A major US wireless company and a mobile media technology specialist have joined forces with one of the top personalities in poker, Howard “The Professor” Lederer to coach mobile phone users in Texas Holdem.
“Secrets of Holdem” featuring The Professor is a project involving Cingular Wireless and Summus Inc., and a maiden venture by the wireless provider into poker-based mobile applications.
The product is said to combine exciting action and coaching for players, enabling them to boost their Texas Holdem capability, and it can be played as a stand-alone or in conjunction with an existing mobile game. Features include expert hints, tips, and interactive strategy charts designed to improve the players’ appreciation and use of the game, and an opportunity to play virtual clones of famous poker players.
Once they are confident in their ability as a result of the coaching, players can challenge several computer-simulated, top AI poker celebrities such as Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Matt Savage, and Greg Raymer. The game starts with $500 a player and gamblers enter a series of tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $100 to $10,000. The biggest prize of the game comes when players win the $10,000 and they get to face the professor himself in a head-to-head contest.
Lederer is impressed with the way in which Summus captured the spirit and feel of his tutorial products, integrating it into an entertaining and challenging mobile Hold em game. “We are excited at the prospect of imparting poker knowledge via mobile phones at any time or location,” he says.