Poke Her!

In the words of Douglas Adams: DON'T PANIC! Despite the title, this is not the beginnings of some perverted new game idea, and nor is it some misguided attempt to bring Facebook to the forefront of my blogs. In fact, it is an entry completely devoid of any sexual or other inuendos (in YOUR endo), excepting that one. Surprising as it may be, this article is actually about Poker! (pause for silence while thousands of upset Googlers return to their search results for 'poke her').

This blog is about an idea that has been floating around the edge of my consciousness for the last couple of weeks, conveniently avoiding the more productive parts of my brain when I actually have the time to write about it. The idea initially stemmed from a comment made by the lecturer in one of our recent games lectures. I believe it was in week 5 or 6, whilst discussing uncertainty in games, and the topic of poker was raised. To be honest, it's entirely moot what lecture it actually took place in, as the idea itself was not really in direct relation to the lecture content...or anything for that matter, except Poker. As I have once again written a couple of hundred words (198 as of last sentence for those playing at home) without actually really saying anything much at all, I'll try to get on with the rest of this post.

I was thinking about how a game can be significantly changed by simply modifying some rules (it is quite possible that this thought was also prompted by the lecture). By making a slight modification to game mechanics, or a gentle tweak to game balance, the entire game, and the way it is played, can be completely altered. Enter brilliant (or more likely catastrophic and destined for failure) idea for Poker: Replace chips (money in the Poker game for those poor souls who have been cruelly sheltered from the wonderful world of gambling) with soldiers! And watch the whole game unfold and fall into disarray. Most likely burning as well - that always happens when soldiers are involved.

Actually, the idea is slightly more developed than that. Betting is the core mechanic in Poker (and indeed bluffing, as the two go hand in hand). Remove money from the equation and the game very quickly becomes much more a game of luck than skill (what is the point in holding out for that great hand, or bluffing your opponent, when nothing is at risk). However, I was wondering at how successful a game could be by not removing the betting from Poker as such, but replacing it with a significantly different mechanic. Instead of chips, a player has soldiers. More radically, the soldiers committed to an engagement do not simply represent a player's confidence in their hand, but become an integral factor in the strength of a player's hand. How? Take the following Texas Hold'Em:

Your hand: Ace (spades), 6 (hearts)
Opponent's hand: 7 (hearts), King (clubs)
Flop: King (diamonds), 3 (spades), Jack (hearts)

Being the adventurous player that you are, you would normally at least call here, holding out for the unlikely event of a queen and 10 in the turn and river. So, you commit a token force to the engagement, as does your opponent.

Turn: Ace (diamonds)

Well the straight is out, but pair aces isn't that bad. Just as a backup, you send in another unit of men to bolster your claim. Your opponent considers the situation, noting the most recent card on the table, and starts considering how much he actually needs those already committed soldiers. Rightly, he assumes that you both must be at a near equal position, and so commits an unit himself.

River: King (hearts)

The final blow, although you don't know it. Two-pair, you've probably got this. But why is your opponent sitting back, relaxed? Why does he only send in enough men to clean up after the slaughter's over? Scared? Well, you've got the man-power, so make him hurt for his victory. You send in your complete force!

Cards are shown; three kings beats two pairs, opponent laughs smugly. However, unfortunately for him, he didn't commit nearly enough men to survive your 5000 angry soldiers. Each wielding 2 pears!

This example serves to give an idea how the game might pan out. Obviously, this is by no means a complete idea, and there are several areas that would need to be thought out, such as mechanics for exactly how a player's soldiers impact the strength of their hand. However, it is, I believe, an interesting idea and concept, and a very different approach to Poker which could allow for a whole different kind of tactics to be employed in the game. In another post, I'll look more into this idea and various issues associated with it (sadly, as with all my ideas I seem to be finding more holes in it the more I think about it).