I should state off the top that I don't play games online multiplayer. I get anxious commenting on Reddit because of the upvote/downvote ratrace, let alone in a live game situation where everyone is shouting "Newb" and whatnot. No, I game because I don't want social interactions with people--not to invite more. So I play offline. This actually makes finding poker games and apps kind of hard. Few people seem interested in offline poker these days and--whether or not the app supports it--it's not an advertised feature.

But--! Pure Hold'em (which is of the Texas-only variety, sorry Omaha enthusiasts) has an offline mode against AI. And it looks good (as good as a poker simulator is going to; at least the table is in 3D with animated card deals and chips that clatter about). That alone makes it a decent purchase for poker fans.

Some execution errors keep the rating suppressed, however.

1. The worst thing about offline poker is that time between mucking your hand, and the conclusion of the round. Hell, that's probably the worst part about online poker, or in real life poker, too, although at least in those situations you can pay attention to what your opponents are doing because they aren't fucking AI. Which is why every poker offline poker game/app has a feature that lets you skip to the next round. Except Pure Hold'em. Pure Hold'em has decided that players want to watch every bid and every card flop, whether or not they're in the pot. And we don't. We want to just get on with it already. You know those runs where you muck ten straight hands? It's never felt slower than when playing Pure Hold'em.

2. While the offline part of the game features about five difficulty levels, which is pretty good, they aren't tournament-style tables. They're just sit down and play tables. So while you have a buy-in that limits the amount of chips you have at the outset, there's no endgame. You play until you bust out or you get bored. Sure, you can bust one of the AI opponents, but a couple of rounds later they've reupped and are back in the same seat they were in, as if nothing even happened. Offline poker needs the context of a tournament to be engaging. To be able to bust out players and have them stay out. To press towards a goal.

3. While perhaps necessary for a game that has an online component (which is, let's be honest, the main focus of the game, regardless of my own disinterest), it is worth noting that there is a currency being used (simply called "credits") and that running out of credits means you can't buy in to tables--online or off. It looks like you can purchase more (you'll excuse me for not being too interested in testing how that button works), or try to earn more by playing the one free offline table. I won't speak to how quickly credits accumulate at the free table, but if it's anything like it is at the buy-in tables, you're going to be stuck for a while.

Anyway, Pure Hold'em is a decent pickup if you like Texas Hold'Em poker and you find it on sale (it's currently $5 on PS4's store).