A major US wireless company and a mobile media technology specialist
have joined forces with one of the top personalities in poker, Howard
"The Professor" Lederer to coach mobile phone users
in Texas Hold'em.
"Secrets of Hold'em" featuring The Professor is a project
involving Cingular Wireless and Summus Inc., and a maiden venture
by the wireless provider into poker-based mobile applications.
The product is said to combine exciting action and coaching for players,
enabling them to boost their Texas Hold 'em capability, and it can
be played as a stand-alone or in conjunction with an existing mobile
game. Features include expert hints, tips, and interactive strategy
charts designed to improve the players' appreciation and use of the
game, and an opportunity to play virtual clones of famous poker players.
Once they are confident in their ability as a result of the coaching,
players can challenge several computer-simulated, top AI poker celebrities
such as Annie Duke, Chris
Ferguson, Phil Gordon,
Matt Savage, and Greg Raymer. The game starts with $500 a player and
gamblers enter a series of tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $100
to $10,000. The biggest prize of the game comes when players win the
$10,000 and they get to face the professor himself in a head-to-head
contest.
Lederer is impressed with the way in which Summus captured the spirit
and feel of his tutorial products, integrating it into an entertaining
and challenging mobile Hold'em game. "We are excited at
the prospect of imparting poker knowledge via mobile phones at any
time or location," he says.