Governor of Poker (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Texas Hold 'em consists of two cards that are dealt face down to each player and five community cards that are placed face up in the middle of the table by the dealer, in a series of three cards ("the flop") followed by an additional card ("the turn") and lastly another additional card ("the river"). Each player has the option to check, bet, raise or fold after each deal. Whoever gets the best combination with their own two cards and the five community ones wins the round and usually all the money in the pot.

Aside from the option to jump into a quick game from the main menu, there's the story mode. The main objective of this mode is to earn money by winning games of poker, and then using said money to buy buildings and slowly take over the entirety of Texas.

There are two types of competitions to enter: regular tournaments and cash games. In the former, each participant pays a set entry fee and money is only awarded to those who place highly. For example, early on, only 1st to 3rd places out of a tournament of eight players gain money, while later on, the number of participants drastically increases to 16 and higher by having multiple tables at once that eventually merge. The potential winnings are a lot higher, but it's far more difficult to last long enough to make it into the top rankings, especially against random AI opponents that don't mind taking risks the player simply can't afford to.

The alternatives to tournaments are cash games, that still have an entry fee, but with the option to leave after each round, with all money that's hopefully been gained instead of lost. Buildings can also be bet in this mode with 90% of their market value. These are the way to go later on, when the tournaments become incredibly hard to profit off. It doesn't change the fact that it's one tedious grind, though.