Casino games are a dime-a-dozen on just about every console known to man. These days they might be a bit harder to spot since they often don’t get physical releases. Believe me, they’re there, just on the digital storefront. Games like these are not hard to find, but here are three poker video games that I personally have really loved over the years.
Solitaire Poker (Game Gear)
Solitaire combined with poker is actually awesome. Who knew? I have a feeling that in some corners of the world, this game is common. It was completely new to me in the mid-90s though. The board is constructed just like solitaire but you get points for creating poker hands horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. In that sense, this game has elements of bingo as well.
There’s not too much to the graphics and sound but they get the job done, and you have a few choices for background music. They vary nicely from relaxing to intense. The presentation is pretty decent for a video game based on this sort of thing. If you have a working Game Gear then Solitaire Poker is a good, chill game to play once in awhile.
Vegas Dream (NES)
This was a random find for me back when you could actually stumble on to old NES games at a yard sale and not pay top dollar for them. In the case of Vegas Dream, “top dollar” is still only about $5 even now, but you get the point.
This is a pretty standard casino game on its face. You can play blackjack, keno, roulette, and a slot machine. What makes it fun and quirky though is that random events will happen while playing. People will offer business opportunities or ask you to lend them money, and women can ask you to spend time with them. These don’t initialize any kind of mini-game or anything, but they are basically extra risks you can take to see if they pay off. They add a little bit of fun and flare to what is normally a pretty dull genre. They didn’t have to put these features in there, but the game is better for them.
It would actually be nice to see casino games implement fun little asides like this more often. Obviously the market for this sort of thing is usually grandma when she comes over to visit, but they might find a wider audience if they took chances like this.
Pocket Card Jockey
Right up front I’ll say that if you own a 3DS, you need to own Pocket Card Jockey. It’s a ton of fun and an amazing bang for your buck. I’ve logged at least a couple dozen hours into it for the $6.99 price tag.
You play as an inexperienced horse jockey who dreams of greatness. The way you improve your performance (and your horse’s) during races is by playing solitaire. Simple right? Mostly, but there are other variables that make the game incredibly fun. You can buy boosts in-between races that can help your horse or your solitaire game. There are also different stable owners who will give you money and encourage/pressure you to win.
The gameplay is surprisingly intense as you frantically try to clear cards but not make any mistakes. During races there is also an element of strategy as far as how you position your horse, so there’s a little bit of control beyond the card game itself.
My only slight complaint with this game is that some races seem impossible to win no matter what you do. After awhile I felt like the game just didn’t want me to get farther, at least not yet. I ultimately put it down but just typing this makes me want to start all over. It’s a great game that should given a try by any 3DS owner.
So those are three poker video games that are actually good. Okay, one was a solitaire game, but I think I segued into it nicely! If you like card games with inventive mechanics using a classic deck, I think you’ll get something out of all of these. Are there any video games based on casino or card games that you think are better than the average? Let me know!