World Poker Tour: 7 Card Stud

A couple of years ago, poker seemed to be one of those things that only American dads did, gathering together in smoky back rooms gambling away their wive's shoe money. Well, no more. Poker fever has gripped the world, with mobile games providing the ideal way to feed your addiction 24/7.

The most popular variant is, of course, Texas Hold'em, and with many players having only just got their heads around that, it can be daunting to think about trying a different variety of poker. We understand the fear, but we cannot enthuse enough about how fun it can be to try the different types of poker that are out there – both in the real world, and on your phone.

7 Card Stud is one such variation and it's this that Hands On Mobile has chosen to release next, following its impressive World Poker Tour: Texas Hold'em game.

Here's the gist. Unlike Texas Hold'em, there are no community cards. Instead each player is dealt 7 cards over various rounds, unless they fold. Each player is dealt three cards at first, and then one card every round until the last card, the river.

The other major difference between 7 Card Stud and Texas Hold'em is that while the first two cards are private like Hold'em, every other card except the River card is placed face-up, so other players can see the cards you have.

It adds a higher strategic element to the game, with players betting on whether they will receive a key card, but also working out the odds of receiving that card based on the cards that are on open play.

Other than the fundamental differences in the gameplay, WPT 7 Card Stud is much like Hands On's last World Poker Tour game. The tournaments have now been refined to as close as perfection that we're likely to see, with Single and Multi-Table tournaments available alongside the immensely challenging WPT Championship mode and invaluable freeplay mode.

The graphics too are – as we've come to expect from the series and the developer Hands On Mobile – top-notch. And controlling the game is also a pleasure, requiring only three buttons to control almost every aspect of the game, leaving you able to focus on the important strategic decisions.

WPT 7 Card Stud's biggest strength is that it's not just a clone of Texas Hold'em, so if you're willing to invest the time and effort in learning to play the game, it offers a hugely fun and new experience.

However, it could also be its biggest weakness, in that some people might be put off by that immense investment. It has to be said that poker fans show little sign of getting bored with Texas Hold'em, so unless you're really into poker, you may want to steer clear of WPT 7 Card Stud.

Not because it's a bad game – it's great – but because you'll have to invest an equal amount of time into learning the game as you did with WPT Texas Hold'em. And if our experience is anything to go by, that could be a very long time indeed.