World Poker Tour: Texas Hold'Em 2 (solo)

You can't swing a mobile phone without hitting 17 poker games, nowadays. Most of which focus on the popular Texas Hold 'em variant of the game. Well, it's the one people know from the telly, see?

Here in Europe, the overwhelming majority of these games are single-player, with you trying to outbluff mobile-controlled opponents of varying style and ability. However, in their look and feel, they take cues from the internet poker sites, where people gamble real money against each other.

So what about multiplayer mobile poker? Weirdly, there are several play-for-cash mobile poker games, including Cecure's Aces Royal Poker and Pokerroom.com's own mobile client. But in Europe, play-for-fun mobile poker games have lagged behind.

Why so much backstory? Well, we need it to explain Hands-On Mobile's World Poker Tour: Texas Hold'Em 2. Here in the UK, two versions have just come out. If you're on 3, you get the multiplayer version, which for £1.99 a month enables you play against other gamers around the world. If you're on any other operator, for now you just get the single-player alternative.

The latter is what we're concerned with in this review – we'll rate the multiplayer version next week when we've had time to take on the globe.

Like its rivals, the game closely follows the look and feel of online poker, with a top-down viewpoint of player avatars sitting round a table. It looks good, though, with a noticeable graphical revamp since Hands-On's original World Poker Tour: Texas Hold'Em game.

There are two ways to play the game. Free Play is the quick 'n' easy option, setting up a table to get gambling with your initial cashpile of $10,000. You can choose the number of players, the size of the blinds, and select between No Limit, Pot Limit and Limit Hold 'em variants.

The game is quick and slick to play, with hands passing by in a matter of seconds, and well-designed controls making it simple to check, bet, raise and fold without getting your fingers tangled up. We're not super poker experts (as evidenced by the distinct lack of yachts parked in our garage), but we found the game offers a tough challenge that'll test your skills.

It's not quite as beginner-friendly as titles like Glu's World Series of Poker: Pro Challenge in terms of displaying tips on the strength of your hand, but poker buffs will probably appreciate that, so it's a double-edged sword.

However, the big improvement from the first WPT game is the addition of a Scenario mode, which sees you trying to win the US and World Championships by travelling the world, competing in different tournaments. It gives the game something extra with which to keep your attention, whereas the original WPT paled after a few sessions.

So, the solo version of World Poker Tour: Texas Hold'Em 2 emerges as a good, well-crafted poker game that'll keep grizzled players and determined newbies alike happy.

But… but… we do think it's a shame that the game's multiplayer version is only available on 3. Because while this game is good, the multiplayer will add a whole new layer of depth, and it seems a shame to deprive the majority of UK mobile users of the chance to play against each other – even for a time-limited period.

The UK mobile operators are working on getting more simultaneous release dates, where games go live on every portal on the same day. World Poker Tour: Texas Hold'Em 2 is exactly the sort of game that should be getting this treatment, but since it's not, the best we can hope is that the multiplayer version turns up on other operators soon.

That aside, the fact remains that solo poker fiends will find plenty of decent single-player action to keep them occupied here.