Polish Your Game with Poker Smash

Granted most people who have played poker for a while may not see a whole lot of value in the next Xbox Live Arcade game coming down the pike (outside of a little harmless fun) but crafty gamers can find a use for Poker Smash besides whiling away an hour or two – getting the spouse into the game.

There are a lot of "Poker Widows" out there (and these days, Poker Widowers as well) – ladies who miss the time they used to get with their fellows that are now taken up with the guys logging online to play poker or heading down to the local poker room. While more women than ever are joining in on the fun with Texas Hold'em and other poker games, there are plenty of folks (guys as well as gals) who find the whole thing just a bit intimidating. Enter Poker Smash.

Poker Smash is a bit like Tetris and bit like Mix n Match, with a poker theme. Developed by Void Star Creations, this game will be out on the Xbox Live Arcade on February 6th and will run a cheap 800 Microsoft Points. At its very simplest, Poker Smash is a puzzle game with a poker theme.

Players track cards as they move up the screen (similar to both Tetris and those matching games where you try to get the right music beats by timing button presses). You can match up the cards to make poker hands, like straights and flushes, in order to make the cards disappear. Fill up your screen with cards and you lose.

This may not have the same thrill as coming over the top of an aggressive fish with an all in bet while holding the nuts, but it is nice and easy for someone who is a bit wary of sitting down at the poker table; and it is a good primer on what poker hands are out there as well.

(Editor's Note: If, on the other hand, you are up for real poker, sign up with Paddy Power Poker to get $600 and play!)