Heads Up: Hold'em version 2 (very close...)

So very close...

The AI player is playing quite well. Well enough, in fact, that we will need to add some personality options to dumb it down a bit if people want that.

A lot of our testing is done with the cards exposed and I sometimes laugh when it seems to make an exceptionally good play.
One hand that comes to mind, the AI flopped Aces-up and just checked it to me. I checked behind with my Queen high. The turn was a blank and the AI checked again. I decided that in a 'real' game I would take a stab here, so I did expecting the AI to check-raise me so I could fold (I tried to play as if I would without seeing his cards). Nope, he just called. The river was a queen and the AI threw out about a 2/3 pot sized bet. Wow, it let me catch up enough that I would pay off the bet in a real game. NICE!
I've also seen it bluff-raise me with nothing on scary scary boards. It will look foolish when it fails, but will work a high percentage of the time. Nice!

The current To do list is:

• AI Personalities. (Pro, Amateur, & Tourist will likely be the ones in this next version. But unconfirmed...)
  
• Add different blind levels and starting stack size options.
• Add (optional) blind increases
• Save the game when exiting the program.
• Fix a few bugs. (Fewer and fewer of these...)

Heads Up: Hold'em version 2

Let's start calling this thing "Version 2" instead of Version 1.1. There are some big (VERY BIG) changes here.

The game you know (and hopefully love) from version 1 is still intact. Essentially unchanged. No worries there.

COOL NEW THING #1: CHIPS

The 'with chips' version of the game is looking fabulous. This is pictured here. The elegance of the original is maintained. The only item added which looks more like a UI feature from software instead of just the cards and chips is the 'spinner' which is used to set bet amounts. I even made this look like a poker chip a little bit to keep the theme.
While this should be clear from the picture, set the bet amount with the spinner and then push the stack of chips into the betting circle to commit it. Simple, nice, as close to a real game as we could simulate.

The "stack" graphics (shown in the draft picture on my previous post) were cut for simplicity and screen size limitations. It also means that every chip shown on screen is currently 'in play.' And it matches the online poker clients which don't try to show a player's chips graphically and just give a number.

COOL NEW THING #2: PLAY VS. THE IPHONE

Remember when I said there would not be a computer player?
I believe it went something like

There have also been requests for a single-player version. I don't think this will happen.
...
Seriously, people: POKER IS A GAME TO BE PLAYED AGAINST OTHER PEOPLE NOT AGAINST A COMPUTER!

He he he... Oh, those were good times...

Well, I was wrong. there WILL BE a computer player that you can play against. We are currently working on the AI to make it play some reasonably decent poker. It's close.

Finished:

• 2-player game with chips.
• mechanics of single-player game vs. iPhone or iPod.
• Pretty good AI player.
  

Current development:

• Tweak and refine AI player.
  

To-do:

• Configuration for blind levels and starting stacks.
• Increasing blinds for tournaments. Blinds will increase per number of hands rather than on a timer. 10-100 hands per level (in increments of 10) will be configurable.
  (note: There will also be a 'manual' blind change setting if using a timer.)
• Possibly add configuration or several defined 'personalities' for the AI.
  

And there you have it!