I’ve been playing Pick Em poker over on Silver Oak Casino, which is the one site I frequent that I’ve found it on. I decided to give it a try because I wanted to play something a little different, and when it comes to Video Poker, Pick Em Poker certainly is different. The problem is that so far, I haven’t discovered the appeal of the game.
Pick Em Poker strikes me as a video poker game trying to cash in on the Texas Hold ‘em poker craze. Most video poker games are played more like 5 card draw where you are dealt five cards and decide which to hold and which to discard and then pick up some new cards. But Pick Em poker deals you four cards, the two to the left of the screen work more like the community cards, which means you can’t discard them, no matter how bad they are.
You also have two revealed cards that sit on top of pre-dealt stacks of three cards. You choose one of these stacks and the other two are revealed, showing you your hand. So, when you look at the four cards you have in front of you, you have two that you can’t discard. Then you have two of which you can only keep one.
The lowest winning hand is a pair of nines or better, which might sound like good news. But overall, this is a game that just doesn’t work for me. Essentially, you choose once in this game and don’t have the control to hold or discard that you do in other video poker versions. It may be designed to feel a bit like Texas Hold’em, but there is no opponent to outsmart or out bluff. Just a machine. If you play this one, I recommend starting with practice games for no money. Then decide if you want to risk your real money on it.
