This active Kindle game (which should work on the Kindle 2, Kindle 3, or Kindle DX) mimics the "Jacks or Better" single-player video poker games you might see at bars or in Vegas casinos. You start with 100 credits and choose an amount to bet, and are dealt 5 cards. You are able to hold whichever cards you'd like (from none up to keeping all 5), and then get new cards to replace the ones you discarded. The goal is to get the best poker hand you can. There is a list of payouts, ranging from a pair of Jacks or better that pays back your original bet, two pair pays 2-to-1, a full house pays 9-to-1, and so on up to 800-to-1 for a royal flush.
Gameplay is fairly simple, although a bit slow given the limits of the Kindle's e-Ink screen. It takes a few moments to update your chip count once each hand is over, but the delay is hardly unbearable. (It should go without saying that the graphics are in black & white, but they are done pretty well and everything is clear on my K3.) Your cards are spread across the bottom of the screen, and you press the Q or W buttons to hold card 1, E or R to hold card 2, and so on using the top row of the keyboard (the corresponding buttons are always shown on the screen just below your cards). Then you press the enter key or the 5-way controller, and you receive your new cards and your payout (if any) is calculated and added to your total. The game didn't suffer any lag or crashes in the limited time I've played with it so far.
The game also offers hints, which you can optionally turn on or off. Even better, you can have it suggest the optimal play (which cards to hold and which to discard) only when you make a sub-optimal choice. It provides a list on the right side of the screen showing which hands are better than others -- keeping a low pair is better than keeping 4 to an open-ended straight, for example. It's very helpful for learning the optimal strategies.
It also tracks statistics, including your highest chip count, number / percentage of hands won, number / percentage of each poker hand you've gotten (pair, two pair, three of a kind, etc.), and both the percentage and longest streak of making the optimal play. You can save your game and resume later.
All in all, it's a fun little diversion, a little something extra for your Kindle in between books. Certainly worth having on my Kindle, especially since it was free when I downloaded it. Video Poker
Overall, the game does what it is supposed to do: replicates one of the video poker bandits with the standard Jacks or better to win, etc. If that kind of game is your cup of tea, you'll probably like it especially considering the free price vs. paying something for it.
The main drawback is the game is pretty slow - you select the cards you want to keep and press the button, and nothing happens. You press it again, then you get your draw cards - all with a noticable delay that is kind of annoying. However, it didn't seem to bother my third grader who played many hands before finally putting the Kindle down.
When I got this game I also though it was slow and a bit boring. But the more I play it, the more I like it. I can get into it, play a few hands and get out -in between reading, of course-.
It actually grabs my attention and is so simple to play.
Oh, and for free, it is well worth the money!
Video Poker for the Kindle is a version of the machine that one would play in casinos. The game is very slow moving and doesn't offer the quick exciting play of other Kindle games. The fact that it is free save this from being one star.
The graphics are great and the interface is very good. You have a choice to either play on your own or to use the "advice" option, which is a great learning tool for those who want to know the "best" play, statistically speaking. Fun to play with a few minutes free, and then the kindle saves your spot for when you return, which is a nice and user friendly feature. Only drawback (already mentioned) is the time delay after a hand before the new deal (maybe a second) which is noticable. And also (also been mentioned) that it only lets you play the poker game called Jacks or better. I am okay with that, but there are no options to change the game rules at all. Not a big deal, just mentioning in case that matters to someone.
Let me preface this review by saying that I am not sophisticated about video poker or any other type of casino gambling. That said, this is a great little game and the price is right. Keep in mind that because of the graphic limitations of the Kindle, there is no animated video in this game. (The cards just appear dealt rather than appearing to fly across the screen.) However, the strategy and game play seem to me to be just the same as any other poker game. Also, it has a nice built in feature (which can be turned off) where the game lets you know if you are about to make a move that the Kindle disagrees with. In this way it provides a nice tutorial, and I suspect that I am improving as a video poker player. If you at all like poker, give this fun freebie a try. If you don't like it, you get double your money back ! ;-) - Video Poker - Kindle Active Content - Electronic Games - Kindle Games'
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