Is Texas Hold 'em on XBLA broken?

by Joystiq Staff { Aug 24th 2006 at 4:55PM }

While some of us who downloaded Texas Hold 'em haven't noticed any particular game breaking issues, some players have some meaningful gripes they've brought to the table. One such blogger brings up a slew of issues that he feels should have been fixed before the game was allowed to be released.

To most it may seem like mere subjective annoyances, but some complaints are warranted. We've already heard of one glitch or bug that hasn't been addressed: Apparently if everyone goes all in on the first hand, all players come out a winner and the person who actually wins the hand gets a substantial sum.

Check after the break for a complete rundown of the issues brought to light and feel free to share you own XBLA poker horror story. We suppose that old saying may be true: "You get what you pay for."

The Modern Geek's list of complaints:

Duplicate card problems. This guy got pocket 10s of clubs. Uh...shouldn't that be impossible? Supposedly the 4 and 5 of diamonds have the same graphic, too.
Dog-slow and wasteful UI. Why throw our chips into the pot and back out again when everyone else folds? Why does the table reset (slowly) to a top-down view after every hand, then slowly angle back down again? When everyone is all-in and the cards are showing, why does it ask you if you want to show your cards to the other players after the hand?
Takes forever to get into the game. You have to wait for the big blind to come around to you before you can play (so you can't play a few free hands and leave if you don't get a good draw). Fair enough, but every other poker place in the world seems to have solved that by letting you immediately match the big blind out of position to be dealt right in.
Observation/waiting issues. You can't continue to watch a hot tournament table after you've been eliminated, which should be an obvious option for such a social game (especially since new players can't hop in on tournament play, so you don't need to free up the seat). You also can't sit out a hand, which makes it really hard to go use the bathroom or something - another obvious omission.
Cheating. Apparently there's a way to immediately quit tournament games and have it think you were the winner and award you the full prize. The online leaderboard, at some point yesterday, showed the top spot being 800,000 bucks with only 40 hands played. Whaa?

Tags: Texas Hold 'em, TexasHold'em, XBLA

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

AceMilo @ Aug 24th 2006 5:02PM

I smell a patch already, and hopefully soon!

Ethan @ Aug 24th 2006 5:03PM

"We suppose that old saying may be true: "You get what you pay for.""

Yup, and these people payed for the xbox 360. Suckas.

s7r1k3r @ Aug 24th 2006 5:03PM

I Agree with these issues but I am sure they will be fixed soon enough with patches. I agree the UI is completely wasteful and what's the point of moving the camera up and down. I am glad this was free.

Jigen @ Aug 24th 2006 5:04PM

1. I'd be surprised if the game didn't actually have the 52 cards in memory and hand out duplicates, sounds fake.

2. The single player is fast enough, but mulitplayer is horribly slow. Just a note, it seems to use the same 'cardgame' engine other 360 cardgames have used.

3. The 'waiting to play' does suck. I fail to think of a good reason why this 'feature' is there.

4. You can observe the game plenty before you play :P

5. I had the game crash on me once, although it might not have been intentional (by someone else), I lost the money I had earned AND my additional buy-in...

I think if you disconnected your internet and you had bought in multiple times, you'd probably get that money back.

n13t2 @ Aug 24th 2006 5:04PM

Am I the only one who's had the game crash after buying into tournaments? This really is frustrating as I've lost over 8K in tournament money purely due to the game crashing my entire 360...

Judd @ Aug 24th 2006 5:14PM

I was wondering why they were offering Texas Hold 'em for free, and why if it is for free it's only for two days. Then I realized that, instead of with Uno where everyone bought it and there were problems, the developers wanted to test out Poker to see how it works. Anybody whose downloaded it already is basicaly a Beta tester, and I wouldn't be suprised if it's fixed when the game comes out for purchuse or very soon after that.

FSFunky @ Aug 24th 2006 5:16PM

Or here's one:

Text almost unreadable on SD-tvs. Hey, Microsoft, not all of us live in America where HDTVs fall out of the sky. The cheapest HDTV here in Holland is probably €3000. How about testing your games on some of them?

That goes for all of you developers. Just because you're playing it on your 1080 1000-inch holographic displays, doesn't mean your consumers will.

SickNic @ Aug 24th 2006 5:20PM

You know, I haven't played this game enough online to notice the bugs and glitches.

That being said, the game is free right now, so deal with it until the patch is out. For those who get the game after the free offer, I feel bad for, but they should wait for a patch before they buy it too.

I', not going to complain about a free game having bugs, especially when i am pretty sure a patch will fix it soon...

Mike @ Aug 24th 2006 5:22PM

I spent about three hours with the game last night and the issues that had cropped up for me were:
*Partway through the second Regional played, the 360 locked up and required a reboot. This is the first game, XBLA or otherwise that has done this on my machine.
*The amount of wait time for 7 others to join a regional tournament was over 15 minutes...enough time for a large-scale voice chat flame war with people from all over the country. Due to this fag-assery, the ones without headsets (probably the ones looking to play a serious game) left quickly, extending the wait time, and opening the slots to more potty-mouthed American children avoiding bedtime.
*NOBODY seems to know if the game is free forever, or just these first two days. Pointless arguments ensue in every game.

The article opened my eyes to things I didn't notice. This game is BROKEN.

rcf1105 @ Aug 24th 2006 5:24PM

The card size problem is an issue. I play on a 15 inch standard TV, and yesterday I folded on a pair of jacks when I shouldn't have because I thought it was a pair of threes. Even on hands where I can tell what the cards are, I have to strain my eyes to do so.

Also -- and this isn't really a problem, just a personal gripe -- how the hell can they call something an "achievement" if it's completely based on luck? Not only that, but *insane* luck. To those trying to get a royal flush and a four of a kind, I salute you.

potato @ Aug 24th 2006 5:24PM

SDTV complaint is very valid. I'm using a nice high-quality TV tuner and even then the text is just readable. Anyone with a less-than-optimal TV is just going to get screwed.

And I also hate how long it takes to rotate you into the game. Can I not be seated next to the big blind so I'm dealt in the next hand?

Hell, I've had multiple games where someone who joined AFTER me sat closer to the big blind, and beats me into the game! Where's the logic in THAT?

Mountain Dew @ Aug 24th 2006 5:25PM

I played Texas Hold'em last night, and it's an okay game (I'm not a big hold'em fan). I mean it's done well and all, and I didn't notice any of the issues mentioned (although I'll have to try that 'all in' bug).

The only questions I had is when you're playing and later when other people join, they have to wait anywhere from 1-4 hands before they can actually play. What's that all about?

And I'm totally confused about the money. You start off with money. And I made a couple of thousand on the single player game, then lost $500 on the multiplayer game. Does it replenish itself? What happens if you lose everything? How does all that work?

Anyway, it is what it is. Texas Hold'em. Free game. Up to 8 players in multiplayer.

Mr. Khan @ Aug 24th 2006 5:27PM

You think HDTV's fall out of the sky here?
I mean, we don't have to pay the equivalent of 3000 Euros, but we're still hard pressed to find one under $1300

Just another example of how the 360 is leaving the majority behind
Buy a DS, buy Clubhouse Games, play on the go

Wulkar @ Aug 24th 2006 5:28PM

i swaer some times the game is rigged for you to lose and even so you win...not kidding

James @ Aug 27th 2006 9:19AM

Judd, you know that the people that download in the first two days get it free forever, right?

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/08/15/News-Texas-Hold-em-update.aspx

YuriPup @ Sep 2nd 2006 1:55PM

Commas would be nice too. How many zeros is that on that bet I just placed??!!

Chris @ Aug 24th 2006 5:31PM

I played for a long time last night with friends and it was a great couple of games. We didnt see duplicate cards and we were all aware of the screenshots floating around. Never saw anything of the sort. I'd guess that was a tester playing an unfinished version.

Gripe #3 was the one that affected us the most, and 2 odd things.

1. If you choose not to buy in after losing your chips, you're tossed from the game with no warning. A little jarring when some of the guys at the table pretty much just disappeared.

2. If the host has to leave the game, the table does continue, but no new players can join. That's a bizarre technical issue they should have worked out. It smells like a(lazy) programmer just decided 'f*ck it, if they want to invite new players they can create a new table'

The game played great overall though. It gets chaotic with 8 people talking, especially on tense hands, but its part of the fun. I enjoy it and I'll keep playing it.

T-BEAR @ Aug 24th 2006 5:31PM

To Judd and his comment on being a beta tester. It had been announced a long time ago that the game would be free for a limited time because some casino (possibly online) was going to sponser it. This is welcomed by me because of the obvious free reason. I have not found any glitches while playing yet and have over 350 hands played. I don't have any doubt about the possiblities of glitches but as long as they use the patch system to fix the issue quickly I say Thanks for the free game. It's pretty fun and we don't even have the camera yet.

Mountain Dew @ Aug 24th 2006 5:34PM

Hey, what size Standard Def TVs are you using? I'm on a 30" and didn't notice any issues with text. Everything looked clear and readable. With any TV, if you get too small, it becomes more challenging I'm sure, especially when a lot of items are on the screen.

I do remember that your hand is much much larger than everyone else's hand, so your own cards should be easier to read than all the other hands.

GunForHire @ Aug 24th 2006 5:37PM

If you can't afford an HDTV, do what I did - buy a cheap PC monitor and a VGA cable. Shazam - high-def gaming for pretty damn cheap.

I got a 19" widescreen monitor with an 8Ms response time that does 720p for £180 off Amazon - that's around $300. Another £20 for a VGA cable and I was good to go. High def gaming on a budget is pretty easy.

Colonel @ Aug 24th 2006 5:41PM

What are you talking about Mr Kahn? I'm using a 32inch Vizio LCD tv right now that I got at Costco 3 days ago for 800...its not bad of a tv at all too, professional/colorful packaging, 8ms response time, HDMI, 2 component inputs, 1366xsomething resolution, PC input

You're only paying 1300 or more if u want step-up models from Panasonic, Sony, etc...for 800 dollars this 32 inch LCD flat, mind u, screen has been working pretty good for me (its the third HDTV in my house now for my bedroom)

I cant complain about a free game, tho i'll be expecting a patch for the game-dropping and slow paced multiplayer matches soon after the game charges a premium for download again

Green_Ogre @ Aug 24th 2006 5:46PM

To #2

Well, the irony is that they didn't pay for anything when they downloaded this game. It's free for 2 days remember? And BTW

Today is the last day to get it folks! Starting tomorrow, it's 800 spacebucks! (Microsoft Points.)

Eric Von Shpeel @ Aug 24th 2006 5:47PM

I love the game and have no problem reading the text on my SDTV and for me there are only 2 problems

1. It is not real money so there is no incentive to play smart.People going all in with no cards on the table and winning because everyone folds. Lets see you do that in real life smart arse

2. Joining games. I cant ever seem to join a friends game, or they cant join. Lots of people saying this and we've noticed people, including myself having this problem on every single fuckin 360 online game with massive notice going to GRAW which is probably the worst net code ever seen.

Every game needs a patch, even the fuckin 16meg games. I am praying for a PS3 now because surely it couldnt be much worse than the experience Ive had with my 360.

minus_273 @ Aug 24th 2006 6:01PM

#12.

i dont know where you are looking, but best buy has HDTVs for $359. That and you can just use your PC's monitor. If you are using a 15 inch TV, a 15 inch monitor wouldnt be painfully small. Europeans have to pay immense taxes because of their stupid social programs. They have no right to complain about prices.

Dont believe me,

27inch 1080i flastscreen $359 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7601491&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050013&id=1130981881933

If you can afford a $400 console, why on earth are you playing it on a tiny SDTV?

Nerdtacular @ Aug 24th 2006 6:03PM

#20 - I totally agree. I spent about 20 minutes just trying to get into a game yesterday (between failures to load and the annoying sit/wait/rotation system)...and then found myself at a table with a bunch of jerks who just kept going all in. Usually before the flop.

I'm sure people will play smarter over time. Especially when it's not new and the people who are playing are playing to win. When I play poker on the interweb with fake money, it's always a better crowd when playing at a high buy-in or with higher blinds. Hopefully, this will be the same on XBLive as well...once I have enough cash to play outside of the amateurs with the same starting bankroll that they don't care about.

First impression: meh.

Presentlight @ Aug 24th 2006 6:03PM

There are several old-school CRT type of HDTVs under 30 in that you could probably get between 400-600 bucks.

Mountain Dew @ Aug 24th 2006 6:04PM

Joining a friend's game is easy. If they host a game, they can set aside a number of private seats for friends and then include public seats if you want others. Then it's just a matter of sending a game invite via the Xbox button. My friends and I did that last night, and it worked like a charm.

Bodie @ Aug 24th 2006 6:07PM

With the regular multiplayer games, it seems like you can go negative in your bankroll forever. I found the idiots going all-in with their two cards and with a little patience, rid them of their money. But they kept buying more chips and playing stupid over and over. I left with $300,000 and they were probably negative $100,000+. Now I have a giant bankroll and it looks like I'm a pro, when in reality I just found a couple of people that had no clue and milked their negative bankroll until I had to go to bed. This is just asking for abuse. What's to keep someone from talking a buddy into losing all of their money over and over again on purpose and building a sky-high bankroll?

If you run out of money, you should be given $1,000 or something and be forced to the "kiddy table" to work your way back up. I haven't tried the tournament mode. Maybe that's different?

Also, I joined a table with 3 other players and they just told me to fold. They said they're trying to get achievements and they needed me to fold. I assume they were going for 10 wins in a row or something. I left the table, but I was just a little disgusted.

Bodie @ Aug 24th 2006 6:09PM

Oh, I forgot one more fun bug. I was waiting to join a table and had 4 hands to wait before I was the big blind. Fine. Annoying, but fine. I get down to 1 hand left before I can join, then the person on my right leaves the table, shifting the blind down one, and my wait went back up to 4 hands.

Intangible 360 @ Aug 24th 2006 6:15PM

1. It's free!
2. I'm having nothing but good times with this game.

brad77 @ Aug 24th 2006 6:30PM

I agree with the others complaining about the lack of incentive to hold onto your bankroll. Since you can go negative, people just go all in without a second thought.

It'd be cool if you could link up with a buddy and join games together, or have a "follow mode" where you can follow a friend into any game that he/she joins, assuming there's an available spot.

The ability to view games would be really cool. That'd open up the possibility for holding online tourneys with spectators on Live. Add a prize or two, and you've created an incentive to play to win, rather than to talk a lot of shit and bet like a jackass.

Is there any news about whether or not Atari's Hold 'em game will be better (or free)?

I'm kidding about the free part.

sqweak @ Aug 24th 2006 6:38PM

another bug:

last night two players had a Q to complete an A high straight using the 10 J K A on the board. One player had AQ, the other Q10, and the pot was awarded to the first player. That should have been a split pot, and as big a part as split pots can pay in NLHE it's just inexcusable that it didn't work that way.

yes, it's free for now but that's no excuse for hyping it up, delaying it, and then releasing a half ass game.

Nerdtacular @ Aug 24th 2006 6:39PM

#28 - Activision has a World Series of Poker game coming out that looks pretty good. It also makes use of the Vision webcam. I didn't think I'd want it after getting the free Texas Hold'Em, but now I will consider.

brad77 @ Aug 24th 2006 7:00PM

@sqweak. That's not a split pot. When two players have the same hand, the winner is the one with the highest card "in the pocket." If both players have the same highest card, then compare the next highest card and so on.

That paid correctly. Although there was an ace on the board, P1 had an ace in the pocket. Pocket cards always beat cards on the board. In the end, P1 was holding the Ace in his Ace High Straight and P2 was holding the Queen in the same hand. If both players were _holding_ the same card, then it would have been a split pot.

Steven @ Aug 24th 2006 7:04PM

I was waiting to play last night, and just as I was about to join the game, the guy to the left of me left, and the big blind or whatever, skipped me, and I had to wait another 6 hands.

Then to add insult to injury someone joined, and made me wait another hand.

Its also extremely slow, the text on a standard resolution TV (28" widescreen Philips Flat screen) is unreadable. Play Uno then play this game, it shows you the difference between a rush job and a decent game.

Leshrac @ Aug 24th 2006 7:10PM

I actually had my 360 Freeze while I was playing it the other day (not sure why... didn't seem to overheat as far as I could tell), and I lost my entire buy in that I hadn't even played with yet.

Thanks MS!

rhork [this guy isn't realistic] @ Aug 24th 2006 7:17PM

they tricked you all into being beta testers. =p

Ian @ Aug 24th 2006 7:19PM

The biggest problem I have is when it freezes on me as I'm WAITING 4 turns to start playing. Then when I come back I lost all the money I brought to the game that I didn't fucking play. Other then that its real fun, and people should stop complaining about a so-far FREE game.

Cage @ Aug 24th 2006 7:30PM

"That's not a split pot. When two players have the same hand, the winner is the one with the highest card "in the pocket.""

Brad- Please dont post if you havent played Texas holdem before. Its the best five card hand. Its a straight. Your "sixth" card would not come into play because the best hand available (or nuts) is the ace high straight.

To others. Wait for the patch. I'm sure you arent having fun playing now anyway with players like "Brad" on there going all in all the time. Be patient it was FREE!!

DeejayKnight @ Aug 24th 2006 7:37PM

For those having XBL connection issues, forward the following port on your router: 3074 TCP/UDP.

I couldn't connect to any games beforehand, but after i opened that port, things went smooth. Try it, you might like it!

Ice @ Aug 24th 2006 7:44PM

Needs a mute all function. Some times it's just too much chit-chat. Sometimes its just racist profanity.

jonm @ Aug 24th 2006 7:49PM

Brad, Cage is right. Top 5 cards. Split pot. If the top five are all community cards, it doesn't matter. Split pot.

DeejayKnight @ Aug 24th 2006 7:49PM

@Cage:

Actually, with the Ace High Straight, Brad77 was correct in noting that the hand holding A Q would defeat a Q 10. It would be beaten because even though they both had a Straight, the first has an Ace High Straight versus a Queen High Straight.

They both have Q's, but putting an Ace vs a 10? In almost any card game will result in a win for the Ace.

jonm @ Aug 24th 2006 7:52PM

@ DeeJay Knight. Re-read sqweak's post. Ace, Jack, King and 10 are on the board. one has A Q the other has Q 10. Both have Ace high straights.

brad77 @ Aug 24th 2006 8:01PM

@Cage, by pocket, I was referring to the card in hand. I'm not playing 6-card poker, but I did get my wires crossed as the rules apply to a straight. Straights aren't ranked the way flushes are. Sorry about that. My mistake.

I've played quite a bit of Hold 'em, but thanks anyway, Cage. If you're down for a game tonight, look me up. If you look a little higher in the comments you'll notice that I'm complaining about people going all in all the time as well. You don't need to worry about that with me.