iPhone App Reviews

iBet Football Pro

Michael (Admin) | Oct 12, 2009 Sports

User rating: (10 votes, average: 3.70 out of 5)

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Pssst… I got a hot tip on tonight’s Monday Night Football game… it’s gonna be an UPSET! Miami’s gonna win!

Well on second thought, this is a pretty bad example since the NY Jets are only favored by 1 point which basically makes this game a tossup. Even iBetFootball PRO will tell you “DO NOT BET!!!” this game because it’s just too close to predict. What it does recommend, however, is that you take the Over which is 36 because iBetFootball is predicting the final score to total 39. Still pretty close, but hey it’s called gambling for a reason, right?

iBetFootball makes its predictions based on past game data, so in theory it should become more accurate as the football season goes on. How accurate was it this past weekend, you ask? Well, let’s see…

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Tags: $5.99, american football, casino, NFL

Double Feature: Let’Em Ride Pro and Baccarat Pro

Michael (Admin) | Sep 24, 2009 Games

User rating: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Allow me to quote myself:

“[21 Pro] is still one of the best casino games I’ve ever played on the iPhone… and I’ve played a few. Maybe it would be more accurate to say it’s the best casino series I’ve ever played; 3 Card Pro and 4 Card Pro are built on the very same foundation as 21 Pro”

Guess what else is built on the same foundation? Yep, Avalinx has built a rock-solid foundation for their casino franchise and Let’Em Ride and Baccarat are two more installments in the series. These are the kinds of games you see in casinos but may be too much of a wuss to try and, since I’ve raved about all of Avalinx’s casino games to date, the thing I want to stress this time around is what awesome learning tools these games are.

The payouts might be a little different in these versions, but the gameplay is right on… as usual… and if you’re planning to go to Vegas this weekend like I am then I’d really recommend trying your luck (or lack thereof) on these games while you “get the hang of it” before perching yourself at an actual table where getting cleaned out is a lot more painful than tapping the restart game button.

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Tags: $4.99, casino, mature

Double Feature: 3 Card & 4 Card Pro

Michael (Admin) | Sep 8, 2009 Games

User rating: (1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)

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364 days ago I reviewed Avalinx’s masterpiece 21 Pro: Blackjack and even now, a year later, it’s still one of the best casino games I’ve ever played on the iPhone… and I’ve played a few. Maybe it would be more accurate to say it’s the best casino series I’ve ever played; 3 Card Pro and 4 Card Pro are built on the very same foundation as 21 Pro, and they both come with the same slick graphics and smooth gameplay that the blackjack game features.

Some of you are probably wondering what the hell happened to good old 5 CARD poker like they play on TV, but if you play either of these games enough you’ll see why they’re so popular at casinos. 3 Card is vastly different from 4 Card, but both are easy to learn, fun to play, hard to win, and like most casino games, they can get pretty addictive even when you’re not playing for real money.

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Tags: $4.99, casino, mature, poker

B-Day Giveaway: 21 Pro: Blackjack, Part 2

Michael (Admin) | Jul 30, 2009 Games

User rating: (8 votes, average: 4.13 out of 5)

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10 more blackjack codes in case you missed the first round! Does this make up for the expired ooTunes and Enigma Machine?

iTunes Link – 21 Pro: Blackjack
21 Pro: Blackjack website

* Today is iPhone App Reviews.net’s birthday *

Tags: $4.99, casino, mature

B-Day Giveaway: 21 Pro: Blackjack

Michael (Admin) | Jul 30, 2009 Games

User rating: (4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

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If blackjack is your thing, get this app!! If there’s a more realistic Blackjack table on the iPhone I’d like to see it.

A few months after I reviewed this app last year in September, Huffington Post ran an article about how some complete jackasses were apparently using their iPhones to count cards at casinos. It’s true that 21 Pro: Blackjack includes a card counting option and a little info on it but puhhhhlease… trying to fire up an iPhone app at a blackjack table sounds about as intelligent as splitting face cards.

iTunes Link – 21 Pro: Blackjack
21 Pro: Blackjack website

Your iPhone blackjack dealer will screw you over whenever possible, just like in real life!

* Today is iPhone App Reviews.net’s birthday *

Tags: $4.99, casino, mature

Payday Roulette

Michael (Admin) | Nov 27, 2008 Games

User rating: (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Happy Thanksgiving! In honor of this wonderful (American) holiday I’m reviewing a casino game. I’m pretty sure there’s an inappropriate joke to be inserted here, but I’m not interested in pissing anyone off so I’ll just let it go. Enjoy your turkey or tofurkey or whatever it is you’re gorging yourself on today.

I have received exactly one free pack of cigarettes in my lifetime, and it was while sitting at a roulette table at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. I had been parked there for a few hours and one of the casino hosts asked if he could get me anything, I said Marlboros, and *voila* a hot girl in a miniskirt served them up. Know why he was being so nice? Because I was playing roulette, the biggest sucker bet in the house! It’s worse than “the field” in craps, and it’s far worse than “insurance” in blackjack. I speak from experience… never, EVER play roulette for real money. But if you’re just dying for some wheel action, Payday Roulette is the way to go.

Veiled Games went all out with this app. The graphics are gorgeous, you can do nearly every bet possible on an actual roulette table, and the odds of winning are every bit as bad. In fact, I think the only bet you can do in Vegas that you can’t do in Payday Roulette is a 0/00 split, where you put down one bet that can win on either of those numbers.

If you’ve never played roulette before, Payday Roulette does come with some instructions and a sample table that shows you where you can place your chips. The instructions aren’t very detailed, but in playing you’ll at least get an idea of just how easy it is for this game to screw you out of your life savings. If you go to an actual casino and still need help understanding which bets pay what, the dealer (called a croupier in roulette terms) will be glad to fill you in. But don’t be fooled by the 35:1 payout on hitting a single number… the odds against hitting it are usually 37:1.

In the improvements department, it would be nice if there was an easier way to place insanely large bets instead of dragging individual chips to the same spot, and an option to play a single-0 wheel would be cool, too. However, the only flaw I really think Veiled Games must fix is that the game won’t let you listen to music while playing. The in-game sound is nice, but some people just wanna rock out while spinning the wheel.

The iTunes App Store has a few different roulette games and so far Payday Roulette is the only one I’ve played, but I think it’s safe to say that this would rank among the “best in class” for this particular casino game… if not THE best. Roulette isn’t a complicated game, and I have a hard time imagining anyone making a significantly better app than this one.

If you like roulette or are just too chicken to try the Russian version, Payday Roulette is totally worth $.99. If it convinces you to stay off the real roulette tables you might even argue that it’s saved you a small fortune.

Tags: $.99, casino

THTouch

Michael (Admin) | Nov 13, 2008 Games

User rating: (4 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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I haven’t played any other Texas Hold ‘Em apps, but THTouch is so good I’m not sure I need to.

Right away you can get a sense of this game’s quality just by looking at the title screen. Launch the app and you get the THTouch logo which quickly flips itself 90° to let you know that it’s time to rotate your iPhone to landscape view. Simple but impressive! Little things always count in my book.

THTouch won’t teach you how to play Texas but if you have a basic understanding of the game it’s really easy to get into it, and the gameplay is easy thanks to Pit Garbe’s unique control wheel that magically appears when you hold your finger on the screen. In fact, if you play enough, you won’t even need the wheel… just slide your finger right to call a bet, up to bet/raise, or down to fold. All of the motions are the same as what you’d do on the wheel, but the finger-slide is a nice shortcut. The only option I don’t see on the wheel is “check” which is done by double-tapping your cards, similar to what you’d do at an actual poker table.

Under Setup you get to choose how many players are at the table (up to 10), put in your name, switch between a green or a black table, and set the size of your starting chip stack, among other things. You can even flip the table 180° if that feels more natural for whatever reason.

It’s hard to find much to complain about in THTouch, but if I were to add anything it would be an easier way to go “all in”. Right now you have to select each chip denomination invidually which isn’t hard, but it can be kind of a pain if you have an odd amount. The video below shows the player using an “all in” option on the wheel, but it looks like that was just when calling another player’s all-in bet.

I’d also like to see a way to crank up the aggressiveness of the computer players. They seem to bet pretty conservatively, and when I’m playing Texas I usually bet like an idiot, so having a table full of morons would probably make the game a little more interesting.

THTouch’s graphics are awesome, the sound is minimal which I don’t mind at all, and you can listen to your own music while playing. If you want to play Texas on your iPhone you really can’t go wrong here. THTouch is easily worth a buck.

Don’t worry, there’s no crazy techno soundtrack on this game – it’s only in the video

Tags: $.99, casino

ePokerHelper

Michael (Admin) | Oct 21, 2008 Games

User rating: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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If you’ve ever watched Texas Hold ‘Em on TV you’ve probably seen those odds they put in the corner of the screen for each player’s chances of winning. The percentages change as the game progresses and each player’s hand unfolds, and with any luck Mike Matusow quits running his big mouth and gets knocked out of the game.

Aloum’s ePokerHelper, formerly called iPokerHelper until a recent naming conflict came up, does kind of the same thing as that fancy odds calculator on TV but it’s for your hand only.

When you launch the app you’re shown four full decks of cards, one for each suit. As you’re dealt cards in real-life (ie: in an online game), just drag the corresponding cards from each of the decks to the bottom of the screen to match your actual hand.

The very bottom edge of the screen shows your statistical chances of winning, along with a one-word recommendation, on a table with anywhere from 2 to 9 players. A crappy hand will earn you a big red NO!!, and middle of the road hand will tell you Hum, and a great hand will say GO!!

You can either build your poker hand card-by-card, as if you’re sitting at a poker table, or you can have the app deal you random cards. ePokerHelper can also point out some hands that can beat you, like when you’re about to bet hard with a high straight and forget all about the flush draw that’s quietly staring you in the face.

I like this app, but it’s probably best used as a learning tool rather than an actual betting advisor. I mean, there are certain things that you just can’t count on any app to do… such as helping you read the betting patterns of the other players, or considering your betting position at the table. Poker is more than just odds, and the best players are also masters at playing the head game that comes with every hand.

If you’re a beginner at Texas or just love poker so much that you want to be able to construct hypothetical hands, ePokerHelper is probably worth $3.99. If you’re playing online and can build your hands quickly in this app, it might even pay for itself by convincing you to fold those pocket aces when three hearts come up on the flop. More experienced players, though, are probably better off relying on their gut instincts.

Edit: I just tapped on one of the hyperlinked words (“Texas Hold’em” or “Poker”) on the info screen and was expecting it to open Safari… instead it opened an in-app Wiki search tool! Weird. So consider that a bonus. Get ePokerHelper, and get “Wapedia” too.

Wapedia is ad-supported with little text links, but it could come in handy if you don’t already have Wikipanion. If you tap “Texas Hold’em” it opens Wapedia in English, and if you tap “Poker” it opens Wapedia in French (you can change the language by tapping Home (Accueil) > Languages).

Tags: $3.99, casino

iSlots

Michael (Admin) | Sep 17, 2008 Games

User rating: (5 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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I hate slot machines! The idea of sitting there forever, pushing the “spin reels” button, waiting for the big payoff until I’m dead behind the eyes… sounds more like purgatory than casino action. But old ladies in jumpsuits obviously love this crap and, let’s face it, casinos wouldn’t be casinos without all those flashing lights and musical reels, right?

iSlots is a super-accurate reproduction of your basic single-payline casino slot machine. It plays the music (optional), shows your total credits, number of credits to bet, and how much your last payout was. The only thing it doesn’t do is let you pull the arm down – you have to use the Spin Reels or Play Max buttons.

If mindless reel-spinning is what you’re in the mood for, iSlots definitely delivers it in style. Chris Miles has done an awesome job of recreating the slot machine experience all the way down to the terrible odds of “winning” more credits, and he even built it to let you listen to your own music while you play! And no, you don’t have to turn the game’s sound off to make this happen. That right there is huge, and to me it seems like pretty solid evidence that other developers who can’t (or won’t) let you listen to iPod music while an app is running just aren’t trying hard enough.

Tags: casino, free

21 Pro: Blackjack – Sponsored

Michael (Admin) | Sep 9, 2008 Games

User rating: (22 votes, average: 3.09 out of 5)

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Since this is a gambling app I think it’s important to note that, between Vegas, Atlantic City, and FullTilt.com, I’ve done my fair share of gambling. Granted, I may not be an expert, but I’ve played more than enough hands of blackjack to know what should be included to make this kind of gaming experience fun and realistic.

With that said, 21 Pro: Blackjack can be summed up with just four letters:

OMFG!

Avalinx LLC has clearly gone to great pains in faithfully recreating an actual, properly-run Vegas blackjack table (all the way down to the dealer’s card shoe!), and they’ve also built this game to appeal to everyone from total beginners to serious gamblers.

In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying that 21 Pro: Blackjack is so complete that it could literally take you from being 100% clueless to being a fairly respectable player within a few hours (or less?) and you’ll have a good time doing it.

I could probably write an entire book about this app, but I’ll spare you the long-winded explanations and give you the laundry list of info and features included in 21 Pro: Blackjack:

• History of the game (2+ screens of info)
• Rules & Terminology (8+ screens)
• Game Variations (3+ screens)
• Basic Strategy (1 screen)
• Basic Strategy Chart
• Card Counting basics (8 screens)
• Preferences to toggle on/off certain game options such as splitting and number of decks in the shoe
• Options to change tablecloth colors, card backs, and sound effects
• Gameplay: Split cards
• Gameplay: Double
• Gameplay: Surrender
• Gameplay: Buy Insurance
• Gameplay: Ask Dealer for advice
• Gameplay: View Card Counting Tables
• Gameplay: Rebet previous amount

This app is a lot of fun as a standalone game, but I can see two truly practical uses for it:

1. Prepare to play at a casino for real money
2. Practice card counting

If you’re planning a trip to an actual casino with the intention of hitting the tables, you absolutely have to get 21 Pro: Blackjack. Even if you’re not testing out a “system”, even if your wife/girlfriend already knows how to play, you need this to help you get into the gambling mindset and remind you just how easy it is to lose!

As far as card counting goes, all I know is that people write entire books on the subject. This app has some info on the KO and Hi-Lo systems that it uses, but if you’re serious about counting cards you probably want to make a trip to the library and study up before a real casino robs you of your entire bankroll. Still, I’m sure this app could serve as a great learning tool if you’re trying to develop some card-counting skills.

As complete as 21 Pro: Blackjack is, I can think of three improvements that would make it kick even more ass: a global high score (bankroll) board, the ability to play multiple hands, and multiplayer ability.

Global scoreboards are always great for bragging and this one could maybe get divided by average bet amount so the $5/hand weenies don’t feel left out, but playing multiple hands would be really sweet. Blackjack isn’t a game where you compete with others… your only enemies are the Dealer and people who play like total jackasses… but multiple hands would help quite a bit in learning to count cards, and sometimes it’s just more fun to play this way.

Multiplayer ability sounds really hard to implement, but if Avalinx could pull it off it would be amazing.

21 Pro: Blackjack’s sponsored version is exactly the same as the $4.99 version except for the ads that show up before games and in between shuffles, so get whichever one suits you. (Comments in the App Store indicate that you need to have an internet connection to play the sponsored version because of the ads, so keep that in mind if you’re going the cheap route.)

I haven’t played any other iPhone blackjack games yet, but I have a hard time imagining anything better than this.

(About the video below… there is no music in 21 Pro: Blackjack, just some nicely-done sound effects)

Tags: casino, free

iDice

Michael (Admin) | Aug 20, 2008 Games

User rating: (2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Dice games somehow always manage to be fun regardless of the circumstances (except when you’re getting slaughtered on a Vegas craps table, that is). iDice feels a lot like video poker but without all those pesky cards and suits and all that.

The basic idea behind iDice is to get as many points as you can out of 13 “hands”, many of which resemble poker hands. You get to roll the dice three times for each hand, and just like video poker you can hold certain “cards” (dice) that you want to keep. The catch is that you have to score each hand under one of 13 categories, and once you’ve used up a category you can’t use it again. Choose wisely and you’ll score a lot. Be an idiot and your score will suck.

That’s really all there is to it. Visually the game is very blah, but if you’re having fun with the dice you won’t care how plain-jane the interface is. When playing for the first time, however, even a seasoned gambler might be in the dark about how things are scored.

Here are the iDice scoring rules, straight from 1026 Development:

Ones, twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes: The score is the total value of that number dice.
(Ex. if you select “Twos” and have three 2′s, you will receive 6 points)

Three of a Kind: Must have 3 or more of the same dice value, score is total of all 5 dice
(Ex. 4, 4, 4, 2, 6 would be 4+4+4+2+6=20)

Four of a Kind: Must have 4 or more of the same dice value, score is total of all 5 dice
(Ex. 3,3,3,3,2 would be 3+3+3+3+2=14)

Full House: Must have 3 of one value and 2 of another, score is a set 25 points.
(Ex. 2,2,2,3,3 or 5,5,6,6,6 would both be worth 25 points)

Small Straight: Must have the value of four of the five dice in sequence, score is a set 30 points
(Ex. 1,2,3,4,6 or 2,3,4,5,4 would both be worth 30 points)

Large Straight: Must have the value of all five dice in sequence, score is a set 40 points
(Ex. 1,2,3,4,5 or 2,3,4,5,6 would both be worth 40 points)

Yahtzee: All 5 dice must have the same value, set value of 50 points
(Ex. 6,6,6,6,6 or 3,3,3,3,3 would both be worth 50 points)

Chance: Values of all 5 dice are added together, no matter what the die values are
(Ex. 1,3,2,5,2 would be 11 points and 5,6,2,5,1 would be 19 points)

Ohhhh so THAT’S what Chance is! It all makes sense now.

Aside from iDice needing some serious cosmetic work, it would also be nice to have the features that have become standard on so many other games… a menu/reset button, remembering where I was if I get interrupted, a high score board, things like that. Right now the game is essentially feature-less which is a shame.

iDice seems largely bug-free, but there were a few times when I know I had a certain hand like 4-of-a-kind or a full house, and the game gave me zero points when I selected the proper category! Ugh, luckily I didn’t have any money riding on those hands. This only happened a couple of times, but it still needs to be fixed.

My biggest complaint, though, has nothing to do with the actual gameplay itself… it’s that the “Instructions” page isn’t nearly informative enough! I didn’t know what Chance was, I haven’t played Yahtzee since I was about 9 so I didn’t know what that was, and in general I had to do a lot of guesswork to figure out the scoring system. Yes, I’ve posted the scoring here, but I’ll bet the ratings for this game would be much higher if this info were included with the app itself.

Hopefully 1026 Development can address some (or all) of these issues to make the game more user-friendly, but iDice is still a lot of fun the way it is. If you can get some competition going with a friend or two, it’s probably a blast. $.99 sounds about right for a simple game like this, so I say go ahead and take the gamble. If you like hitting the tables, odds are you’ll like it.

Tags: $.99, casino