I’m surprised at how many Texas Hold’em apps are available for the iPhone. There are enough online versions of the game, and it is not that hard to play the actual game with real people and real cards. So what sets the iPhone games apart?
Apple Inc. seems to have thought of this as well. The company’s version of the poker favorite, creatively titled Texas Hold’em, offers enough “human” interaction to make their app the chosen one.
In many ways, this app is similar to other poker games. After all, there are only so many different things you can do with Texas Hold’em aside from actually playing the game. That said, the differences Apple came up with are pretty interesting.
The game offers two views, one an overhead table view of all the players with the money they have. The other is a first-person view–but instead of a lame computer-generated face, the app uses videos of real people with real tells. Not only does this make the game more interesting, it also makes it look much better than other versions.
The other main feature is a multiplayer mode that allows you to play against other iPhone users on the same Wi-Fi connection. This is a smaller touch, but it seems so logical and I was glad to see it included.
Aside from that, Apple’s version is really no different than any other Texas Hold’em game you will play. At a price of $4.99, it is banking on these features, making this clearly better than cheaper poker games.
The game is worth a few more bucks for these features, but really, it’s still poker.
