ONLINE POKER FOR XBOX 360


Posted 1/6/11 : Top electronics show chosen to preview new Microsoft poker product
 
The Xbox 360 Live community is all a-twitter about the apparently imminent launch of a new poker app. following emails seeking beta testers and reports that the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will be the initial showcase for the product.
 
Emails from Microsoft Game Studios have reportedly invited players to participate in a beta test program for a product with a working title of Full House Poker, stressing the need for confidentiality….as it turns out a vain hope.
 
The new offering will be multiplayer and online by nature with up to 30-player tourneys and a game show format, but will only be accessible during approved sessions. Players can be taken out of the action when they lose their chips, although thus far the rewards for success appear confined to leaderboard positioning and Xbox points.
 
Players will be represented by individual avatars, and will be able to select ‘unique' tells whilst in action. There will likely be a hand history feature, and a new game branded "Texas Heat", which reports suggest may be similar to the Rush Poker concept made popular last year by major online poker websites.
 
Early reports note that users can play "…heads up in fast, two-player games, join 30-player tournaments, or play a round of Texas Heat, a live poker game show where thousands of players worldwide compete and have 30 minutes to bluff, bet, and raise their way to a final table."
 
Subsequent reports indicate that the new product may also be targeted on the mobile apps market through Windows 7 Phone.