Theta Poker

Developer: Theta Poker
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0

Graphics / Sound [rating:3/5]
Game Controls [rating:4/5]
Re-use / Replay Value [rating:5/5]

Overall Rating:

Theta Poker is the ugly ducking of the poker category in the App Store. But that just proves that looks aren't everything. Theta Poker blows the current leader, Apple's own Texas Hold'em out of the water when it comes to game play. Specifically the computer opponent AI is 1000x times better. The added game options make it perfect for people looking to tune their game.

Theta Poker makes good use of the touch screen to allow you to swipe your card into the center of the screen to fold, swipe your chips to go all in, etc. It's intuitive and well done. This app also includes some good help screens that provide some good poker information.

While Texas Hold'em is the only game Theta Poker supports, there are 4 different ways you can play. Practice Ring or Tourney and normal Ring and Tourney. If playing tournament you can choose the number of players in the game 12, 36, or 60. In addition, you can choose the number of people per table from 2-10. There are plenty of options for changing game parameters such as starting stack, blind size and progression, etc. The computer skill can be changed to 3 different levels.

While Theta Poker is a fantastic game for Hold'em -- it would be fantastic to see other games in the series. Ante games, Omaha, etc. would be fantastic additions. Would also love to see some sort of social aspect to the game.

Theta Poker is the best Texas Hold'em game available for the iPhone OS, hands down. But I really wish Theta would take some of their poker winnings and hire a user experience and graphic designer. This is not the app for you if you want to learn the game, but if you already know it, you'll love how smart the AI is.