Pag on Games

Texas Hold ‘em Poker is a brilliant game. Those who dismiss it as just gambling are missing the incredible brilliance and depth behind it. You’re not really playing cards, you’re playing your opponents — the cards just add the randomness to make bluffing possible. Bluffing elevates a mere game of chance to a game of subtle psychology and manipulation.

I admit that I don’t play much actual poker — it’s an expensive hobby. That’s why I’d like to see more games use bluffing as a part of gameplay. Very few video games involve any bluffing at all. I’m guessing that’s because computers aren’t that good at handling lying.

Indeed, letting players bluff means letting them lie — whether with words or with actions. If a poker player places a big bet on a poor hand, he’s prentending to have good cards, which is essentially a lie. A game that’s good for bluffing will give high rewards for successfully lying, but harsh penalties for getting caught.

A bluffing game will also give partial information to other players. The cards common to all players in Hold ‘em give hints about what other players might have. This information helps guess why a player bets the way he does, but it’s also a good way to manipulate other players. In a bluffing game, information reduces randomness — too little information given away transforms the game in a game of chance, too much and there’s no room left to bluff. The perfect balance depends on the game.

Bluffing is the next big feature in gaming, especially with social party games, believe me. I wouldn’t lie to you, now would I?