For this critical play, I played Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, originally created by TikGames for Xbox Live Arcade in 2006. The version I played was available on CasinoWorld.com. The age range for the CasinoWorld website is 18+, matching the minimum gambling age in California. The core mechanics of the game involve 2 cards being dealt to each player and then “community cards” being laid out by a dealer until 5 have been laid out. After each community card is laid down, a round of betting occurs, allowing players the chance to bet on how good their hand is. The objective of each player in a given round is to construct the best hand of 5 cards between their cards and the community cards. This falls within the overall objective of the game which is to win the most chips by winning rounds and outwitting other players.
On a personal level, I often find games like Poker to be addicting simply because I haven’t played them much before, so I feel as though I am learning new strategies each time. However, I could see how it can quickly become addicting since for each round where I didn’t have a good hand, I felt as though I got unlucky that round, so I was compelled to play “just one more round” for many rounds in a row. Each round was only a matter of minutes, so playing one more round seems so trivial, contributing to its addictive nature.
I played mostly without interaction with other players, but there was one game where one player in particular was very active in the chat. They were posting lots of salty remarks, such as “you better fold” or “yeah i’ve got a royal flush” to try to discourage other players. The clearly large ego that this player had resulted in my becoming more competitive and continuing through rounds that I had no business staying in, simply because I didn’t want that other player to win. I can imagine that this can result in problematic patterns for gambling addicts who are either overconfident themselves or overly competitive and find themselves losing real money massively out of pure drive to beat out other players. I don’t think I won any of the rounds I played for this critical play, but the game also made buying more chips (with fake currency) as simple as pressing one button, so even when I lost all my chips I could just keep going. As Schull discusses, the ability to churn through rounds and hold onto hope that I’ll be luckier the next round results in a very captivating atmosphere.
Many games use chance/probability, but the difference for games like Poker is that chance is the primary element of the game. As long as casino-owners are able to create that captivating atmosphere and delude players, they can make victory seem just within reach enough to keep players playing. Especially when real money is at stake, the resulting dopamine rush from winning is even more enticing.
