The shame about Stacked (with Daniel Negreanu) for the PS2 is that, for all that it is a slickly presented, well-executed, highly addicting game at the top of its' genre – I'm just not sure how I can recommend it to you. Neither is anybody else, for that matter. Blurbs on the box read, “Halo with Chips!” and “the Madden of poker games!” You know, the sorts of quotes that are trying to say what you need to hear, but really aren't saying anything at all.

It's not easy to push a virtual card game in the console market. I mean, when you're dealing with those giants of the genre which we all remember, like High Rollers Casino, or World Poker Tour, or Poker Masters – okay, I'm kidding. I don't remember those games. Neither do you. They're languishing in the bottom of a Wal-Mart overstock bin somewhere, gathering dust and spiders, lonely and seeking love in a world that doesn't love them back. It's not their fault, you know. They have a lot to live up to! Most PC poker games are faster, more no-nonsense, and are either completely free, or give you the opportunity to play for real money. And you can get a plain old deck of cards just about anywhere for far, far cheaper than a video game, and play your friends without ANY of the hassles of online play (my friends do occasionally quit before losing, curse at me, or lag out on me in real life, but that's my fault for not reading their Terms of Use). For that matter, depending on where you live, you could just put take the money you would have spent on the game, fill your tank with gas, and head to someplace where you can really get your gamble on!

A console poker title has to bring a lot to the table. And I'll give them this – with Stacked, for all its' intrinsic weaknesses, developer 5000 Ft. Inc. definitely does bring it.

Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular current variant of the basic poker game, but if you're not a shark, it might sound a little intimidating to you. Stacked's “Poker School” tutorial videos, presented by World Series of Poker Tournament champion Daniel Negreanu, provide the new player with a brief but thoughtful and well put-together look at the basic rules of the game. They're divided into chapters, so you can return to any point you might be unclear on, and Negreanu's tips on how to play competitively are useful and to-the-point.

The character creation system is a bit of a gas, as it really does consist of an assortment of characters that look like you'd find them in a casino. You can find your ideal somewhere in between paunchy older-looking guys, college dilettantes, skinny hustlers, and middle-aged women with librarian glasses. While I like the models, the system itself could have benefited from a bit more depth. You can't really do much more than change the clothing skins on the basic body types, and once you get into a game you'll quite frequently see versions of the same body type sitting right by each other, which takes something away from the experience.

You can play a “pick up” Quick game at any time, or once you've created a character, you can get started on the long haul of “Career Mode,” which consists of a wide assortment of options. You can just try to build your bankroll in the free public games, or you can start hitting up the various single and multi-table tournaments in order to unlock your way into more casinos, as well as the higher-class VIP tournaments. It's good to start off in the shallow end of the pool, at the free or low buy-in tournaments, but as you gain skill you're going to want to move up to the bigger tournaments, not just to unlock the cool pro player models, but because you're going to want to speed things along. Playing for low dollar amounts, you're going to find that just as in Vegas, depending on your skill level and your luck, you can stay at the table for hours.

The interface is relatively easy to get the hang of, but has a few quirks that could have been polished. Left and right on the D-pad move you back and forth along the menu options, where you can look at your “hole” cards (there's a menu setting that enables you to display this in a window so you don't have to look all the time), get in-game tips from Negreanu based on your hand, “Smile” or “Frown” (I don't really know what purpose these serve beyond trying to irritate other players online), manipulate the camera, or use chat functions. Up and down on the D-pad adjust the size of your bet. It bothers me that you have to close the left/right menu by moving all the way to the left, before you can move up or down – it's a minor fault, but it got on my nerves quickly.

The in-game advice is about as polished as it can be for a game of this sort. It essentially gives you hints based on a statistical read of what's in your hand. It usually provides good advice, but following it blindly can lead you to disaster, when that river card comes down and gives your opponent a flush while you're sitting on your meaningless two pair. Most players will lean on it a bit in the beginning, but it's best to wean yourself off of it as quickly as possible and learn to go with your gut, using the advice button only when you're really stuck for a decision.

So how does it really play, though? Historically, virtual poker games have suffered because it's really hard to come up with an AI that can intelligently navigate the human process of “bluffing,” the thing that changes poker from pure chance into something really deep and interesting. Stacked's highly-touted AI is based on the “Poki” and “Xenbot” AI developed at University of Alberta, which in turn have been tweaked into a number of distinct personalities in the game, each one with its own aggressive or defensive style and tendencies. This gives a really natural feeling to the games, and you eventually begin to get a real feel for the different sorts of personalities, which ones will go out on a limb for a bluff, which ones will regularly try to bully you into a fold, et cetera. It's not perfect, but it's far and away the closest I've ever felt a simulation come to putting me into the same mindset that I use to play against real people. In other words, for a moment or two there, it really felt like I was gambling, and that's pretty amazing when you stop to think about it.

And maybe that answers the question I posed at the beginning of this review. As a PS2 game, in and of itself, it's very hard for me to recommend this title, because it doesn't seem to line up with any of the reasons why people actually play cards, like for the gambling rush, or to be social (There's a LAN option, but really, if you're sitting around with your friends, why wouldn't you just reach for a couple of decks of cards?). Nor does it line up with any of the reasons people choose to play video games! The core mechanic of Texas Hold'em is, like good old computer Solitaire, very addictive while you're in the middle of it, but that's all it's got going for it – once you step away, you immediately realize that in a gaming world containing daring adventures of all types and scenarios, there's very little reason to waste an afternoon doing something you could have done WITHOUT a video game system.

It's best to think of Stacked as a Texas Hold'em trainer or simulator, and as far as those go, it's absolutely the best thing out there, and more fun than it has any right to be. Keep it as a tool to hone your game from time to time, or to give you the background and courage to maybe sit in on a couple of real games yourself. Or train in secret and card shark your friends and significant others when they least expect it! If you're going to grab a copy, now is definitely the time – Myelin Media and MTV are promoting this sucker pretty hard, and there are regular online tournaments going on for all platforms. (Check the MTV site for more information). Or get your hands on the PSP version, which is a really handy distraction for a long plane trip or a line at the DMV. I suppose it's kid-friendly too, but it's a rare kid that will be reaching for this game before Pokemon or Kingdom Hearts. It's a game for poker enthusiasts, not for video game enthusiasts.

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