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"Phil Hellmuth Poker," a game by Twistbox Entertainment, is available for 99 US cents at the App Store.
For people who gamble a bit but don't have a seriously problematic compulsion about it, the money on the line is essentially what makes most casino games fun. Imagine playing roulette or slots if zero cash, not even a few cents, was riding on the outcome. It's about as fun as flipping a coin and guessing heads or tails.
Texas Hold'em, on the other hand, does cut the mustard as a viable, fun game even when no real money is involved. You're still "gambling" something -- matchsticks, toothpicks, chips, whatever you want -- but even when those objects can't be exchanged for greenbacks at the cage, there's a lot of strategy and calculation going on, and there exists a beginning and an end: Lose all your chips or win everyone else's. That beats pushing a button or guessing a number until you get tired.
Naturally, the game is much more fun to play with other people, but for those moments in between your weekly poker meet-up in the garage, several Texas Hold'em games are available for the iPhone and iPod touch. "Phil Hellmuth Poker," backed by the 11-time WSOP bracelet-holder himself, is one recent addition.
Have It Your Way
Some iPhone poker games -- most notably Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) own "Texas Hold'em," which has been an App Store favorite for a year now -- force you to start at an easy level (someone's garage), then work your way up to higher-stakes games at more exotic locations. All this really does is change the amount you're gambling with and the color of the table you're gambling on.With "Hellmuth," everything's adjustable from the get-go. You can start right off in any of five difficulty modes, adjust how many opponents you're facing from five to heads-up, set blinds at however much you want, set how often blinds are raised, and start off with anywhere between 20 and 10,000 chips.
"Hellmuth" also at least attempts to flesh out the characters you're facing off with. Depending on your difficulty level, you might be up against amateurs and finicky players, or staring down Hellmuth himself. Before you play, you can review their backgrounds, what their strengths and weaknesses are, etc., and those characteristics do shine through to some measure at the table.
Shut Up and Gamble
These personalities get a little grating if you leave the "Opponents Talk" feature on. Every so often they'll chime in with trash talk, exclamations, or various other comments.
Are these meant to be tells of some sort? I'm not sure, but there's not much wisdom to be gleaned from comments like "I hate losing" and "Wow, I won!" This color commentary tends to interrupt the flow of the game, but luckily there's an option for turning it off.
The gameplay in the older "Hold'em" can be made to go at lightening speed if you know how to control it. You can fast-forward through your opponents' bets and shotgun through hands.
Not so much in "Hellmuth" -- the action moves around the table at a set pace, and you need to wait through each opponent's decision -- though you can set the game to have them make up their minds a little more quickly.
Also, taking away the option to just tell the game "cut to the chase -- how much do I need to put in to stay in?" forces you to think things through a little more thoroughly and consider who's betting what and why.
Where it really slows down, though, is when you fold before the flop but your automated opponents keep playing through the hand. I couldn't figure out a way to fast-forward through this; you basically just have to sit there and watch the app play by itself.
Folding out, sitting back, and observing your opponents interact with each other can give you valuable insights in a real-life poker game. In a video game, though, it's just tedious.
Bottom Line
Though the old "Hold'em" game is graphically richer and has special features like multiplayer and changeable perspectives, "Hellmuth" lets you fine-tune the ground rules of the game to your liking. "Hold'em" can be played fast; "Hellmuth" moves at a more deliberate pace.
Then, of course, there's price. "Hold'em" is $5; "Hellmuth" goes for a buck ("for a limited time only," apparently). At $1, "Hellmuth" is a low risk. If you want poker on your iPhone, try it first, and if the pace is just too slow, consider the pricier game.
