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"Why bother?"

Before we begin, I have just one thing to clear up...*ahem* Here goes: THERE ARE NO BICYCLES HERE. I just had to get that out, just in case some of you wandering in after reading the game's name and was expecting some kind of zany new casino where bikers are dealers and roulette is just one big bike race circuit. Got that? Good. Now, Bicycle Casino's title is in fact referring to the big name Vegas supplier of chips, decks and other gambling equipment, so Tour de France fans go home! You're not wanted. Gambling nutjobs, come on in!

Bicycle Casino is not a game about plot. It's not a game about graphics. It's just a game made up of several different, smaller games. Yes, Bicycle Casino is a grand compilation of every type of gambling game you can think of. You can play Poker, spin the roulette wheel, pull the arm of a fruit machine...it's a great big, mixed bag of all of the traditional games that people still love to play...but that's the snag. They *still* play them already. Online gambling sites and flash-games have had variations of Blackjack and Craps for years, so why bother paying out for them here? I've seen many a interesting variation of the Fruit Machine online which were fun to play, but here, it's all too drab. At least online there's new rules and ideas, such as "Bomb-Blast Roulette", where you can't land on a Black, or else it's Game Over. Here, you've got the same, rigid game, with the same, dull rules. It's okay for die hard gamblers, but for those who aren't familiar to the game, this isn't for them.

You can't say much else about the game except its online features. Bicycle Casino is hooked up to Live to make gambling a much more social experience, allowing for players to pit themselves against each other in a game of wits and bluffs. Sounds interesting? Well... it is...kind of. Rubbing your friends' faces in it as you reel in your winnings if a fun experience, but it's not that rewarding. A bunch of men playing Poker and complaining about their wives' nagging in comparison to a crushing defeat in Team Deathmatch via the Rainbow Six 3: Lockdown boys does show just how much fun Bicycle Casino really is compared to other online titles. Now, I'm not saying it's a crap game, but can playing online *really* be an substitute for taking your real friends to the cleaners? Not to mention the mindless banter and cigar smoke...No. I don't think so.

The graphics are pretty standard in this game, with nothing to either dazzle or to complain about, which I suppose is a plus point . As for what you should do with it? I'd personally go with a really short-term rental offer, as it's not worth the full price, even though it is a rather cheap budget title (usually half the price of a regular game on release). Just a single weekend play-through will be enough for most to brush up on their poker skills, which I suppose is the most useful part. Having your own "clan" of card-dealing mates who share tips and tricks of winning the real cash in person for you is the big benefit here, as these guys tend to be real nuts on poker. Added bonus that, having tutorial sessions on how to play out a Royal Flush with a real person, not some dumb computer.

Rent it, return it, and then whip your mates at your next poker night.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 10/28/05, Updated 06/21/06