I liked last year's offering of World Series of Poker...and it seems that I was one of the few people to do so. Magazines and online media slammed the game hard for its lack of AI competence and minimal presentation, calling it the worst of the bunch. I found it to be better than that. Sure, the AI is about as balanced as my checkbook, but all the same, I felt that the engine was no slouch, and the online play made things worthwhile. I played it just last week, coming in second during a tourney, falling on a pair of five's (which soon became three five's after the flop- damn flop).

This year's version, World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions 2007, raises the stakes a little bit. The series makes its debut on the Xbox 360 this year, and adds some more faces from the tournament to make it feel more like a complete poker experiment. But there are two questions that are probably going to be asked...

Number one, is the game worth dropping $40 on? That budget price is definitely more reasonable than a $60 price tag, but keep in mind that Texas Hold 'Em came out for the Xbox Live Arcade service a few weeks ago- for free. Some people might already have the poker fix in their XBLA library, so whether a purchase of World Series of Poker would benefit said players is definitely a query worth visiting. Secondly, is the game any better than last year's edition? Despite the fact that I like World Series of Poker just fine on my Xbox, there are a few things that I felt needed to be addressed and bumped up for this edition.

Well, let me answer both questions for you. Regarding number one, it depends on how much you like poker. Texas Hold 'Em runs down a much more basic path than World Series of Poker, and if playing a no-frills game is something you're up for, it's worth the 800 points. However, if you're an enthusiast or die-hard poker player that attends weekly bar contests and knows his (or her) way into a full-blown bluff to get a stack of chips, there's something to be discovered here.

As for the second question, well, yes, there are some improvements worth noting, but there are also some problems. Remember when I was telling you about the snags with the AI from the first game? Well, some of them have returned, with the AI players making lame-brained calls off of a raised bet that you'll either find yourself giddy with overconfidence when you slam down the dream hand of three-of-a-kind or better, or frustrated to shit when you find they've created an accidental straight off of a blind bet.

But World Series of Poker, despite this flaw, still knows how to lay its cards down. The general flow of poker is well furnished here, and you can make adjustments depending on how you feel like playing. If you're up for watching how AI opponents react and listening to commentary, you can go at a normal speed. However, if you just want to get through a match and see who wins each hand, you can speed things up. There's also a wide variety of games to be found here, aside from the Texas Hold 'Em matches. Feel like some Omaha? Or maybe even a little bit of Horse? You have the option of setting up your own custom matches. Or, if you're not up to all that, you can just jump into a quick Texas Hold 'Em match to test your mettle.

World Series of Poker also adds an ingredient that Texas Hold 'Em is sorely missing- implementing your personality into the game. Sure, the XBLA effort is Xbox Live Camera-friendly, but World Series of Poker lets you map in your own face onto a player via "Digiface". While it isn't always an exact fit, it is a pretty cool feature that saves you some time on your customization. You can also give yourself a few wardrobe changes to match up your personality (and some that don't), and unlock even more accessories over the course of your career. The option of setting up your own poker room and allowing outsiders in to play is a nice touch as well, although I'm still trying to figure out how to put a deer head on the wall. (Why can't I just import one from the Cabela games you offer, Activision?)