7 Card Stud (Martech Games Ltd, 1986)
After finding several versions of "Draw Poker" in the WoS archives, I was very happy to finally find a true "Stud Poker" variant. This one is tucked away on side-B of the more widely known Sam Fox Strip Poker tape. However "7 Card Stud" is strictly a "normal" poker game (i.e. non-adult) and it's a available as a standalone TAP file, separate from the Sam Fox game. This is quite handy when playing during a workplace lunch-break or in a family environment. :) As I write this, it is also the only true stud poker game I have found on the speccy so far. (There is another game which claims to be stud poker but is in fact draw poker. Also, I'm not counting strip poker variants).
This game is a massive departure from other poker games of the early 1982-84 period. Its black background, custom font and presumably machine code implementation with slick, fast-moving playing cards sets it apart from previous games, betraying the fact it is of the later 1986 era. Even the machine-coded BEEPER intro-tune and in-game sound-fx are a welcome departure from the generally square tone BEEPs of early-era card games.
Likewise, the user interface is of a more simplified, "arcade-like" design. Here we don't manually type playing decisions or amounts to bet into clunky INPUT fields, but instead we cycle through a preset menu with the SPACE bar and activate our choices with ENTER. The betting structure is also fixed, meaning there is no need to directly enter numeric values anyway.
Of course, I like this game because 7 card stud offers an extra level of strategy and drama above and beyond that of 5 card draw. All we need now is "Texas hold 'em" on the speccy. :)
I'd have given this a five, but I have a few minor criticisms. Despite the blindingly fast card graphics, it can still be a long wait before the computer players conclude a round, particularly if you fold early. Also, the game seemingly lacks an intro screen. You just get a blank black screen and it's not obvious that you may have to hold a key down in order to start the game (since a tune is playing). Initially, I thought the speccy had crashed, since my emulator was muted. Also when you come back to a session after being distracted away from the computer, it's not always immediately obvious whose turn it is to play, particularly if the game was paused. These are just minor issues though and the enjoyment of the game itself is undoubtedly great.
In summary, it's a good implementation of an exciting poker variant, and for "stud poker" on the speccy, perhaps it is the only game in town. (I will keep searching for others) In any case, "7 Card Stud" is recommended for card players.
