Last Call Poker: A Full House?

I know, I know — it’s been forever since we last talked about Last Call Poker. It’s definitely not because of lack of update information — we’ll speak to that in a few minutes. No, the problem is… I had to pry (that’s right, pry) myself away from the poker tables at LCP to make this update happen. So many of us here at ARGN are so thoroughly enjoying the game, that we’ve been setting this update aside while we won monster pots from players the world over. If this means that we’re all going to have to do some soul-searching (and major gambling detox) afterwards, then so be it. But enough of my lilly-livered sniveling — let’s get to the good stuff.

A quick up-to-now synopsis is in order, of course. When we first found the site, we were pointed towards Lucy Brown by her recently deceased uncle Lionel “Lucky” Brown, who had the Last Call Poker website created as a condition in his will. The drama kicks off in a big way in one of the first discoveries by players when someone connected to Lucy gets shot and dies before her eyes. Since the launch of the game, players have discovered 29 characters (through a Player Search on the site) and a large and complex story involving gangs, rogue cops, innocent victims and a highly coveted gun. Oh, and it needs to be mentioned that dead people keep appearing at poker tables, willing to play against anyone who has a chip and a chair (and, often, a sympathetic ear). It’s been a wild ride so far, and we haven’t even gotten to the first live event – a Tombstone Poker showdown.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of Tombstone Poker? Well, then, you are indeed in luck, for this Saturday (October 15) the Italia Cemetery in the San Francisco/Colma area of California (in the United States, if you didn’t already know) will be the site for a knock-down, drag-out Tombstone Poker extravaganza. People are flying in from all over the continent to take part in this event, and hopefully those not at the event will be able to share in the excitement through the magic of the Internet somehow. If the first few weeks of the game are any indication, there are bound to be a few surprises in a drama-fueled environment — just the thing for the jet-lagged nervous crowd.

The live free-money poker that the site offers, while completely addictive and fun to play, has become another outlet for character-to-player interaction. Players scoring in the top seven chip counts at the end of the week (every Saturday) are given a chance to play in a tournament on Wednesday nights at a table with “Lucky” Brown himself, where information is often “volunteered” by the wandering spirit and his closest (and sometimes, most recently deceased) friends. Characters have also popped up on regular tables at random times, providing players opportunities to discover new information, and with it, more character player profiles. Chip stacks are reset to a base of 10,000 every Saturday, but players are able to get bonuses through various means — unlocking a player profile will net you extra cash for the start of the new week, as will the discovery of The Mark Of The Joker, a mystery that has been unravelled by a select few of the players thus far. Last Call Poker also rewards those who make friends, as having your profile added to another person’s QuickLink list will go towards a tally which determines extra bonuses for the start of the week.

Last Call Poker has come out of the gate with a strong delivery of a fantastic product. The steady flow of intriguing story, in combination with eccentric, likable (and hate-able) characters, has impressed and attracted many long-time ARG community members. Mix this with a competitive, active social community at the site itself, and throw in a dash of an award structure, and it seems that LCP is destined to become a bona fide hit. It is only fitting, then, that while many people just begun their experiences with LCP, the majority of people who started with the launch of the game on September 24th have stuck with it. Heck, it’s just a lot of fun to be a part of, personally speaking. So, if you haven’t gone all-in with another game, go ahead and throw a couple of chips at Last Call Poker — you may be pleased at the hand it deals you. Yeah, that’s enough of the poker metaphors, I agree.

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