Two Words, One Answer.
Tournaments 2006
 Highlights of the 2006 Masters Tournament $14.95 This is a great DVD, produced by the folks at the Masters Tournament, that shows all the ends and outs of the 2006 Masters. There is Arnold Palmer, the Par Three tournament, Green Jackets, Caddies and four rounds of golf nicely summarized in one hour or so. Plus there is the Winner's interview and Green Jacket presentation. To see Tiger Woods hang the Green Jacket on Mickelson is almost worth the price of the whole package. The views of the Masters that the general viewers do not get on Master's TV coverage is great too. The Golfers arriving in the dark is just great.  2006 Masters Tournament $19.95 The official highlights of the historical 2006 Masters on DVD. Every year, the anticipation for this historical event mounts and all eyes focus on Augusta, Georgia as the top pros battle it out. Knowing that the top five players in the world were on Sunday's leader board, the final result of the 70th Masters was not a surprise, yet the Tournament was loaded with surprises. Phil Mickelson, the 2004 champion, won his second title and recorded his eighth straight top 10 finish in Augusta. The official video of the 2006 Masters contains pictures not seen on television. Be part of the tradition and relive the Highlights of the 2006 Masters Tournament. Additional Special Features are included only in the DVD version.  No Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament Edition 2006 $19.99 I very rarely review products, but this one needs it. I primarily got DD Poker to play against live opponents, at which the game is fairly good, if not a bit slow. I did want to practice against AI opponents as well, however, hoping to find some game theory implementation so that I could practice against statistically consistent players of different types. There is nothing consistent about the AI in this game. The AI can often see the flop (and sometimes as far as the river) before it happens. According to the player type descriptions, a solid-tight AI player will not open with anything worse than A-Q or a big pair. After being a bit confused by some showdowns I was seeing, I turned on the cheat feature to see what these players were playing before the flop (there is a checkbox for "Computer Cards Face Up"). The experience was very revealing. A solid-tight AI player at my table was tight enough to fold pocket kings to a re-raise pre-flop. That same player took 7-2 off-suit and not only called a re-raise but came over the top all in. The flop came 7-7-2. Curious? I was too, so I kept playing and kept watching. Much of the time, it was obvious that the AI had prior knowledge of the table before the cards came down. A tight player would keep calling and betting pocket 2's on a dangerous board and then a 2 would hit the river. That same player would fold an overpair to a half-pot bet on a safe flop. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. In addition, I am somewhat sure that the AI could, at least occasionally, see my pocket cards. I was at a table with 2 maniacs who were raising and re-raising every hand for 42 straight hands, with an average of 4 people going to the flop on each hand. I got pocket aces in the big blind, and they walked me. Now, I suppose that is statistically possible, but it happened three times at that same table (2 pairs of aces and 1 pair of kings), each time when I was in position after the maniacs. In every case but those three hands, the blind was at least raised. While this could be a statistical anomaly, it is strange enough to be worth mentioning. It is obvious that the team who wrote the AI was both lazy and incompetent. I am a computer programmer and a poker player, and I could easily have done a better job than this. They had their computer players cheat because they couldn't figure out how to have them play after the flop or learn another player's betting patterns. They also have no understanding of actual poker play, as evidenced by the "high-skill" players who will call their pocket 5's all-in when someone moves on a board of 10-Q-A suited. This has to be the most disgraceful attempt at poker AI we have ever seen. My wife (herself an excellent poker player who also bought a copy of this game) pointed out that the AI in the Vista Hold 'Em game is superior to that of DD Poker. They should be ashamed. I am prepared to back up my review with action. Because of this game, I have decided to produce a poker game to compete directly with this one. It will offer most of the same functionality, and the AI will be usable, configurable, and intelligent. I will have it available for sale on Amazon within six months, and I will make the price comparable to the price of DD Poker. I don't care if you buy it, I just want a game to use among friends, and I also want to make sure people have the option to avoid DD Poker. |
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