Ace in the Hole

Not PSP or DS, the biggest gaming phenomenon of 2005 is Poker. People who previously could hardly play Snap have been filing down their finger tips and practising their bluffing faces as Texas Hold ‘em and Seven Card Stud sweep the world.

Thankfully with World Championship Poker, you won’t be losing your shirt, only having a bit of fun with your in-game winnings. Fourteen different styles of poker are available from the traditional Texas Hold 'em to more exotic turns - Pineapple anyone?

There’s plenty of computer game touches. First up you can customise the in-game character to create your perfect card shark. Only problem is you’ll start off hosting poker games in your mom's basement, so you’ll need to build up winnings quickly to kit out your own smooth bachelor pad.

More gamelike-activity is promised thanks to an upgradeable skill system, which sounds a bit weird as even poker on PSP is based on your real-life ability to play cards rather than any computer-moderated system. But presumably it links into the cleverness of the computer-controlled players, rather than some unhand way of hobbling the card pack.

There are two difficulty levels with Real Deal for experienced players and Power Play for a more casual approach. More honestly, you can learn the tricks of poker thanks to the in-game tutorials which provide hints and tips on the best strategies to use.

And filling in the colour of experience, World Championship Poker offers plenty of neat extras. Opponents will try to bluff you as well as displaying those give away tells. There’ll also be the opportunity to taunt other players, while different camera modes, such as first person or card cam, will be available so you can get the best view of the action.

Shuffling up for a 27th January 2006 release, World Championship Poker will be the cheapest game in town at a mere £25.