas Mobile is easily one of the best mobile game companies in the arena right now. They nail down great games and juice them by offering something everybody wants: free stuff. Hold 'Em Poker+ For Prizes! is one of the best games on Altas Mobile's service, and very worthy of the few bucks it will cost to download. Consider it an investment. Who knows, get good enough with the cards and you may be picking up the "Big Lebowski" DVD at Best Buy, gratis.
