Pokertown: Cheater's Paradise is a simulation title developed by Matthies Games. In this classic card game of Texas Hold’em, you’re not just competing with your cards; you’re competing with your ability to cheat without getting caught. Yes, that’s right, this game encourages you to play dirty to win.

In Pokertown: Cheater's Paradise, you are going to use a variety of cheating methods to gain the upper hand, which does seem petty, but then you realize that you’re up against crooks of the criminal underworld, and then come to the conclusion that cheating might just be the only strategy.

Deal yourself a winning hand

Pokertown: Cheater's Paradise is a single-player Texas Hold’em game, where you’re going to use real-life cheating techniques to beat your opponents in Pokertown, a shady underworld ruled by criminals. It’s a unique experience, since it’s not your typical luxury casino setting, but rather a gritty environment you’re playing in. Nevertheless, you still get the authentic Texas Hold’em experience, complete with the same rules.

As you progress through the game, you learn different cheating methods, such as stealing, swapping, and bottom dealing. If you catch your opponent bluffing about their “winning hand,” you can mark their cards and then come back to them later on when the need to cheat arises. Your opponents aren’t just bland, mindless AI; they also have distinct personalities that react when you’re caught cheating.

The difficulty scaling is pretty smooth, as the tournaments start with weaker opponents and later on, tougher and sharper ones. There are also no microtransactions, so you’re going to have to use your skill in Poker — and of course, cheating — to win. Although this game isn’t really appealing to some, due to the nature of cheating and being rewarded for dishonesty rather than playing fair to win.

A game that encourages deceitful play

Overall, Pokertown: Cheater's Paradise is yet another Texas Hold’em game, but it offers a unique twist by adding cheating mechanics to make it more engaging. It truly is an innovative take, as there are already a lot of poker games out there. However, if you’re the type to play fairly, you’re not going to have fun with this game, since cheating is the main concept designed around it.