Long before the PlayStation invaded the family basement, another game ruled the rumpus room. Poker and its many variants have held an allure for guys who wanted to sit around in the low light of the household netherworld and partake in pleasures that seemed a little prurient to everyone upstairs.
Thanks to the advent of televised poker-tournament play and the rehabilitation of Las Vegas debauchery as a sort of hip style for the rest of us, gambling and card games have moved out of the basement, leaving video games to carry the torch for garden-level entertainment.
Today, big-budget productions such as the “World Poker Tour” turn the art of winning and losing money into a spectator sport that emphasizes skill and strategy over raw greed. Texas Hold ’em has emerged as a legitimate form of pro gaming.
Personalities such as Phil “The Unabomber” Laak and Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari have turned card-sharking into a mainstream celebrity. Play “Magic the Gathering” and you are a nerd. Play five-card stud and you’re Vegas, baby.
Casual, no-stakes gambling has been with us forever; we just haven’t noticed it until recently. The best-selling portable game device of all time is the Game Boy, but only because no one tracks how many of those little handheld slots and blackjack games sell in Wal-Mart. And now that televised poker showdowns include flashing lights and fancy sets, the makers of high-end gaming consoles have reason to produce fancy and flashy games that mimic the stuff you see on TV.
Take the “World Poker Tour” game for the PSP. Like almost any other poker title you can pull off the shelves, the “WPT” game attempts to re-create the drama of a poker tournament with you at the table. Featuring famous poker studs and starlets, “WPT” provides a fast-paced Texas Hold ’em format, complete with piles of chips and idiosyncratic personalities.
The allure of “WPT” lies in letting wannabe poker pros sharpen their skills in the safety of the game console. Competing against smart, computer-controlled characters lets you bone up enough to whip your pals in a friendly game around the kitchen table. Or you could just learn to enjoy the endlessly amusing interplay of guessing and bluffing, reading hands and going for broke. Whether poker or “Pac-Man,” a game’s a game.
“World Poker Tour”
VIDEOGAME For PSP, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Game Boy Advance|$39.99|Rated T for teen
THIS WEEK | Top casino games based on gamer interest
Hoyle Casino (2000), PC, Sierra Attractions; Leisure Suit Larry’s Casino, PC, Sierra; Bicycle Casino, Xbox, Activision; High Rollers Casino, PS2, Mud Duck Productions; High Rollers Casino, Xbox, Mud Duck Productions; World Poker Tour, PSP, 2K Sports; World Poker Tour, Xbox, 2K Games; Vegas Casino 2, PSP, Phoenix Games Ltd; Hoyle Casino (2004), PC, Sierra; SEGA Casino, DS, Tose/SEGA|Gamermetrics.comSource: Gamermetrics.com
