1 person found this review helpful
Not Recommended
18.3 hrs last two weeks / 299.1 hrs on record (49.8 hrs at review time)
Posted: 11 Jan @ 8:21pm

I think the game is a great arcade game with cool customization of characters.

However, the playerbase is non-existent, yet in a game like this, there is no cross-platform. What would be the harm in combining the dwindling playerbases between console and PC? This tiny dwindling playerbase leads to pretty much no games outside of the silver and bronze ranks, and ranked is unfortunately one of the only ways to have fun in this game since casual lobbies have no chip limits. You'll find yourself buying in with 10k only to join a casual lobby that has a singular player with over 100k chips, strong-arming people out of every hand. So, if you want to stand a chance, you're forced to queue for ranked (which has seasons for some reason, so some days you just cannot play ranked) and sit there for quite some time. The ranking system is punishing if a higher ranked player joins the higher-population lower ranks, so you don't see them joining, and rightfully so. Why would you want to risk higher rewards and your rank on a very odd and arcade algorithm (which I'll mention below)?

The algorithm in this game will make you feel like there are cheaters. As the other review states, you will feel cheated on the river where you have a very strong hand yet someone gets a crazy straight when their cards didn't match the first three dealt cards, despite you having a two pair or even three of a kind. The game rewards you for playing very conservative. You will find yourself doing far better when playing EXTREMELY tight-chested where most hands you won't play unless you have a pocket pair or two face cards. You have a pair or a two pair after the first round of bets? Better fold as you will get beaten by someone with a full house. You will often find you and your opponent in a showdown with 2/4 or 3/4 of the same-ranked cards in your hand, statistically the river shouldn't bring those next cards, but it does. You'll find full houses and even straight flushes hitting a lot more than you would think.

Unfortunately, this means you have to play the game really stupid. If you want to play like you were at a casino, you'll find yourself losing since this algorithm favors a very arcade style. Your best bet is to check everything, or go all in. Going all in often leads to these crazy rivers that multiple people have mentioned, so you may just want to check and fold.

No crossplay is really the nail in the coffin for me. I wouldn't mind the weird hands as much, but when the Steam version has less than 250 players, yet the console game is still active, and in a game where there isn't some sort of mechanical advantage, what's the point?

Look elsewhere for a better Hold 'Em experience.
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