It was 52 years ago when gambling games first appeared as a playable form of home entertainment on the Magnavox_Odyssey. The game was roulette, often packaged with the console.
The start of a new era had begun. It wouldn’t be long before the Atari 2600 would hit the scene in 1977, and with it the game Casino in 1979. An Atari game full of various card games often found in, you guessed it, casinos.
Over the next several years poker and other gambling games would be released on various consoles and eventually the Personal computer.
Ken Uston BlackJack/Poker 1982
Vegas Stakes 1993
Super Caesars Palace 1993
World Series Of Poker Tournament Of Champions 2007
World Championship Poker games 2004- 2007
Poker Superstars 2005 (early Mobile design)
Poker Superstars II 2006 (early Mobile design)
Texas Hold ’em 2006
World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets
Between 1972 and 2008 there was one theme that dominated the style of poker game that hit the market, immersive and backed by iconic players.
At the height of this era was in my opinion the last great poker game to be released. World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets, narrated by Phil Hellmuth “The Poker Brat”. The game consisted of several game modes, including a training guide with Phil Hellmuth as your teacher.
The game is filled with famous personality’s in the poker world. All of which the player can play against in their own pursuit of the Bracelet.
Annie Duke
Chris Ferguson
Clonie Gowen
Cyndy Violette
Dave Ulliott
Erik Seidel
Greg Raymer
Joe Hachem
Johnny Chan
Josh Arieh
Liz Lieu
Mike Matusow
Phil Gordon
Phil Hellmuth
Scott Fischman
The presentation in this game was second to none. Your hands are narrated by Lon McEachern & Norman Chad, and it came with its own music video.
Win a tournament and you’re treated to a behind the scenes tour by Phil Hellmuth showing you what a real life win would be like. A point of View video tour of the various places of luxury that comes from your wins.
1997 introduced the game Snake preloaded on the Nokia mobile phone as one of the earliest forms of mobile games. Over the next 10 years the mobile market would slowly gain ground in the gaming industry.
However, Shortly before the release of WSOP 2008 battle for the bracelets, was the release of a new product that would forever change how poker games would be developed.
On January 9, 2007 The first-generation iPhone was announced, and the mobile gaming sector would soon change the very idea of what it means to be a gamer.
Soon the idiocracy crowd would join the ranks of those they once slandered as basement dwellers, nerds, and geeks.
The mobile design has infiltrated a plethora of gaming genres with it’s invasive ideology, that manipulates players behavior using predatory psychology Tactics.
Tactics, that ironically are also used in gambling establishments.
Sensory Features
Bright lights loud sounds that can promote risky decision-making.
Color Schemes
Red can evoke excitement and urgency. Green associated with money and luck.
Physical Layout
Casinos may have busy carpets, few windows, and no clocks. Making it easier to lose track of time and hard to relax.
Social Influences
The presence and behavior of other players can influence a player’s behavior, including NPC characters.
Wins and Near-Misses
Wins & Near-misses can create a surge of exhilaration leading to a desire to play more.
Psychological Rewards
Winning can induce adrenaline and dopamine creating false excitement, and social rewards like praise from other players, or even NPC characters.
So what's changed in the majority of modern poker games?
1. General appearance and layout
2. Rebuys with real money for fake chips
3. Lack of the Poker-life experience
1. Appearance and layout
Here's two modern examples of poker games found on PC using the mobile design.
Now in comparison to WSOP 2008 Battle for the bracelets and World Championship Poker 2004
4. WSOP 2008 Battle for the bracelets
5. World Championship Poker 2004
2. Rebuys with real money for fake chips
One of the changes that's taken place over the years is the introduction of casino and poker games selling fake chips for real money. All the negative downsides to real gambling with zero benefits to the player.
Worse yet, is there’s now an incentive to manipulate the table outcomes for the players. The developers are encouraged to create high stakes scenarios in order to get players to push their hands.
Plausible but unlikely scenarios of two player having great hands simultaneously become the norm. An environment where the developer wins every time when players routinely go on tilt.
In the real poker environment the house gets paid by the “rake” generally 2.5% to 10% of the pot in each poker hand. The house doesn't care who wins or loses, they get paid either way.
3. Lack of the Poker-life experience
One of the attractions to poker games has been the immersion level of the games as they increased over the years. In WSOP 2008 Battle of the Bracelets you started off by creating your character, formally known as “The Rookie” at the tables.
From there you engaged with the single player experience of working your way up through the career mode. Week after week in game you hit the tables for another chance at the bracelet.
Between the career mode, Training courses, pop up advice videos from Phil and other pros. The game Immersed you in the poker experience for the one time cost of the game.
You may be wondering;
Are there any modern poker games that are worth playing?
Unfortunately most modern poker and casino games today are carbon copy’s of the Mobile trash mentioned above designed to milk players wallets dry.
However there are a couple that are mediocre.
HD poker has decent gameplay, minimal “ads” to buy from the store, and overall is an “ok” experience.
Unfortunately the “Buy Fake chips with real money” brings into question the suspicions high tension hands or “bad beats” in HD Poker.
2. Vegas Infinite by PokerStars
Vegas Infinite is playable with and without a VR setup. Having played it in both, I would say I prefer the game without VR option. It’s nice to be in VR and be able to grab things, pick up your chips, toss your cards in to fold.
However, it all feels a like a bit of a novelty. There a step learning curve to operating the game in VR, especially looking at your cards with out just picking them up. I should note I'm not a Veteran to VR games.
Overall the VR experience just felt slower and more of a social hangout than a poker game.
Interface aside, the game feels much like any other modern poker game that offers fake chips for real cash.
So what can fix this problem?
Unfortunately unless a AAA developer wants to make another great poker game with a career mode, training videos, with big names in poker as opponents ect..
We’re probably stuck with simple game designs, but one thing that can help is to eliminate real money transactions for fake chips.
There’s no logical reason to include all the downsides of gambling when no benefits are allowed. When game company's can manipulate the outcomes of the cards to entice players to spend money getting chips, its a rigged game.
I understand servers cost money, and a influx of funds is needed to maintain ongoing maintenance and other cost.
Sell me avatars, cosmetics, playable locations ect.. but not Chips.
