It is now official, the long awaited new game HoldemX debuted today. Available to the general public for the first time, HoldemX is a new game from Mediarex (the company that brings us the Global Poker Index and the Global Poker Masters) that combines the skill of Texas Hold’em with the excitement and added strategy of games like Hearthstone and Uno.
Mediarex CEO Alex Dreyfus explains: “We believe that after 12 years, the online poker industry – across social, freemium ‘real money’ corridors – needs to adopt new, fun and innovative games in order to bring back disengaged players and effectively target new generations of gamers.”
Poker Enhanced
What makes HoldemX special is the xDeck, a group of 15 cards that players can use to affect their hole cards, game play and the community cards.
Each player in the heads up game can block his/her opponent from selecting up to three xCards and can select up to six xCards to use during the match that were not blocked by their opponent. Each xCard is assigned a point value and players get a budget of points which they can use to select the blocked cards and the cards they want to use during play.
The game is designed for fast play with escalating blinds and a three minute time bank that quickly evaporates with every decision. Like a timed chess match, if a player runs out of time, they lose the match.
“HoldemX brings more drama, more action and more fun without straying from the skill-based foundations of what makes poker unique,” Dreyfus added.
Dreyfus is looking for feedback on the new game. According to the press release, the “alpha set-up represents an in-depth testing phase that aims to gather (and implement) as much feedback from players and gaming communities as possible. So, try it out and let them know what you think by posting in their forum designed for players to share their thoughts on the game.
A proper mobile app is expected to be released this summer.
Bigger Plans for HoldemX
HoldemX will also be part of Dreyfus’ plan to “sportify” poker with the Global Poker League.
A group of high profile gamers from the eSports world along with some of the game’s top poker professionals will compete in a HoldemX league called the GPL X. Like the GPL, the championship match will take place at a high profile sporting arena inside The Cube, a glass cage that lets the audience see in without letting the players see out.
Mediarex also plans to license HoldemX to gaming operators for real money play both live and online.
