Ante Up

Sure, you've got to know when to hold 'em, but man … Stacked™ with Daniel Negreanu will school even Vegas veterans. This brainy poker simulation doesn't just feature guest appearances by pros such as Jennifer Harman, Josh Arieh, and David Williams, it also learns from your play. Credit lies with Poki, an artificial intelligence engine licensed from the University of Alberta, which has been in development for over a decade. Plus, the title possesses true star quality—recognizing that 60 million Americans don't enjoy the sport for its slow-moving pace, the game puts a personable spin on the action.

Witness the character creation process. Load it up, and find alter-egos of varying height, girth, and ethnic descent, all dancing (no joke) to the beat. Celebrating poker's newfound mass appeal, the outing further lets you customize skin color, hair, clothing, and even bling.

Consider the case of the dude in the tweed suit. He may look like something straight out of a seventies-era nickel slot room. But, hey … add some rose-tinted sunglasses, pimp out the guy's paws with six glistening rings, and—as a coup de grace—add a backward baseball cap. Suddenly, you've gone from Ebenezer J. Everyman to Eminem. Genius.

The excitement builds at the final table.

Before going "all in" though, consider scoring a few pointers from pro player Daniel Negreanu, viewed as one of the game's most brash young upstarts. He finished 2004 as the best tournament poker player in the world, adding ESPN Player of the Year and Card Player Magazine Player of the Year honors to a spectacular career that boasts over 35 tournament victories.

Still, don't trust everything the regular Card Player magazine contributor tells you; eventually, you may go heads up against the guy in career mode. Under this particular game variant, you start out as a greenhorn. Work your way up from local limit and no-limit games to exclusive tournaments, and eventually face off against the man himself, or equally skilled friends such as Erick Lindgren or Juan Carlos Mortensen.

Play against top pros.

Of course, there's always the option of honing your skills first by playing fellow humans over Xbox Live®. Forget penny-ante or Monday night matchups; "Stacked Masters," as developer 5000 Ft calls the system, is the most ambitious online poker tournament engine ever to grace a console game. Single table sessions, multi-table tournaments, competitions that pit you against hundreds of fellow gamblers around the globe … the setup definitely impresses.

In an interesting twist, entry into these events requires a buy-in based on earnings. Alternately, you can also score a spot on the tour via winning solo mode satellite victories. Furthermore, point-based stat-tracking ranks players by performance, so see how you fare against the international gaming community.

Do you think he's bluffing?

Sitting down at the table itself, you notice an immediate difference from past productions such as World Championship Poker™. Players (a motley assortment of individuals, including goateed hipsters, Hawaiian shirt-wearing forty-somethings, and sharp ladies with tribal tattoos on their back) act like, well … real people. The players fold, raise, bluff, and call with convincing realism, if not always perfect accuracy. It's an authentic game—these knuckleheads actually exude attitude. Trash-talking Brits, frustrated nine-to-fivers, smarmy meatheads who sit back and recline with a smirk … you never know who you'll sit next to.

While the feature wasn't working in our alpha build, I'd like to think the built-in voice chat options let you add your two cents to the mix as well. Bottom line: Short of making a beeline for the Bellagio, it's the most authentic Texas Hold 'Em experience aspiring hustlers can enjoy.

Poker's not just fat guys in back rooms anymore.

I haven't even mentioned the virtual surroundings. With settings such as casino floors and VIP areas hosting the excitement, the game perfectly captures the mood of an afternoon on the strip. A third-person camera view is standard, but first-person peeks at rivals are also offered. Why, I'm not entirely sure … although, given the level of facial expression that the big-haired ladies and scruffy guys in hoodies are capable of achieving, perhaps detecting subtle shifts in countenance reveals what they're holding. Picking up a tell in a poker video game?

Probably a pipe dream, I know, but if there's one thing Stacked teaches it's this—expected the unexpected. A straight flush, for example. When you're holding a full house. After sinking half your kid's college fund into the pot. The best advice I can give: start building that bankroll early. Come fall, you're about to learn an expensive lesson in the art of the deal.

By Steve Richter