Customer Reviews

Tournament Poker: No Limit Texas Hold'em

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Given the recent resurgance of poker's (specifically Texas Hold 'Em) popularity, many people are looking to try their own skill online, at home games and in casinos. Many of these people will soon discover that it's easy to play poker poker from the couch when TV shows you everyone's hole cards and calculates success odds for you. Playing in the real deal will require practice and that's where this game becomes a valuable asset.

I had no troubles installing the game on two different XP PCs (one XP Home and one XP Professional edition) - very quick and clean.

When you dive into play, you'll see that you're given a lot of control over the structure of the game, i.e. blind structure, re-buys, add-ins, etc. If any of these terms are foreign to you, the help section is adequate to define key terms and teach you the basic rules and flow of a no-limit hold 'em game. There is a lot of flexibility here, but only within the structure of no-limit hold 'em (more on that later).

Once play begins, you're pleasantly surprised with an attractive interface devoid of any unnecessary nonsense on the screen. There are no chatty cartoon opponents or phony animated casino backgrounds - just an overhead view of a ten-person poker table. During play, the game provides just the right amount of visuals: each player's position displays his/her chip count and an icon indicating his/her most recent action, i.e. fold, check, raise, re-raise, etc. It will help a novice player keep track of what's going on while no distracting more advanced players.

The opponents' AI is one of this game's real strengths. There are three different skill levels you can choose and each are pretty distinct. Unfortunately, there is no "mix" option where you get a table with some sharks and some know-nothings. Players bluff, bully and check-raise when appropriate. You can also turn on any combination of cheats during the game in order to see hole cards and "rabbit hunt" the remainder of the board - this is very helpful for players trying to apply the strategies that they've learned and see exactly how they play out in a real hand. Toggling cheats on and off is a bit clunky; I wish there were keyboard shortcuts to do so.

My only true complaint about the game is that it hypes its own tips on strategy. I've examined the help file over and over again and can find nothing of the sort. Aside from the game calculating pot odds for you (but ironically not defining what they mean or telling you how to use them), there is no strategic assistance here at all. So, if you're looking to kill some time at the airport and solitaire just doesn't do it for you anymore, then this isn't an issue. But, if you're looking to take down the competition at your neighbor's house next Friday night, you'd better throw a couple of books on your order as well (as an aside, I recommend the new Phil Gordon book for absolute beginners through intermediate players and Sklansky/Malmuth's "The Theory of Poker" and Brunson's "Super System" for a concise poker library)

A secondary gripe is that the game's focus is just what the title says - no limit texas hold 'em. Given the wealth of options when setting up a tournament, I was surprised and a little disappointed to find no ability to create any sort of limit game (after all, if you're taking your poker act to a casino, this is what you'll be playing unless you're hoping to lose everything that you own in one night). Plus, there are no other variations such as omaha or razz that people who have a regular poker night like to throw into the mix.

The game includes a real-time tournament manager that displays a timer and what the current and next blind structure is, but this is a bit of a gimmick. Is it really worth it to hold your poker game in your den or else have a laptop on the table when an egg timer or wristwatch can do the same thing for you?

PROS
* Generally good opponent AI that plays at distinct skill levels
* Straightforward interface with none of the cheesy junk that is typical of PC casino games
* Gameplay is fast-paced addictive fun

CONS
* Very overstated expectations on strategic tips
* Lack of any additional poker variations such as Omaha, razz, etc.

In conclusion, if you're looking to practice your poker game in preparation for more serious competition, this game is a very good tool to use when applying concepts learned elsewhere. It's also just plain a lot of fun, so it's highly recommended in my book.

I've never been a big card player, generally limiting my playing to occaisional games of solataire, spades and blackjack on my Hoyle card games and casino software. But like many others, I have been suckered into Texas Hold 'Em from watching the myriad of poker shows on television. I wanted to learn to play this game and I wasn't satisfied with Hoyle's version (I hate the characters)!

I found this software and thoroughly enjoy it. It's bare bones; no cute characters, no fancy graphics (although they are more than fine), but it gives you great playing options. I'd never played Hold 'Em before until recently, so I welcomed the options to slow the game down, view the other players cards and to play all the community cards, even if the hand ended before getting to the river card. This gave me the confidence to get comfortable with the game itself. I've turned most of these options off for now to try to get a better feel for the game. I still leave the odds window open (this lets you know the odds of improving your hand to say, two pairs or three of a kind) as this helps me determine when it's time to get out of the hand.

The games comes with many different game options including satellite tournaments and the World Series of Poker 2003 and 2004 (2003 has about 800 entrants, 2004 has about 2,500 entrants). For fun, I tried the 2004 WSOP after winning a couple of small tournaments. I made it through about 400 hands before finally losing and finishing in the top 1,000 - I'd say I played a good 3 hours so it can test fatigue as well. I didn't think it was that bad for a first effort.

I don't think I'm ready to empty the bank account and head for Vegas yet, but I have had a lot of fun. And the pricetag for the product is pretty darn good as well.

you need to play a solid poker game to beat the computer players in this poker game. It is good practice for small casino tourney's but most likely will not help you much in a home game, due to the fact that most of your friends are probably not well versed in poker theory and will play almost any cards in front of them.
I read another review that said you could go to a play money online site to practice. DO NOT DO THAT! Nobody takes play money sites seriously and someone bluffs on 99% of the hands. Usually in an online fake money tourney, aproximately half of the table will go all in on the first hand. THere is no skill involved in that sort of poker, only luck.
It will take skill and knowledge of poker theory to beat this computer simulation. The computer will bluff(rationally) and try to steal blinds. The computer players will look for patterns in your betting as well. For example, if you try to steal too many blinds, the computer players will soon catch on and begin calling you more often or reraising. Occasionally the computer players will make a bet, call, or fold that doesnt seem to make much sense, but this does not seem to happen very often.
Considering the relatively low cost of the game, I consider it worth the money.

There aren't a whole lot of options when you're looking to play No Limit Texas Hold 'Em, which surprises me given the increasing popularity of the game. I've been playing online for over a year now, but the only "play money" games I can find are of the limit variety. Needless to say, I was pleased to find this option at such an affordable price. Though you lose the excitement of playing agaisnt real people, you have the "no limit" option - which is half the fun. I read all the reviews previously published here and as they were nearly all positive, I went ahead and took the bait.

First of all, it's a great game. You don't have those silly avatars that do nothing but take up memory space, or annoying bells and whistles that eat up hours of play time while you try to figure out how to turn them off. This is just straight poker. No frills. You bet. You pay. Period. That's not to say it doesn't have its perks. The options available, such as showing all cards and showing the winning hand, are not only perfect for people who are trying to learn or are just cursed with an insatiable curiosity, but they are completely noninvasive and must be activated as opposed to deactivated.

The only major complaint I read in previous reviews was the relative ease of the game. Self described "bad players" complained about winning too easily. Well, I'd like to think I'm "not that bad" in the Texas Hold 'Em category. I've had the game for over a week now and have yet to win my first tournament. Playing almost nonstop (yes, it's that addicting), I've gotten close but have yet to win - and that's with the opponents skill level set to LOW! Methinks these previous reviewers are just selling themselves short in the skill department. Perhaps they should step away from the computer and book a ticket to Vegas.

I look forward to many more hours of play, though the dust on my shelves, the dishes in my sink, and the overflowing litter box might be a little miffed at my lack of attention.

For the very most part, "Tournament Poker - No Limit Texas Hold 'Em" delivers what it offers. The game includes an easy interface, several useful options, and even some preset tournaments from a local card room to WSOP 2004. I ordered the game in hopes of finding a reasonably difficult poker simulator for a reasonable price.

However, the AI is precisely where the game is lacking. For an intermediate/advanced player who knows to fold the junk and play positionally, the AI becomes easily beatable. One week after ordering the game, I had beaten the WSOP 2004 at the highest computer skill level. That's 2500 opponents. Now, I know I'm not THAT good. The AI is by no means horrible, just not sophiscated enough. The computer will throw a few good bluffs your way, be warned, (I think I laid QQ down to 84) but I could barely recall being check-raised a single time throughout the entire WSOP tournament. The computer will rarely slowplay or trap you.

I guess for the advanced players out there, we may have to cough up the $90 to Wilson for a decent simulator.

I originally bought this program for my husband since he watches it on TV all the time, but now he has to fight me to play it. I can spend hours playing the game and often find myself yelling at the other "players" for their cunning moves. I think the AI is pretty good and it has taught me a lot about tournament poker. No limit sure is different than the normal poker games we play at poker night. In fact, we used the clock feature to host a tournament and it was a lot of fun. Everybody had a great time. Back to practice... I love the cheat options like looking at the opponents hands. Overall, this is a great game and worth the price, especially given the hours of play you can get out of it. I call it the new solitaire because it is alot more fun, especially going all in!

I used to play a very good DOS version of Hold 'em years ago. Since then I've searched for a good Windows game. After buying and chucking about 10 other poker "games" (Bicycle, Hoyle, etc.), I finally found a decent computer Hold 'em program.

I bought this software about a month ago, and I've played it for 40-50 hours so far. I have to say it is the best buy for the money. I really like the fact that the game is fast and challenging. You can improve your poker skills in various game formats--Cardroom, Heads Up play, one table or multi-table Satellite tournaments and the 2003 (839 players) and 2004 (2576 players) WSOP Championships.

The games have quite a few options, including the skill of the "computer players" and reviewing the other players' cards after you fold.

The Turbo Texas program is supposed to have more options and better AI than this, but I am not ready to shell out $90 until I can consistantly beat all the games on this one.

I was one of the lucky ones to get to play an early beta of this game (and the final release). I didn't know anything about Texas Hold'em Poker other than I watched a few tourneys on TV and wanted to learn to play. I travel to Las Vegas on business quite often but was always too timid to try to get in on a table as I didn't really know the game well enough to be that confident.

After playing this game on my computer for a few hours, I really have learned the ropes of the game and have gotten quite good at it! The A.I. is outstanding and it really seems to know what is in my head. The great thing about it is it STILL beats me from time to time...

Another cool feature is the tournament system that allows you to hold tournaments to your exact specifications.

Thanks for the great product!

I thought this game was a great way to improve my game. Tournament poker is very different than regular poker - you have to protect your chips, pay attention to the levels and know how and when to bet. If you read a book like Sklanksy's, you can use this program to put the knowledge to use. The AI rewards the correct play - it may not be able to beat the experts, but it can beat 99% of the players out there. This is a great way to improve your game and a great price at that!

DD Tournament Poker is awesome!! This is not your low limit Hold'em poker, and those strategies will only take you so far. This is the ideal tool to sharpen your tournament game. Learn money management, card odds, pot odds, probability of hands, and you get the ability to risk it all and go "ALL IN".

The Artificial Intelligence of the computer players is challenging. You will find them playing every style from weak-passive to wildly aggressive. You will be bluffed, check-raised, and drawn out when you least expect it. All this will help you read your hands and manage your game to win the tournaments.

Speaking of tournaments, If you don't like the preinstalled selections (there are 9) you can create your own to match the game you play most frequently. Then you can use DD Tournament Poker to manage your home tournament. This version included the Blind clock, prize amount calculations, and the ability to alter the game settings as you play to speed up, or slow down the pace of play. My poker group was very impressed at our last tournament when I used DD Tournament Poker to manage the tournament.

Overall, the graphic presentation is great, the keystroke commands are easy and intuitive, and the game is very challenging on all three difficulty levels (low, medium, high).

One note on required equipment: DD Tournament Poker states a minimum of 128M ram. I have tested this on my 333mhz 64M laptop, and found it to run nicely most of the time. There are some decision points where the game froze while memory was swapped out to disk. But these delays were not a major problem. On my other systems with more memory, there were no delays or disk swapping.

I highly recommend this product if you are looking to improve your Texas Hold'em tournament play.