The Bottom Line: If you have experience in poker, avoid this game. If you have never played poker and are interested, this game is a good learning tool.
ericwilliams's Full Review: 8 Player Poker for Windows
I am an avid poker player. I recently moved to Japan and have not found a casino that has a poker room. I play online but it is a huge headache to get internet access in Japan if you are a foreigner. That said, I needed something to get a quick fix of poker.
I have seen the Snap! 8 Player Poker for Windows in various stores when I was in the States but never bothered to buy it. I decided to buy it online and eagerly awaited the arrival. It finally came, I installed it, got a soda, and sat down for some poker.
INSTALLATION
Simple. The system requirements are no problem to handle. 500 Mhz, 20 Mb, ActiveX graphics to name a few. Basically, if you have a computer that is less than 10 years old, you will have no problems running this software.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The graphics are decent. There are 8 players, including yourself, sitting around a table. You start with a predetermined amount of chips. You pick the game you want to play. Texas Hold'em, Omaha, 5 Card Draw, or 7 Card Stud. You pick the stakes you want ranging from $5-$10 up to $1000-$5000. Once you pick all these options, you press the "Deal" button and away you go.
The play is flawless and the rules are like you would find in a casino. After a few hands of each game, I was starting to like the game. The "players" would call, fold, or raise like they knew what they were doing. It seemed like a good way to get my poker fix while waiting for internet connectivity.
SECOND IMPRESSIONS
After playing for about an hour, the fun was gone. The players were predictably predictable. The algorithm for the players seems very simple. The players will call any bet if they have a high card. They will bet if they have any pair, and they raise if they have a high pair or better. This changes slightly depending on the game, however. More or less, the players will call almost any bet with a mediocre hand, they will bet with a decent hand, and they will raise with a good hand.
Being what I like to think of as a better than average poker player, I was able to quickly figure out the computer's play. The box states that the different players play differently, but I cannot discern the difference in the play.
It now takes me about 20 minutes to take all the money from the other players. The fun wore off after about an hour of play.
GRAPHICS
Decent. The players all look different. The chips look different based on the values but they are very hard to see. You can however, see the value of the pot by dragging the mouse to the middle of the table. The cards are a bit small and hard to read unless you look closely. There is only one screen and I have described each element of that screen.
SOUND
Annoying. I don't know where the background music comes from but after 10 minutes, I turned it off. It seemed like a cross between elevator music and bad 80's music.
GAMEPLAY
While technically correct and following all rule of poker, the players are predictable, easy to "read", and never bluff. You can play the entire game with just the mouse. There are various options to select as described above but limited choices for each option.
OVERALL
For only $3.99, I found that this game is definitely worth the money. If it was $4.00 however, I would say it was not worth it!
I would recommend this game for someone who has never played poker or who has very little experience. The technically correct rules are good but the play is too easy.
Platform: WINDOWS 95 OR LATER Publisher: TOPICS Packaging: JEWEL CASE Rating: EVERYONE Youre playing against a collection of seven of the most colorfu...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
you re playing against a collection of seven of the most colorful cardsharps to ever ante up when you sit in to play snap! 8 player poker the cardroom...More at UnbeatableSale, Inc.
You're playing against a collection of seven of the most colorful cardsharps to ever ante up when you sit in to play Snap! 8 Player Poker, the cardroo...More at Amazon
You're playing against a collection of seven of the most colorful cardsharps to ever ante up when you sit in to play Snap! 8 Player Poker, the cardroo...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.