Pure Hold’em is a poker simulator from VooFoo Studios. VooFoo Studios are also the makers of other lounge games like Pure Pool. In a nutshell, it’s a tiny casual game in which you play hold’em against AI or other players online. At first, I was very doubtful about the amount of fun I could get from this game because I had never played poker in real life. I have never been too enthusiastic about card games. However, upon completing the tutorial, I dived right into offline play and I was quickly hooked. I couldn’t stop playing.
The game features a set of very realistic 3D graphics design that simulates a poker lounge. Instead of using real human models, a player is represented by a tablet-like device that shows their picture, name, current credits, and bidding options. There’s no dealer, instead magical flying cards get dealt to each player in a swift and aesthetically appealing way. In settings, almost every elements on the table can be customized. There are three distinct decks and chips, customizable table cloth patterns and colors. I personally like the Bewitch card deck which has awesome chic texture and golden details.
The gameplay is very easy and relaxing. The tutorial is well made that I learned the rules in one try. However, one must get familiar with winning hand conditions to spot the opportunity. Luckily, there’s an in-game hand guide that offers a convenient reference. In each game, a chance of winning calculator displays the percentage of winning based on available info of both your hand and the cards on the table. It’s a relatively good indicator but sometimes the game takes a dramatic turn after revealing three to four more cards.
Just like in a real poker lounge, Pure Hold’em can’t be good without a decent soundtrack that befits the environment. The background music ranges from jazz, rap, disco, instrumental rock to classical. It is a somewhat odd collection but never felt discordant.
One thing that’s worth mentioning is that during the review, I was able to enter a tournament, but the waiting time is excessive. It is a fantastic poker simulation, but it doesn’t quite simulate the thrill and adrenaline rush of playing poker with real money. The game offers in-game purchase of its credit as tokens for games and tournament. Nevertheless, I don’t see the appeal of spending real money to buy such credit. I get just as much fun from playing at smaller table with much less bids. A possible alternative I’d suggest is that it’d be a lot more interesting if players can gamble with Xbox Store credit in this game. Then I’d have more incentive to purchase the in-game tokens as long as it’s freely exchangeable with Xbox credit. Maybe brokering a deal with Microsoft to feature something like the Diablo 3 in-game store would have worked here. It would have added to the rush.
Overall, Pure Hold’em is a nice poker simulator that offers superb graphical representation and gameplay. However, the fun is very limited due to the fact that there’s no significant reward from playing or earning in-game credits. Maybe just as its name suggests, it’s purely about playing poker. I was just hoping for that extra kick.
Xian was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 162 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.