Gaming Guru

I-play signs Negreanu for poker projects

UK-based mobile entertainment company I-play signed Daniel Negreanu as the front man for its upcoming cellular-phone poker game and series of streaming training video clips available for download.

The cell-phone game, available later this year, features a "realistic feel," according to Negreanu, and "state of the art artificial intelligence that will allow any beginner a chance to become a great player."

The artificial intelligence was tested against bots, particularly AI bots designed from other mobile game programs, Negreanu said. It was also tested against Negreanu and according to the poker superstar, the phone-version did "pretty good."

Negreanu's input drove most of the designing process.

"This is excellent software," Negreanu said. "It has a different look than most of the mobile games I've seen. It's less cartoonish and more realistic."

The mobile game also contains a number of special features like hand statistics, starting hand requirements, and mid-game poker instruction. An "advice" option prompts a preprogrammed Negreanu to appear during any hand, explaining how he would play it out in this particular situation.

"My favorite part is the little display on the bottom that tells you what the nut (hand is)," Negreanu said. "When the hand is over, a graphic at the bottom lets you know what the best possible hand was. Many beginners have a problem figuring that out. That alone is a great teaching tool."

A series of Negreanu streaming training videos that players can download onto their phones are also available from I-play.

Negreanu spent three full days at The Venetian in Las Vegas taping 100 instructional video clips. Negreanu wrote all the content for each ninety-second clip and every video contains information on a different aspect of poker.

The series begins with 20 clips designed to educate the beginner with the classes getting progressively more advanced as the clips move forward.

Topic discussion include multiple videos on tournament play, No-Limit Hold'em strategy, tells, bluffs, and more.

"I wrote all the material myself," Negreanu said. "It will be similar to stuff I've written for magazines and blogs and none of it is scripted. It's for people that really want to learn the game and the best part is that you can get it all on your phone."

The mobile game and the video clips are still in production. There is no pricing information or purchasing details available at this time, according to I-play officials.

The streaming video clips are expected to be released in June with the cell phone game coming out in December.