Tournament Poker: No Limit Texas Hold'Em [CD-ROM]

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: CD-ROM
• Label: Eagle Games
• ASIN: B0002719LK
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,847 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

From the Manufacturer
Tired of playing with cheesy players who talk to you and having to order ""virtual drinks?"" Want a modern interface that lets you decide the size of the window? Want to play in a tournament that is true to actual poker tournaments? DD Tournament Poker is the best choice of software that let's you have the most fun playing no limit Texas hold'em.

DD Tournament Poker is one of the first to combine tournament practice with tournament management software.

Practice playing in No Limit Hold'em tournaments like the World Championship. You can select from a pre-defined list of tournaments, customize them to suit your needs or design one from scratch. The game lets you specify the buy-in amount, rebuys, add-ons, blind structure, level time limit and payout amounts so that the DD Tournament Poker tournament matches whatever tournament you are practicing for. Try and make it to the final table and a chance to win it all!

DD Tournament Poker creates challenging and varied computer opponents that track how you play. The computer players don't cheat, but they do have excellent memories. Recalling how you play certain hands lets the computer players learn and become better the more you play, just like a real pro. You'll swear the computer is picking up on your tells.

Unlike online casinos where you have to risk real money or use ""play money"" tables where the opponents don't necessarily act rationally, DD Tournament Poker lets you hone your skills against computer opponents who behave as if there is something at stake. This doesn't mean they are completely predictable or incapable of bluffing. However, they will give you better practice than the play money tables.DD Tournament Poker is extremely easy to use. First, you can run the game in full screen mode or in a regular resizable window. The main playing area (poker table seen above), scales as you resize it so you aren't stuck with a pre-determined size like the other poker games on the market. You don't need to use the mouse at all during the tournament. Each action is controlled by a key (for example, 'D' starts the deal. There are no annoying pop-up windows for entering bets (an entry field is right on the main screen which is controlled by ""spinner"" buttons, the arrow keys and the mouse wheel.

Have fun playing poker using the DD Tournament Poker cheat options:

• Show Winning Hand--Always display the hand that wins the pot.
• Show Folded Hands--Show the hands of players that folded--see if your bluff worked!
• Show All Community Cards--Find out what your hand would have made if you had stayed in.
• Peek at Opponent's Cards--Sneak a peak at your opponents' hands!
• Never Go Broke -If you ever go broke, you get 50% of the chips from the tournaments chip leader.

Besides the ""cheat options"", there are several preference settings you can use to control the tournament:

• Show Large Cards--Choose whether to show standard playing cards or larger, easier to see cards.
• Pause When All-in--Pause the action when all in and see your odds of winning, just like they show on TV.
• Hole Cards Face Down--choose to have your hole cards face down. You can view them by passing your mouse over them. This allows you to practice memorizing your hand
• Jump to End After Fold--speed along the tournament by jumping to the end of a hand when you fold (you don't have to watch the computer players finish their hand).
• Always Allow Fold--If you have posted a big blind and no raises or the bet is checked around to you, it is silly to fold. The game will prevent you from doing this unless this option is on.
• Hands per Hour--define how many hands are played in an hour. This is used to control the rate of the tournament clock.
• Time Delay--control the delay between computer player actions. Go slow so you can see the action as it happens or go fast to get in as many hands as you can.
• Deck Design--choose from a variety of deck designs or customize it with your own image.

DD Tournament Poker has extensive online help explaining everything from the basics of the game to game strategy. Get advice on poker etiquette and tips for hosting your own poker tournament.Run a mini-tournament during your weekly poker night! DD Tournament poker is a full featured home version of the software used to run major tournaments like you have seen on TV. To get started, you define the tournament by specifying the buy-in amount, rebuys, add-ons, blind structure, level time limit and payout amounts. You can save tournament formats and re-use them from week to week (no need to re-enter data!) DD Tournament Poker makes running a home game mini-tournament easy and fun. In addition, the extensive documentation and FAQ are good tools to resolve rules disputes during the game and keep everyone happy. You can change the tournament settings while it is in progress--in case you need to speed things up. Enter the amount collected during the game and automatically calculate prize payouts.

The built-in tournament clock has the following features:

• Counts down the time left in the level.
• Audio and visual alerts notify you when it is time to change the blinds.
• As levels change, reminders popup to notify when the rebuy period has ended and when to perform add-ons.
• Displays current and next antes and blinds
• Allows you to pause for breaks or to color up the chips.

Product Description
DD Tournament Poker: No Limit Texas Holdem - Play the game that determines the champion of the poker world! Whether you are already a seasoned tournament player or just a beginner, DD Tournament Poker is for you. Features: + Cheat Mode - Sneak a peek at anyone's cards, show folded hands, see the winning hand and never go broke. + Chances Are - See the odds of winning the hand, pots odds and odds of making that straight or flush before you bet. + Tournament Play - Can you make it to the final table? Choose a standard tournament or create your own with up to 5,000 players. Define levels, blinds, buy-ins, add-ons, rebuys, and prize payouts. + Host Your Own Poker Night Tournament - Computer counts down time, calculates prize payouts and tells you when to raise the blinds or end re-buys. You have complete control over all the details. + Count Your Profits - Automatically tracks your tournament wins, placements and cash prizes. + Realistic Tournaments - All the realism of an actual tournament: levels, blinds, color-ups, and side pots are all automatically handled. + Challenging Computer Players - Play against thousands of computer players, each with their own unique style. + Helpful Information - View at a glance your current rank, number of players left, your hand, chances of winning, betting history and much more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

116 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Way to Rack up Mounds of Practice Hands, October 5, 2004

By	D. R. Jeanclerc "Reader, Listener & Obsessive... (Brunswick, OH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

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.

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Easy to Learn Poker Game and Pretty Darn Fun!, July 29, 2004

By	K. Palmer (Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

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.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid game, July 16, 2004

By	Pete Rudick (Mechanicsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

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.