World Poker Tour PSP review

I've never been much of a poker player. Not that cards are alien to me, I've often competed with friends for the ownership of a pile of two pence pieces by playing Pontoon. Poker though seems a little hardcore for me. It's the CounterStrike of card games – which means that half the players are highly skilled, the rest nasty little ner-do-wells you wouldn't want to share a continent with let alone a card table.

So it's with some surprise that I can tell you that 2K Sports World Poker Tour has been a constant companion to my PSP for the last week or so. The game is not without its faults, I'll come to those later, but WPT seems ideal for a handheld game player on the move and offers a lot to do and see.

You've Got to Know When to Hold'em

The Texan game is the centrepiece of WPT, it's the style of play you'll see most often on televised tournaments but doesn't bear much resemblance to the game played by cowboys in countless Hollywood movies. If you want to play five card draw and many other famous variations, then the game does feature them, but in career mode it's Texas Hold'em that you'll be mostly playing.

Even the inexperienced shouldn't worry too much. The most complex thing about this poker variant is the betting and the PSP works all that out for you leaving you to choose how much to bet rather than worry what you need to bet. You're dealt two cards face down and you have to make a five card hand from these from the pool of five face up cards the dealer places in the centre of the table.

The Devil's In the Detail

Sounds simple doesn't it? However the real trick isn't in the cards themselves, it's your betting strategy. This is where the game shines and gives the impression that the various AI opponents are thinking themselves and display different strategies. Most of the time I've won more big hands with a poor set of cards based on tactical betting, whereas I've gained little getting overconfident with a good hand.

As a match progresses the stakes get higher, which makes for an increase in excitement levels. Two players to the dealer's left have to bet, a compulsory sum called a blind. This stops everyone folding after a deal and means every hand holds some interest. The competition is tough and it really takes some hard work to proceed in the career mode but success feels very rewarding.

How You Doin'?

The presentation of World Poker Tour is very polished. Matches are often proceeded by movies about various big names in the world of poker. I was expecting a bunch of guys that looked like Uncle Jesse but it seems lots of hot chicks in bikinis player professional poker – if the movies are to be believed.

Not that I'm complaining, eye candy is always welcome. But all joking aside – the footage from the real tournaments helps set the scene and provide some context for the matches you play. The graphics in the game are fine though the point where the players' arms meet their shoulders makes them looked like stuffed toys without enough stuffing.

In the Zone

WPT is no Tiger Woods when it comes to player creation. All I managed to create was a succession of ugly characters that looked like something WETA rejected for the armies of Mordor. Given that's a fair description of yours truly then it's not much of a bind. More patience than I have might result in something worth looking at.

But character creation aside there are some technical faults with the game. Loading times can be very long, so long that you think the PSP might have crashed. At times AI characters spend a little too long thinking. That makes for a game that will occasional frustrate. The PSP also freezed twice on me in a week when playing the game.

The River

Those technical problems haven't stopped me spending a lot of time with World Poker Tour. I have found it the ideal game for travelling by train or being in the toilet – which in Britain amount to much the same thing. This is one of those handheld games that will eat up a lot of your time.

So much so I'd often find myself at 3am playing online against other insomniacs. Playing other people really makes for some exciting tactical play. Given the simplicity of Texas Hold'em it's a terribly easy game to pick up, but one with a lot of depth that can and will hold your attention. The controls and on screen help make it a breeze to play. A fun game I can recommend, but beware, it may give you the confidence to start playing with real money.