Hold 'Em Showdown

Hold 'Em Showdown is a simple game where the player bets on which set of starting hands will win a showdown in Texas Hold 'Em. There are four matchups to choose from and the player may choose either side. You can see from my review that I take the game to task for a vague, at best, rule about what happens to the un-chosen cards.

Please click the link and let me know what you think. As always, I welcome questions, comments, and especially corrections.

The question for the poll is would you play Hold 'Em Showdown? You can play for free here.

Quote: Wizard

The question for the poll is would you play Hold 'Em Challenge Showdown?

I assume "Challenge" is incorrect. Do I win the Showdown?

Quote: LuckyPhow

I assume "Challenge" is incorrect. Do I win the Showdown?

Thanks, you're right. Hold 'Em Challenge is a similar game and I guess the name still sticks in my head.

Wow.

In your sample hand, I absolutely would have bet on the deuces instead of against them, specifically because two jacks were gone.

I wouldn't play it because of that, even if the rules were more clear!

Fwiw, in the illustrations at the bottom.of the manu page, first frame, dealer has pocket aces. 4h is in the 4th player hand. In frame 3, where they resolve dealers pocket aces, 4h is on the board. So I have to assume unused player hands are shuffled back into the deck and can form part.of the flop/river. They didn't specify that in the text that I saw.

Babs,
That's exactly what Mike was complaining about in his write-up.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Babs,
That's exactly what Mike was complaining about in his write-up.

I'm saying they're telling him and anybody else who cares enough to look at it that the unused cards get replaced in the deck. So you have no collusion advantage from those hands being folded. Seems straightforward enough to me.

Quote: beachbumbabs

I'm saying they're telling him and anybody else who cares enough to look at it that the unused cards get replaced in the deck. So you have no collusion advantage from those hands being folded. Seems straightforward enough to me.

I don't think many people are looking at those tiny screenshot images that carefully. Also, that page is an affiliate site, not the direct game, so I don't it is right to credit or blame the game for whatever an affiliate writes about it.

Personally, I think it is un-poker like to put the unchosen cards back in the deck. In real poker do they mix in folded cards before the flop back into the deck? They could offer this game without card replacement by just adjusting the odds for a 42-card deck instead of 48. However, this present some problems in terms of storing or calculating all those possible situations.

Quote: Wizard

... In real poker do they mix in folded cards before the flop back into the deck?

Only in cases of dealer errors of fouling the stub with the muck to the point where the top of the stub was unidentifiable. 'Very rare' is an understatement to say the least.

I.E. It'll never happen in a computer based game.

Hmm, so after playing the demo for 20 minutes I have a few thoughts:

1) The game is pretty fun for someone who knows a little something about poker as it gives your brain something to do (what are the odds of this hand - what odds are they offering, etc).

2) They offer the odds they should to win in the long run. For example, if a hand is a 4-1 favorite, they only offer just slightly under (the vig/juice/HE) a 1-4 payout. There was only 1 or 2 hands in 20 min where I counted outs, suits, etc, and felt they had it wrong and that there was a good bet based off the card compositions and hands.

3) I have no idea if it's rigged or purely random. Twice in 20 minutes I was 1 outed. I mean, it happens, but drawing at a board with 1 out shouldn't win very often. Just something to think about on the side I suppose.

4) I don't believe I saw any of the discarded hands come back in to play on the board during my 20 minutes. Thus I feel the discarded hands are not re-entered in to the deck after selecting a hand/side.

5) Probably would never play the game for real money, but it was slightly amusing for some play money.

6) Klaus... lol