For many gamers, knowing how to stay calm during tense situations and staying competitive is important for in-game success. Some gamers develop these skills through out-of-game experiences, like the classic card game poker.
Nowadays, online poker has become a popular hobby and pastime for many. Acccording to a Computers in Human Behavior Reports study, this increase in popularity may also be thanks to government regulations on poker sites. Researchers found that players who think regulation eases poker site transactions are willing to pay and participate more. At the same time, government regulation seems to offer an assurance against future government disruptions in the market.
At the same time, poker has stayed one of the more popular card games throughout the years, with digital and online variants helping boost accessibility and convenience for players. Some of the best video games set in different time periods and universes still have poker minigames to keep players occupied and engaged. In this post, we'll take a look at some of the best poker minigames in video games:
Red Dead Redemption 2
One of the best in-game poker experiences in modern titles is Red Dead Redemption 2's (RDR2) poker minigame. Set in a fictional, 1899 America, RDR2's vast open world allows players to explore the large map and engage in various minigames, including popular casino games like poker and blackjack. Poker also plays an importance in the game's main mission, and remains one of the best ways to make money.
While there are many poker variants available, RDR2 uses the Texas Hold'em poker format. Today, this quintessential American online poker game is still the most popular. Of course, most poker variants stick to the same basic ideas, so using RDR2 for practice can help prep you for real-life poker games. Leading poker site Americas Cardroom incorporates the same state-of-the-art Random Number Generator software RDR2 employs to give players a fair chance when playing, so that you get a similar enough experience. Thus, paving the way for a foray into the real game once you feel comfortable enough to enter the poker scene.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Another beloved title from Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto 5 kept open-world fans occupied for a long time before the much-awaited release of RDR2. While poker isn't a main component of GTA 5's main game, it's a popular game mode on GTA's online servers, GTA Online. In a game mode where players kill and rob each other to accumulate the most money and assets, playing poker at the fictional Diamond Casino & Resort is a great way to kick back and avoid the usual noise and explosions seen around GTA Online.
Recently, a game store in Uruguay nearly broke the Internet for almost leaking the GTA 6 release date — although this was very quickly debunked. While Rockstar fans will still have to wait some more for further news of GTA 6, many are already cracking their knuckles for a potential Diamond Casino return in GTA 6's Vice City setting, where poker and high-adrenaline casino heists provide money and glory opportunities.
Watch Dogs
Another open world game on this list, Watch Dogs allows players to play poker at different locations around Chicago. Like RDR2, Watch Dogs uses the Texas Hold' Em format and offers four levels of poker, with the prize pool pot going higher and higher at each succeeding level. One thing Watch Dogs encourages in its poker minigame, however, is for players to use the Profiler feature to "cheat" by analyzing other AI players' stress levels and win/lose ratio.
For fans of the Watch Dogs games (there are three so far, counting 2020's Watch Dogs: Legion), a Watch Dogs movie adaptation officially wrapped filming in September 2024 and will star Tom Blyth, Markella Kavenagh, and Sophie Wilde. The film has been in development since 2015, and while there's no telling what it may look like when we finally get to see it, it would be interesting to see the film's characters abuse the Profiler mechanic during poker on the big screen.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Finally, while certainly a vastly different format from the poker we know, Witcher 3's take on poker involves some level of deckbuilding and fast-paced card gameplay. Still, there are many similarities between Gwent and classic poker, with the game combining classic card-game elements including bluffing and folding, as well as some calculation for more hardcore players.
The popularity of Gwent resulted in a spin-off digital trading card game and even an upcoming physical Gwent game, where fans can collect and build their own physical decks. If you need tips to help build an unbeatable Gwent deck, it's worth checking out our post on "Trading Card Game Essentials" where we also discuss the importance of forming a deck strategy.
If you liked this post and want to see more video game insights and competitive gaming, you can check out our post on Berkeley County Library System's Super Smash Bros. tournament.
