World Championship Poker

I will admit that I love to play cards. Blackjack and Texas Hold Em' are amongst my favorites. So as the poker style games become available, I usually try and pick them up as it saves my wallet in the long run and I'll be darned if I can't help but play them until I'm a millionaire (A dream of mine). Now I was both surprised and not surprised that a poker game of this caliber came out for the GBA. Seeing that any poker game should be played by older players and given the fact that the GBA is pretty much inundated with games for all ages, the target audience may not be there, but since poker is becoming such a part of mainstream Americana, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised; I mean every other system seems to have a poker game.

World Championship Poker (WCP) is actually inventive considering the subject matter. As you play you are given the opportunity to play the game's career mode, which seems to me to be the most fun. As you start out, you find yourself in the first of four casinos, the object is to play so well that you can move up to the more classier casinos. The casino you start out at is called the Wild Corral Casino. The owner for some strange reason gives you a $5,000.00 marker to start off with. From there you can enter the casino and play one of the many games available. The casino has the look of an old wild west saloon and has appropriate western music which made me smile (at this point I knew I was going to like this game).

The games available from the get-go are as follows: Texas Hold em', Blackjack, video poker, slots, Omaha Hold em', 5-card draw and seven-card stud. That's right, seven games, SEVEN!  I was floored when I saw how many games there were, it was awesome. Now, I won't waste your time, explaining each of these games, instead, I'll talk about the two that aren't as familiar to players, those being Omaha Hold em' and seven-card stud.

In Omaha Hold em' , each player (you play against three other computer players) is dealt four cards at the start, in order to make a hand you must use two of your hold cards and three of the five community cards. It's like Texas Hold em' but you start with four cards instead of two.  I didn't have a hard time with this game as it is very similar to Texas Hold em'.

Seven-card stud is a bit more complicated and considered a game for the serious poker player. Each player is dealt two cards, one face up, one face down. A betting round commences after each subsequent card is placed face up. The final seventh card is then placed face down and a final round of betting is done.  Each player then tries to make the best five-card hand out of the seven. If it sounds complicated, it is, initially. After playing a few times I found that I was getting better at it. The winning hands in this game can be very high.

As you play on different tables and games, you will receive "comps" from the casino as your play improves. Eventually you will be able to go up to the next casino on casino lane; there the play becomes more difficult as the game's A.I. improves drastically.

As I played, I found myself becoming very determined to do well. I got into a particularly hairy tournament and when I knocked two of the three computer players out, I was sweating. It came down to gutsy play on my part to finally take the tournament. My vision began to shift, and I started getting that sinking feeling in my gut though when I thought I may lose. Now that's a good game.

Gameplay: 9.0
The game features a tutorial if you so desire, and they make it a nice learning curve as you work your way up the casinos. Nice friendly interface that takes minutes to master.

Graphics: 8.5
Pretty cool looking Casinos, they all had a theme and made it feel rather appropriate with the visuals. The computer players all looked pretty good with their expressions and the cards were nice and clear so that you could easily read them.

Sound: 8.2
Sharp tight little music that plays along with the casino's theme. The players themselves also make noises when something good or bad happens.

Difficulty: Med/hard
Starting off, the game is middle of the road, but like any good game, things do get difficult as it goes along. I'll tell you, you're playing with fake money, but the pressure is still there and sometimes betting on an inside straight is a real scare when hundreds of thousands of dollars is on the line.

Concept: 8.4
By taking a poker game and adding all of the different games and then making it feel like an RPG by collecting comps and moving up to the better casinos was inspirational. This is literally my favorite poker game, ever. I know it is also available on some of the console systems, but I can't imagine them being any more fun, they may look and sound better, but not more fun.

Multiplayer: 8.5
You can hook up with three other players using your GBA link and actually play against them. Now, I don't see too many adults sitting around a living room floor doing this, but I see a lot of potential for a couple who may be traveling by plane or whatever. Anyway, it's pretty slick.

 Overall: 8.7
This is a sweet game, if you lose all your money, there's even a loan shark that gets involved, sweet! I can't say it's for younger players as gambling is an adult past time (or should be), but I think a 15- or 16-year old is plenty mature enough to play and enjoy.