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The big poker craze sweeps your handset.

Los Angeles-based Downtown Wireless has thrown its chips on the table, releasing Downtown Texas HoldEm, the latest poker game. Poker has seen increased exposure, thanks to the multiple celebrity poker tourneys on television in the past months. (Speaking of, did you see David Cross gut Scott Stapp at the table on Bravo? Awesome television.) Does Downtown's take know when to holdem, or does it have a weak hand?

Features:

Quick games or Career Mode

Multiple casinos

Music

Downtown Texas HoldEm is certainly no-nonsense Texas HoldEm-style poker, and for that, it deserves serious kudos. Not every card game requires bells, whistles and gimmicks to be successful -- Downtown knew that, done well, Texas HoldEm can stand on its own. And in Downtown Texas HoldEm, it does.

The game is set up exactly as you would expect. You sit at a table with four other players -- all governed by decent AI. Each player is dealt two cards, then the betting begins. Stakes are raised and called, the flop is revealed (three cards), and then betting begins again. It sounds so basic, but if you've ever played the game in real life, you know how exciting it can truly be. When the table is down to you and one other cat, and you suspect he's got the unseen queen -- whew.

About that computer AI. It's good, but not great. A couple times, I was able to goad the computer into going all-in early on when I had a great hand. That doesn't happen often in real life. All-ins usually are withheld for killer hands (which the computer didn't have) or way later in the game. However, it's always nice to play with somebody mildly unpredictable, and perhaps that's what Downtown programmed the computer to do from time to time. Throw you a loop by putting in all n the line with nothing. Bluff me, will you?

Downtown Texas HoldEm has multiple modes of play. Quick game allows you just to sit down at the table and play a few hands. It's a good way to practice. Once you think you got the stuff, try out Career Mode and play at five different tables -- each with steadily rising stakes and difficulty -- for the title of World Champion.

The game looks the part. The tables are colorful, if not terribly detailed. What counts more, though, is that the cards are easily readable and the in-game text and menus look clean. Downtown Texas HoldEm succeeds here. Also pleasing is the background music.

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