Category: Gambling sim
Developer: Candywriter
Requirements: iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 13.3MB
What is it?
It’s blackjack. Just blackjack…albeit with numerous rule sets, various locations, and some really nice graphics.
How does it work?
It works like blackjack. You create a profile, choose your settings (auto bet, display card totals, display hints, etc.), then select your casino. You can choose from Reno, Las Vegas downtown, Las Vegas strip, Atlantic City, Monte Carlo and Macao. Each location has a different look, which the developers say is “meticulously recreated.” I’ll have to take their word on that, since I’ve only been to Vegas; to me, each location is just a different colored table. Attractive tables, though. The graphics do a great job of recreating the shadowy textures of a blackjack table in a casino (although, some ambient sounds would help to recreate the setting). The cards and chips seem slightly disjointed above it, and the animations of the dealers hands are quite choppy, but none of this distracts from the gameplay.
Speaking of gameplay, Blackjack World Pro is more of a training app than anything else. It kind of has to be, since you’re not actually wagering money, of course. You’re also not playing anyone else. Here, it’s just you against the dealer, but that’s what makes the app useful. You’re going to learn the rule variations at the six included casinos, so you’re ready to go when you jet off to Monte Carlo for the weekend. Blackjack World Pro supports 22 card counting strategies, and can use them to offer you tips on what to do next. Now, I don’t play much blackjack, but I know the rules, and I have yet to have the computer offer me a hint that counters what I was going to do anyway, so I’m not sure how useful the hint system is. Likely, there are nuances I’m missing that a more experienced player would pick up on, but does a more experienced player need hints from app such as this? More useful is the fact that you can have the game warn you if you’re going to make an “aggressive or defensive mistake.” The game doesn’t fully explain why it’s a mistake, but it will force you to think harder about what you’re doing, and that will make you a better player.
Features
- Attractive graphics.
- Easy to pick up and play; great user interface.
- Tracks your stats from game to game and casino to casino.
- Plenty of rule variations (and the ability to customize your own).
App it Up, Sum it Up
Blackjack World Pro could benefit from multiplayer action or at least some sort of tournament system, but it’s still a very well designed and useful game as it stands. It’ll entertain blackjack fans, and it’ll educate beginners who are looking to practice up before their big trip to Vegas or Atlantic City. And if you’re the type who currently has an LED slot machine or poker game in the basket next to the toilet, this will help you kill a few minutes, too.
Cost – $1.99
Worth the Money? – If you learn enough to win more than $2 the time you’re at a blackjack table, then yeah, absolutely it’s worth it.
Availability – Now, in the app store.
I have played a lot of blackjack in Tahoe and in Las Vegas, also on my computer and iphone. Your game is the most unfair computer game of blackjack that I have ever encountered. The dealer will get an ace about every other hand and will convert often. The dealer also gets 18, 19, 20, & 21 most of the time. It is almost impossible to win for any length of time. Your layouts are nice, but all the buttons that need to be pushed everytime you run out of money is unnecessary because you run out of money often. You need to re work the software and make it more like it is in any casino. If the casino games were as one sided as your game their would be no Las Vegas. Your game is fun to play when you accumulate a little money to play with but having to start over all of the time is no fun. I go for 10 or 12 hands sometimes without a win. If it is a push you can rest assured that you will get a 3 with whatever is delt and 95% of the time you loose the hand. Nancy Chester