High stake poker matches lacking any emotion
With no face-to-face interaction in an online poker match, you have to rely on the cards, since you cannot really read the avatars of your opponents. All you actually need is a stable connection to the server, a large enough pool of players, and a matchmaking algorithm that will not keep you waiting forever. After a rough start, the basics have been covered and Ripstone actually managed to put together a decent and fully functional poker simulator. Wait times are fairly decent, the connection is stable and the poker part works without major hiccups. If you want to play a couple of hands or take part in longer tournaments you can do it without worries about technical issues. Yet, Poker Club is far from the claims made by the developers who called their creation “the most immersive poker simulation ever made”. Even with all the garnish represented by a lot of customization options, that do not actually add anything to the gameplay itself, the game still feels soulless. Yes, you can personalize your avatar, from hairstyle down to accessories, including clothing and tattoos, you have a large variety of game modes and locations, but due to the limitations of the graphics engine, all the avatars look and feel like rejects from the Madame Tussaud museums. There are ways to communicate and express some things, but the process is a bit tedious and feels artificial. You are better off focusing on the cards and the odds. Not seeing your opponent’s more or less subtle tells it should come down to a game of cat and mice where you try to trick the other players based on the river and your pocket cards.
